ABILENE – Cameron got another gutsy pitching performance this time from James Rhodes as they were out-hit by Southeastern Oklahoma, but pulled out a, 9-4 win over the Savage Storm on Sunday evening at Crutcher Scott Field in Lone Star Conference Championship action.
Rhodes followed up Ricky Cramer's outing last night with a complete game win as he scattered 10 hits only allowing four runs. He walked six and also struck out six picking up, but was able to get important outs leaving 11 Savage Storm runners on base.
Cameron was able to thwart a Southeastern comeback in the sixth when Riley Keith drilled a one-out double to left and moved to third after a pair of Rhodes' walks. However a strikeout and a weak groundball would end the inning and leave the bases loaded preserving at that time a, 8-3 lead.
The Aggies were able to jump out early to a 4-0 lead scoring two runs in the first and two more in the second aided by three hits and an error and four free passes (2 walks and 2 hit batsmen.) It would the bottom of the fifth where Cameron broke the game open scoring four runs with only one hit and no errors; however SOSU pitchers had two walks and three more hit batters to push Aggie base runners around.
A sacrifice fly from Joe Halley in the bottom of the sixth would add an insurance run for Cameron, but Rhodes and the Aggie defense would close the door on the Savage Storm.
Zach Ragsdale would go 3-for-5 for SOSU with an RBI, but the Savage Storm in ability to score runners in scoring position would cost them. Riley Keith would hit his fourth home run of the season and finish 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Cameron improved to 32-14 on the year and will play Incarnate Word at 11 a.m. for a berth in Tuesday's Championship game while the loser will play the winner of Southeastern Oklahoma and Southwestern Oklahoma at 7 p.m. Southeastern Oklahoma fell to 30-17 and will play at 3 p.m. in a first round rematch with Southwestern Oklahoma in an elimination game.
