CAMERON – When a baseball team loses a game in a double-elimination format, it needs to rely on its pitching depth to battle its way through the loser’s bracket.

Such was the case for Cameron on Saturday after losing to Madonna earlier in the week. Freshmen Preston Hartley, although he battled control problems at times with five walks, struck out nine and didn’t allow a hit through four innings and Wright State University recruit Coy Angel fanned eight in his three innings on the hill to earn the save as they teamed on a one-hitter in the Dragons’ 6-0 victory over visiting Paden City in a W.Va. Class A Region I, Section I elimination game.

“Preston has pitched really well for a freshman. That’s why we gave him the ball today. We knew he could get the job done,” Cameron Head Coach Adam Angel said. “Preston took a foul ball off his ankle two days ago. He’s got a gigantic bruise on his ankle, so we weren’t sure about whether he could pitch today. It wasn’t a shock that he was able to pitch.”

Hartley walked the first batter he faced – Brayden Neff – on four pitches. After a stolen base, Neff was erased trying to swipe third on a strong throw from catcher Wes Starcher. Joey Baker then walked and advanced to third on back-to-back wild pitches, but after a visit from Coach Angel, Hartley fanned the next two batters.

Cameron scored all the runs it would need in the bottom of the first. Kasun Angel singled up the middle leading off and with one-out, Potomac State-bound Lance Hartley sent a shot well over the fence in deep left-center for a 2-0 lead. Zayde Long followed with a single and Hunter Evans drew a walk. Preston Hartley helped himself with a line-drive double down the third base line that scored Long and moved Evans to third. He would race home on a Colten Winters groundout for a 4-0 advantage.

“After Preston got out of that early jam and then we came up and scored four, I think that kind of took the wind out of their sails,” Angel said of the Wildcats.

Hartley breezed through the second and third innings, allowing just one walk and fanning five. However, he got himself in a jam in the fourth as he loaded the bases with one out on a walk and consecutive hit batters, but, after another visit from his head coach, he rang up two more strikeouts to escape unharmed.

“I told him to just settle down and take a deep breath. We were in a good spot in their order, so make contact and get a ground ball and let’s get out of here,” Coach Angel said of his visit.

Paden City’s lone hit came with two outs in the sixth. Jessup Higgins sent a slow roller to the left side of the infield that shortstop Ike Yoho fielded in the hole, but his throw was a little late.

“That was unfortunate,” Coach Angel recalled. “Our shortstop thought the third baseman was going to field the ball.”

The Dragons added single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to cap the scoring. Both tallies came via errors by the Wildcats (18-10).

“We couldn’t get the big hit when we needed it,” Paden City head coach Trey Barcus said. “We tried to be aggressive early. That’s the way we play. Get guys on and we run. We try to play small ball but when we get in a hole like that, it’s hard to play small ball.”

Barcus is in his third season.

“The seniors were sophomores when I got here and we’ve won 34 games in the last two seasons,” he noted. “They have really helped turn this program in the right direction. I couldn’t be any prouder of them.”

Lance Hartley added a single to his fifth homer of the season and 13th of his career. Long had two singles.

The win was the 79th career for the Cameron seniors.

“Getting No. 80 would be nice,” Coach Angel added. “It doesn’t matter who we play because they are both quality teams with very deep pitching staffs.”

The Dragons will await the loser of the Madonna at Wheeling Central winner’s bracket final that was once again delayed by rain on Saturday with the top-seeded Maroon Knights leading 4-0 after three innings. It will be completed on Monday at the J.B. Chambers I-470 Ballfields.