Pardon the cliché, but this really was a classic, an as-advertised pitchers' duel between two aces. Both performers delivered, perhaps even more than was expected, and Riley Weatherwax stole the spotlight.
The senior was almost flawless Tuesday, weaving his first no-hitter while leading Roy C. Ketcham in a 1-0 win over Fox Lane. Quite the show to close the regular season.
“He’s a special pitcher and he was brilliant today,” Ketcham baseball coach Pat Mealy said of the right-hander. “When Riley is staying ahead in the count, he’s borderline unhittable at this level.”
Weatherwax struck out eight and allowed only a fifth-inning walk while stifling an offense that entered averaging 7.1 runs per game. The Penn State commit dominated with his fastball and a late-breaking slider, at times making it seem easy.
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He almost was matched by Fox Lane star Tyler Renz, who would’ve been the headliner in most other circumstances. The St. John’s University commit gave up only three hits and had six strikeouts in six innings.
“That guy was throwing really well, too, and it was hard for us to get anything going on offense,” Ketcham senior Luke Picone said of Renz. “But, fortunately for us, Riley was even better. He came through and was amazing.”
Renz faltered a bit in the fourth inning, allowing the Storm to load the bases. Picone’s grounder to second resulted in a fielder’s choice as Tyler Durkin scored.
Ketcham committed two errors, including one in the third inning, which eliminated the possibility of a perfect game relatively early. That might free Weatherwax of lamenting the walk too much.
With this victory, the Storm (17-3) likely secured the top seed entering the Section 1 Class AAA playoffs, which start next Monday. And, with this performance, Weatherwax offered a reminder of the lights-out dominance he showed throughout the playoffs last year as Ketcham made its run to a state championship.
This season, they split two games each with Dutchess County rivals Arlington and John Jay-East Fishkill and took a 7-6 loss on Saturday to Poly Prep Country Day. That non-league matchup with the Brooklyn-based private school served as a difficult playoff-prep opponent.
“Going into sectionals, we're not just facing the team in front of us, but five others scouting because everyone wants to knock us off,” Mealy said. “We have to forget about last year and establish ourselves again in this postseason. Every round will be a challenge, but I like the toughness of this group.”
Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Riley Weatherwax's no-hitter, lifts Ketcham in pitchers' duel vs. Fox Lane
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