He’s only 5-foot-6 and 120 pounds, but Cam Kelley played a giant role for Turlock Christian on Thursday afternoon.
After a first-round bye, the top-seeded Eagles (14-5) returned to their home field of Pedretti Park on Thursday to face off with No. 8 Big Valley Christian (6-16-1) in the quarterfinal round of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division VII baseball playoffs. And it was Kelley who came up with clutch hits after coming in as the relief pitcher in the second inning in the Eagles' 4-3 win.
With the game tied at two runs apiece in the fifth inning and two outs already on the board, the sophomore smacked a sharp line drive to the Big Valley second baseman. A strong effort was made to stop the ball from going into the outfield, but there wasn’t enough time for the infielder to gather himself and catch the speedy Kelley at first base as teammate Michael Miller scurried home from third base.
Kelley’s head up baserunning led to him taking second base on a passed ball and coming around to score on a single off the bat of junior Jakobe Garcia and a fielding error by the left fielder on the same play. The fourth run proved to be valuable insurance, as the Lions scored a third run in the seventh inning.
“It feels really nice to get this one and move on,” said Kelley. “I’m excited for this next round.”
Awaiting the Eagles in the best-of-three semifinal series is No. 5 Rio Vista (13-11), who are coming off a 2-0 victory over Delta Charter on Thursday. The Eagles will host the first game at Pedretti Park on Monday at a time later to be determined, while the series will shift to Rio Vista on Wednesday. If necessary, a third game will be played back at Pedretti on Thursday.
Turlock Christian trailed early as starting pitcher Blake Starn struggled with command. The junior posted a 1.97 ERA and a team-high 62 strikeouts over 39 innings in the regular season, but consistently missed into the dirt throughout the first inning, allowing one run to score on four walks and a wild pitch.
“We talk a lot about humility amongst ourselves,” said TC head coach Bill York. “I mean, some days you come out to the yard and you just don't have it. And Starn felt physically great, he couldn't figure it out, right? And that happens. Baseball is a funny game like that. You have to have humility and say, ‘Sometimes I don't have it.’
The one inning was all Starn was given, as Kelley ran in from second base and onto the mound to start the second frame. And he did so in a tied game, thanks to himself.
After junior Jake Dein reached base on a walk and advanced to second on a passed ball, Kelley brought him in with a single. The Lions answered back against Kelley in the third when Brody Heinrich hit an RBI double that almost cleared the fence in center field. In the bottom half of the inning, Dein tied it up again with an RBI single scoring Miller.
After that, Kelley cruised, giving up just two hits the rest of the way while punching out five. He lowered his season ERA to 0.89 in 39 innings.
“I know that, when the starting pitcher doesn't go too long, I'm usually the go-to guy,” Kelley said. I actually prepare before the games to be ready for that scenario.
“I'm always calm under pressure. I feel confident when I'm in those scenarios. I'm always ready for that.”
After the third inning, the only legitimate threat the Lions had on offense came in the sixth inning, when Kelley walked a pair of batters and Garcia made a diving catch to on a sharp line drive to his right, keeping the box score clean.
“It's a game-changing play, or in this case, a game-preserving play,” York said. “Jakobe is the kind of player who rises to the occasion with those spectacular f plays. He made two or three in the regular season, and it just swung momentum immediately.
“We make a joke that he has the ESPN, SportsCenter song rolling on repeat in his head all the time. He's always looking to make those plays. I’m super, super happy that he got to show off his skills, and guys like him on our team can continue to do that going into next week.”
