BINGHAMTON – Oxford’s rise to prominence in Section IV baseball didn’t happen overnight. It was a steady climb for the Blackhawks who forged their skills on the baseball diamond at the beginning of this decade in Little League. A dream of a championship, born several years ago, became a reality for those one-time youngsters. Now young men, Oxford’s baseball team captured its first sectional baseball title since 1981 beating Candor, 13-8, Thursday at Conlon Field.
The Blackhawks will play Cooperstown Monday at 4:30 p.m. at Conlon Field or Union-Endicott High School in the first round of the state playoffs. The Redskins blanked Fabius-Pompey, 8-0.
“We’ve been working toward this goal for a long time,” said Ben Burdick, one of nine seniors on the winning Blackhawks. “Every time we stepped on the basketball court, we saw the banner from 1981. That was a long time ago, and we needed to win another one.”
Burdick was just one of several hitting stars for Oxford, who compiled a 14-hit attack in its most prolific offensive support in several weeks. It came at the right time with Candor’s hot-hitting lineup consistently pressuring Oxford starter Steve Locke. Locke earned his 10th win of the season needing 100 pitches over six innings, while giving up five runs – two earned – matching the high against him this season. “I know Steve wouldn’t admit it, but I think his arm had to be a little sore today,” said Oxford head coach Chris Palmer. “Candor is just a good hitting team. They hit the ball hard against us or put it in play with hard hits. Steve was able to gut it out for us.”
For the third straight playoff game, Oxford gave up the early lead. Two errors in the first inning led to RBI singles by Scott Williams and Ryan Cleveland.
Oxford (20-3) answered that deficit with expediency erasing the advantage after Burdick’s RBI double to score Pat Wade, and Nate Sortino’s fielder’s choice that plated Jake Vincent.
After Candor put across one in the second, the Blackhawks’ bats unloaded with a four-run, four-hit second to grab the lead for good.
Nick Gates hit a one-out double, and he scored on pinch-hitter Robert Amor’s single to left field. Wade drew a walk setting up Vincent’s go-ahead RBI single. Locke lofted an RBI sacrifice fly, and Burdick hit his second double in as many innings to score Vincent to make it 6-3 and chase losing pitcher Pete Ahart.
“I thought they were going to pitch me with a lot of junk,” Burdick said of his early hits. “They put fastballs right where I like them.”
Oxford would score at least two runs in each of the first five innings. Jake Vincent hit a two-run triple down the right field line in the third inning, Gates hit a two-run double in the fourth, and Locke capped Oxford’s scoring smashing a two-run homer over the left field fence upping the Blackhawks’ lead to 13-4. “We hit a lot of line drives and had good approaches at the plate today,” Palmer said. “We’ve seen a lot of other team’s aces over the season, and that paid off. We weren’t seeing anything better than what we’ve faced all year.”
Gates had his second straight three-hit game finishing with two RBI; Locke and Vincent each drove in three runs, Burdick had two hits and two ribbies, Wade reached base safely three times and scored three runs, and Amor had two hits, one run, and one RBI. Eight of Oxford’s nine starters had basehits in the contest.
Score by Innings
Can. 210 011 3 8 11 2
Oxf. 243 220 x 13 14 4
Steve Locke (W, 10-1), Burdick (7) and Jake Vincent. Pete Ahart (LP), Williams (2), Updyke (4), Beasley (6) and Cody Rose. Doubles: C) Barron, (O) Burdick (2), Gates (2), Wade, triples: (O) J. Vincent. HR: ( C) Dustin Quick, (O) Steve Locke.