The Redlegs and Slammers met up for a double header on Sunday August 9th to finish their regular season series.  The last time they met the two clubs were locked in a titanic struggle in which the Slammers eventually triumphed in extra innings.  Despite these two clubs being extremely even in terms of record over the years, the Slammers have had the upper hand of late.  In fact, the last time the Redlegs had bested the Slammers was back in June of 2018.  Since then, the Slammers have rattled off 9 straight wins against Camden.  That streak would finally come to an end in game 1 of this double header, as the two teams again played an extremely close contest that ended in a stressful 1-0 win for Camden. 

As you might imagine, there wasn’t much offense to write about in this one.  Jacob Robinson went 2-3, James Robinson went 1-3, and Cameron Svarda went 1-3.  The other Redleg hitters who logged hits were Jesse Jones and Brad Malott, but more on that later. 

The main story here was the pitching and the defense.  Aaron Carmack got the nod and was simply outstanding once again.  He was the tough luck loser in that extra innings game the Slammers won earlier this summer, but on this day he was on an absolute mission to lead his team to the victory.  Carmack, turning in quite possibly the best season of his already impressive career, would hold the league’s most potent offense at bay and deliver a complete game shutout.  He registered 7 strikeouts while only giving up 6 hits through all 7 innings of work.  The last time the Slammers were blanked in a game was all the way back on June 1st of 2014 by the Mad River Machine.

Brad Malott played a bit of hero in this game as well.  In the 2nd, he may have turned in the flashiest web gem of the season for the Redlegs.  With two outs and a runner on 1st, Mark Barhorst hit a hard grounder up the middle.  Malott was able to range behind 2nd and make the diving stop which was impressive in its own right.  But he wasn’t done, as he was able to flip the ball behind his back to Matt Morrison who was waiting on 2nd to get the force out and end the inning. 

Carmack continued plowing through the Slammers lineup, including the 5th inning when he struck out the side. 

But Nick Wissman was keeping Camden off balance as well, as not a single Redleg runner even made it to third base, that is, until the top of the 7th. 

The top of the 7th started ominously, as Wissman recorded a strikeout and a pop out to 1st base.  In a dire need to keep the inning alive, Brad Malott singled, followed by another single from James Robinson.  Jesse Jones then stepped to the plate and delivered the most important hit of the game, a single that sent Malott flying around home and crossing safely across the dish with a headfirst slide ahead of the throw from the outfield.

The Slammers weren’t about to go down without a fight.  Mark Barhorst led off the bottom of the 7th with a single, followed by a single from Kyle Markle to put two on with nobody out.  The next batter hit a chopper to 1st.  Jesse Jones pounced and delivered a strike to 3rd base to get the lead runner out in a crucial spot in the game.  Carmack then induced an infield pop up for the 2nd out.  The last batter then hit a hard ground ball to 3rd base that Mike Hartman dove to corral.  He then popped to his feet and won the footrace to 3rd base to end the game. 

GAME 2 BOX SCORE

Game two didn’t quite go Camden’s way as the Slammers rebounded with a 7-1 victory.  Jacob Robinson led the offense going 2-3 with the lone RBI.  Brad Malott also went 2-3 with a pair of doubles.  Mike Hartman and Cameron Svarda also each logged a hit.