Walk-off double lifts Cape baseball over Central

Cape junior Gage Joseph calmly walked to the plate and drove a double to score Timmy Hitchcock in the bottom of the seventh inning and give the Vikings a 6-5 victory over Sussex Central. DAN COOK PHOTOS

Dan Cook

April 21, 2023

Cape junior Gage Joseph smacked a walk-off double in the bottom of the seventh inning to score Timmy Hitchcock and lift the Vikings to a dramatic 6-5 victory over visiting Sussex Central.

The game was tied 5-5 going into the home half of the seventh when Hitchcock got on base with a bunt. He was moved to second on a bunt by Isaac Terhune, then scored on Joseph’s double.

Hitchcock went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and two runs scored. Owen Daminger added an RBI triple. Jaxon Clampitt threw 1 1/3 innings to get the win.

Sussex Central’s Osiah Kelley went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Talan Savage had a pair of hits, while Brayden Tidwell had a solo home run.

Cape improved to 7-1, while Central dropped to 8-3.

Vikings top Appo

The Cape squad was back at it April 22, hosting Appoquinimink. The Vikings used Hitchcock’s bat and Nick Cox’s arm to garner a 7-4 non-conference victory.

Cox went five strong innings on the mound to pick up his fourth win, striking out five Jags. Hitchcock slammed a triple to clear the bases in the second inning. Joseph and Jase Mitchell each had a pair of hits and scored a run. Lex Wescott scored a run.

“This has always been a big game for us, so our guys were excited for the challenge,” said Cape coach Ben Evick. “We knew we would see their No. 1 pitcher, so we had a good approach planned for him. We put pressure on early in the second inning and Timmy Hitchcock hit a bases-loaded triple to blow it open for us. We put two more up on a Jase Mitchell single in the third. Nick Cox was tremendous on the mound for four innings, and then struggled to find it in the fifth. He allowed three runs, but got out of the inning.”

Hitchcock relieved Cox and pitched the sixth and seventh innings. He closed out the seventh on three pitches.

“We have a big week coming up this week with three games, so we’re excited to get to work Monday,” Evick said.

The 8-1 Vikings will face Smyrna Tuesday, April 25, and Lake Forest Friday, April 28, then travel to Archbishop Spalding Saturday, April 29.