OCEAN CITY – The Cape-Atlantic League Tournament is under way and the baseball team at Ocean City High School is riding a hot streak and will take that into Wednesday’s third meeting with top seed Mainland Regional.
The Red Raiders have won four of their last five games behind strong performances on the pitching mound.
Four different Raiders pitched a complete game in the span, highlighted by junior Travis Large, who shut out Egg Harbor Township High School 5-0 on May 7. Large gave up only two hits and struck out six batters in his first complete game of the season.
Ocean City head coach Andrew Bristol described Large as a “bulldog” thanks to his aggressive pitching style. He leads the Raiders in strikeouts and has proved himself to be a key piece in the Raiders’ rotation.
Large’s performance helped the Raiders bounce back after they lost to Egg Harbor Township 5-1 the day prior.
In their final game before the tournament on May 10, the Raiders held on to beat Holy Spirit 5-4. Pitcher Matt Pashley was two outs shy of his second consecutive complete game after a 10-strikeout day against Pennsville High School on May 4. Pashley has also contributed at the plate this season as he leads the team in both hits and batting average.
The pitching staff for Ocean City was expected to take on a heavy load this year as most of the positional players are starting for the first time.
Juniors Evan Taylor and Colin Thompson are the only returning fielders from last year’s starting lineup. The duo has led by example and have gotten on base consistently with nearly 20 hits each.
Newcomers Ryan Baldwin and Cole Laursen have made key contributions to the Raiders this season.
They were key to Ocean City’s first walk-off win of the season on April 30. Against Vineland High School each player had 2 RBIs as the Raiders scored three runs in the seventh inning to beat Vineland 9-8.
“It was important for us to play some tough games to get ready for this part of the season,” Bristol said. “We gave up a lead to Millville earlier in the season and came back to beat Vineland, so it was good to see them learn how to win from behind.”
In the series against Vineland and EHT the Raiders fought back and won the second game after losing the first.
With a record of 13-6 Ocean City earned the fifth seed in the Cape-Atlantic League Tournament. The Raiders’ first round opponent was No. 4 seed Oakcrest High School on Monday. Oakcrest got a big boost as it had star player Will Grayson available to pitch.
“It’s going to be a challenge against their best pitcher, he changes their whole team,” Bristol said prior to the game. “But we are going to be ready.”
They were ready. The Raiders outscored Oakcrest 13-2 over the first five innings to win via the 10-run rule. Jackson Gayeski hit a 3-RBI home run, Ryan Baldwin had a double and single (and 4 RBI), Cole Laursen had two singles and Raider teammates Kameron Street, Large and Dan Leiser had a single each. Eight Ocean City batters walked.
With a win the Raiders travel to Mainland Regional High School and take on the Mustangs for the third time this season. The 14-5 Mustangs are the number one overall seed in the tournament but have been tripped up by the Raiders in both meetings this season.
The last meeting between the cross-bay rivals was on April 24. in Ocean City. Large struck out 11 Mustangs in the 10-5 Ocean City victory. Mainland kept swinging and hit four home runs in the contest.
On the potential third matchup with the Mustangs, Bristol said the team would be “ready” and that there is a different challenge in seeing a great team multiple times.
The semifinal game at Mainland will start at 4 p.m. May 15. The Cape-Atlantic League championship game will be at 4 p.m. May 17.
– By WILLIAM TRUITT/For the Sentinel