Cape senior all-stars defeat Laurel-Nanticoke 6-2
Do as I say and as I do?
Baseball is a game of fundamentals, and the new rules in Major League Baseball have placed an emphasis on what is referred to as small ball. The top levels of the game now prioritize smart pitching, disciplined at-bats, aggressive base running, solid fielding and the ability to recognize when to take advantage of a pitch. Work began in the minor leagues to make the game more exciting a few years ago, but 2023 was the first year Major League Baseball applied the revolutionary rules. Younger players may have noticed.
During the District 3 Senior League tournament, Cape battled Mid-Sussex June 26 in a fundamentally sound game, but fell 4-2. During the next contest against Laurel-Nanticoke June 28, players continued their focused approach to the game. Malachi Woods toed the rubber for Cape and gave up only one run through the first three innings he pitched. Staked with a 3-0 lead following the top of the first, Woods threw strikes early and often to the Laurel-Nanticoke lineup.
After kicking off the game with a hit, Will Burke logged a double steal, on the same play. Burke stole second. The catcher’s throw sailed a bit, but Laurel-Nanticoke’s Alex Condos nabbed the ball in midair. Burke, thinking the ball was a caught line drive, ran back to first base after Condos threw the ball back to the pitcher. It would prove to be no harm no foul, as Burke did eventually score, but it was a rather humorous moment.
Side note: Major League Baseball banned the reverse steal shortly after the death of Herman “Germany” Schaefer in 1919. Schaefer was a well-known prankster and would often implement his antics in the game itself. He stole from second to first on multiple occasions, striking up controversy each time. The rule states once a runner acquires legal possession of a base, they cannot run in reverse order.
Will Burke, Mason Clews and Chase Hitchens each scored in the first inning to give Cape a 3-0 lead.
Both offenses remained stagnant through the next few frames as solid pitching and fundamentally sound defense were on display for the traditionalist who enjoys such execution.
Cameron Hartstein relieved Woods in the bottom of the fourth and shut down the Laurel-Nanticoke offense over the next three innings. Cape’s scoring jump-started again in the fifth following a bunt by Clews and crafty running on the base paths by the Cape catcher. Hitchens' single drove in an RBI and disciplined at-bats led to a couple more runs crossing the plate.
Hitchens took the mound in the bottom of a seventh inning that saw Laurel-Nanticoke score only once, leading to a final score of 6-2 in favor of Cape.
Cape is set to take on Lower Sussex Thursday, June 29. With a victory, they would face Mid-Sussex, which defeated Cape 4-2 in the first round of the tournament. The double-elimination tournament means Mid-Sussex only needs to win one, while its opponent needs to secure two victories.
More information is available at dedistrict3.org.
