With the MVABL off for Memorial Day, the Redlegs geared up for an interleague wood bat challenge against the reigning DABL champion Springfield Angels.
The Redlegs drew first blood by getting a run on the board in the top of the 1st. Matt Mattice singled with one out and stole 2nd. He moved to 3rd when Nick Davis singled, putting runners on the corners. James Robinson then smoked a line drive down the right field line to score Mattice.
The Redlegs 1-0 lead would stand for 5 innings as Redlegs starting pitcher Aaron Carmack kept the Angels offense quiet. Carmack only allowed one hit through his 5 innings of work, a leadoff single in the bottom of the first. The baserunner was erased when Ryan Gross gunned him down trying to steal 2nd base.
Both teams went to the bullpen in the 6th. For the Redlegs, Isaac Marquez took over and the Angels greeted him with 2 hits and run in the top of the 6th to tie the game 1-1. Camden did not surrender the lead for long though, as the Redleg offense finally erupted in the bottom of the 6th as they used 6 hits and 3 walks to plate 6 runs, giving them a 7-1 advantage. Marquez started the rally with a walk before Adam Parks was plunked, putting 2 on with no outs. Jacob Robinson then singled to load the bases to set up a 2 RBI base knock by Matt Mattice. Mike Hartman, Nick Davis, and James Robinson then recorded 3 straight hits yielding 3 more runs. Jared Bradley recorded the final RBI of the frame by getting a ground ball in the infield that resulted in a fielder’s choice.
Marquez, now with a nice cushion to work with, retired the next 6 batters in a row over the 7th and 8th innings. He recorded 4 strikeouts in his 3 innings of work.
Matt Mattice then came on to close the door in the bottom of the 9th. He allowed only one base runner via a walk, but otherwise quietly closed down the game for Camden.