“It wouldn’t be a playoff game if we weren’t trailing in the first inning,” said Oxford baseball coach Chris Palmer, who was recalling a conversation in the dugout early on in Tuesday’s state regional playoff win over Cooperstown.
In all seriousness, the Blackhawks might want to stick to a successful formula:  Spot the winner of Keio Academy or East Rockaway a run or two.
As has been the pattern in all four Oxford playoff wins, it trailed in the contest early on, and the Blackhawks’ last loss – to Sidney in the Midstate Athletic Conference title game – they were the first team to put runs on the board. “We’ve been able to come back all season long,” Palmer said. “We have great leadership from the seniors, and the guys don’t lose their heads when they fall behind.”
Cooperstown was no slouch of an opponent, and Palmer held that team in great esteem noting it may be the best team left among the eight playoff teams across the state. Junior pitcher Phillip Pohl used a blazing fastball to overpower Oxford’s lineup early on. Pohl, who had four wins on the season, earned the starting nod over unbeaten Luke Banner, and was poised for win number five until Oxford’s second trip through the lineup.
“We already saw him once, and you always get a better look the second time around,” said senior Steve Locke. Locke didn’t capitalize on that second look right away, but his teammates sure did. Jake Vincent, Ben Burdick, and Trevor Nelson all hit doubles off Pohl, who retired the first 10 batters in order, but gave up seven hits and three runs over the next 2 2-3 innings. His fastball did not seem nearly as fast, and Oxford is a good fastball hitting team. “Frankly, I was surprised we struck out as many times as we did (against Pohl),” early in the game,” Palmer said. “Fastball pitchers haven’t bothered us. It’s when they can also mix speeds and a good curve... .”
Pohl was unable to consistently throw his curveball for strikes, and it came back to bite him. Worn down by good Oxford at-bats, he was pulled early in the seventh for Banner. It would not be a “banner” finish for the Cooperstown relief pitcher, who gave up the winning two-run single to Locke.
Locke, meanwhile, continued his longtime mastery of Cooperstown. It was nowhere near the first time he had seen many of the Redskins’ batters. As youths playing in the Otsenango Pony League –before entering their freshman year of high school – Locke pitched Oxford to several victories over Cooperstown. Fast forward four years later, Locke was still confounding those same batters giving up just one hit through six innings – a solo homer by Pohl – in his third playoff win.
Come this weekend, however, Oxford will need to win two games within a roughly eight-hour time frame to capture its first state baseball title, and Locke is only available for one of those games. "We've known that all along," Palmer said of the need for pitching depth.
The other playoff victory went to junior Nate Sortino, one of just two underclassmen in the starting lineup. Nick Gates is the other starter. Sortino finished 7-1 on the season, and Palmer is confident in "Tino's" ability to win a big game. He already contained Elmira Notre Dame during the four-game playoff run. "Nate mixes his pitches well, and I really think we have our best defense on the field when he is pitching," Palmer said.
The Blackhawks have already set a team record for wins in a season with 21, the advancement in the playoffs matches the state semifinals appearance of the girls' basketball team in 2003 as the deepest run by an Oxford team, and with two wins Saturday, can become the school's first state championship team.   And for the young men who comprise the team, it is a chance to put another banner on the gymnasium wall for future athletes to set their sights on.