Oxford playing in Class C semifinals
ELMIRA – Chris Palmer said to expect a little more offense when his Oxford team visits Elmira Notre Dame today at 4:30 p.m. in the Section IV Class C baseball semifinals.
“They threw their ace (Greg Schiefen) against Marathon on Saturday,” Palmer said. “I haven’t seen a whole lot of pitching information from the other guys, but I think they will rely on their offense and limiting their errors.”
Conversely, Oxford fans will not likely see ace pitcher Steve Locke either, Palmer said, unless it’s for one inning. Locke tossed a complete-game victory against another Elmira-based team, Thomas Edison last Saturday, and he hit a game-winning solo homer with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to send the Blackhawks forward in the postseason.
Palmer will hand junior Nate Sortino the ball as Tuesday’s starter. Sortino (6-1) is just one of two junior starters in the field for Oxford that is 18-4 this season, and is eyeing a first sectional title since 1981.
“I’ve coached these seniors since the eighth grade,” Palmer said, “and this has been a long-term goal for us. It’s not something where we started playing well overnight. They have put in a lot of time and effort to get to this point. The seniors talk to each other and to the other players; there isn’t a lot I have to say to them before the game.”
The Crusaders do not boast of a sterling record. At 14-7, END has a pair of losses to Waverly and a recent defeat to Dryden – both Class B schools. However, it is a team that is used to playing up in competition throughout the season. “Their record is a little deceiving,” Palmer said. “The division they play in, it has a lot of Class B schools.”
Schiefen, Zach Homerda, and Andy Droste had first-inning ribbies in a 4-1 victory over Marathon Saturday. Palmer noted that he needs big performances from Sortino and possibly first reliever Ben Burdick to contain a strong END lineup. Senior Trevor Nelson, who also logged several innings this season, is not available to pitch due to a sore throwing shoulder. “After our first two guys, it’s hard to say who will pitch,” Palmer said. “If they can’t get it done, we may have to go to a bullpen-by-committee approach.”
And while the pitching situation could become sticky, it could be all for naught if the Oxford offense returns to the form that led it to a number one state ranking earlier this month. Over the last two games Oxford has just six total runs, but previous to that was frequently scoring double-digit runs. “We’ve had two games in a row where we had several runners in scoring position and didn’t capitalize,” Palmer said. “Most of the time we have been good about scoring runners. We ran into a couple of tough pitchers of late, but we have had a ton of two-out RBIs this season. We have that feeling that if we consistently put the ball in play, good things will happen.”
The winner of Tuesday’s matchup will play the winner of Walton and Candor Thursday, May 31 at 4:30 p.m. at Conlon Field.
“They threw their ace (Greg Schiefen) against Marathon on Saturday,” Palmer said. “I haven’t seen a whole lot of pitching information from the other guys, but I think they will rely on their offense and limiting their errors.”
Conversely, Oxford fans will not likely see ace pitcher Steve Locke either, Palmer said, unless it’s for one inning. Locke tossed a complete-game victory against another Elmira-based team, Thomas Edison last Saturday, and he hit a game-winning solo homer with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to send the Blackhawks forward in the postseason.
Palmer will hand junior Nate Sortino the ball as Tuesday’s starter. Sortino (6-1) is just one of two junior starters in the field for Oxford that is 18-4 this season, and is eyeing a first sectional title since 1981.
“I’ve coached these seniors since the eighth grade,” Palmer said, “and this has been a long-term goal for us. It’s not something where we started playing well overnight. They have put in a lot of time and effort to get to this point. The seniors talk to each other and to the other players; there isn’t a lot I have to say to them before the game.”
The Crusaders do not boast of a sterling record. At 14-7, END has a pair of losses to Waverly and a recent defeat to Dryden – both Class B schools. However, it is a team that is used to playing up in competition throughout the season. “Their record is a little deceiving,” Palmer said. “The division they play in, it has a lot of Class B schools.”
Schiefen, Zach Homerda, and Andy Droste had first-inning ribbies in a 4-1 victory over Marathon Saturday. Palmer noted that he needs big performances from Sortino and possibly first reliever Ben Burdick to contain a strong END lineup. Senior Trevor Nelson, who also logged several innings this season, is not available to pitch due to a sore throwing shoulder. “After our first two guys, it’s hard to say who will pitch,” Palmer said. “If they can’t get it done, we may have to go to a bullpen-by-committee approach.”
And while the pitching situation could become sticky, it could be all for naught if the Oxford offense returns to the form that led it to a number one state ranking earlier this month. Over the last two games Oxford has just six total runs, but previous to that was frequently scoring double-digit runs. “We’ve had two games in a row where we had several runners in scoring position and didn’t capitalize,” Palmer said. “Most of the time we have been good about scoring runners. We ran into a couple of tough pitchers of late, but we have had a ton of two-out RBIs this season. We have that feeling that if we consistently put the ball in play, good things will happen.”
The winner of Tuesday’s matchup will play the winner of Walton and Candor Thursday, May 31 at 4:30 p.m. at Conlon Field.
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