ENDICOTT – It’s not a good bet for the defense to put a .550 hitter at the plate with the bases loaded. Chances are, he’ll come through with an RBI-producing hit better than half the time.
Cooperstown did just that, and Oxford senior Steve Locke made the Redskins pay Tuesday afternoon hitting a game-winning, two-run single with one out in the bottom of the seventh to send the Blackhawks to the Class C state semifinals.
“I was glad and not so glad to get a second chance,” Locke said. “I wouldn’t have had a second chance if I didn’t give up the two runs (in the top of the seventh). But I was happy to get another chance to redeem myself.”
Oxford plays at 10 a.m. this Saturday against an undetermined opponent at Sylvester Field in Endicott, and is two wins from the school’s first state baseball championship.
“When they took the lead, none of our guys hung their heads, and that’s just our senior leadership here,” said Oxford coach Chris Palmer.
Locke and the Blackhawks battled back from the one-run deficit after a “Liner” nearly spoiled their victory hopes. That “Liner” was freshman Kyle Liner, who had the perfect retort to his bases-loaded groundout in the fifth – not unlike Locke’s predicament – to end his team’s scoring threat. Liner returned to the plate with the bags full again, and he lashed a solid single down the left field line to move his club ahead by a run.
Oxford, though, showed the mettle of an experienced varsity baseball team with clutch hits abound. Robert Amor singled to lead off the seventh, and was taken out for pinch-runner Josh Jordan. Pat Wade doubled to left-center on a 0-2 pitch putting the tying and go-ahead runners in scoring position. After a Jake Vincent out, Locke hit his second walk-off game-winner in the playoff season.
Just two innings earlier, Locke was at the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. After working the count against Cooperstown pitcher Philip Pohl, he check swung and was called out on strikes to end the inning. It was a rare strikeout for Locke, who hit a walk-off homer to beat Edison, and smacked a two-run homer against Candor in the Section IV finals last week.
Pohl was especially dominant early on striking out eight of the first 10 batters and six in a row at one point. Vincent’s double over the centerfielder’s head in the fourth inning broke up a no-hitter and gave Oxford (21-3) its first baserunner. Pohl had just two more strikeouts the rest of the way, and Oxford finished with 10 hits. Pohl was lifted after Amor’s single in favor of Luke Banner. Banner was saddled with the hard-luck loss.
Pohl homered in the first inning off Locke, who finished with four hits allowed, eight strikeouts, and four walks for his eleventh win of the season.
Oxford’ second and third time through the order paid dividends as the batters caught up with Pohl’s speed. Late in the game, Palmer liked his team’s chances. “They didn’t make any errors, but we made them make plays, and we were threatening in every inning,” Palmer said. “After Robert hit his single in the last inning and Pat hit his double, I knew we were in a good spot. And with Steve up at the plate, there is no other person we’d rather want in that situation.”
Oxford took the lead in the sixth inning after back-to-back doubles. Ben Burdick just missed a home run hitting a shot off the wall, and Trevor Nelson followed with an RBI double.
Score by innings
Coop. 100 000 2 3 4 0
Oxf. 000 101 2 4 10 4
Steve Locke (W) and Jake Vincent. Phillip Pohl, Luke Banner (L) and Kyle Liner. Doubles: (O) Jake Vincent, Pat Wade, Ben Burdick, Trevor Nelson. HR: ( C) Phillip Pohl.