Chatham 8-10s earn victory over Hudson

CHATHAM — Owen Wilber and Derek Clark combined for five of Chatham’s seven hits in Monday’s 7-4 victory over Hudson in the first-round of the District 15 All-Stars 8-10-year-old Baseball Tournament.

Chatham moves on in the winners bracket and will play at Saugerties on Wednesday.  Saugerties defeated Northern Columbia, 12-1, in Monday's other opening round game. Hudson drops into the losers bracket and will play at Catskill on Wednesday, with the winner playing at Northern Columbia on Friday.

Wilber belted two doubles and a single with two RBI, while Clark had a double and single with four RBI and turned in 2 1/3 innings of relief on the mound to help Chatham advance.

Hudson grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Kameron Duntz singled, took second on a wild pitch and scored on Gannon Logue’s single. Two more runs crossed the plate in the second when Eli Conte and Sean Egan walked and moved up a base on a wild pitch. Tyler Sheldon grounded out to second to score Conte and Egan came home on a wild pitch to make it 3-0.

Chatham took advantage of four walks, a hit batter and an RBI single by Wilber to score three runs and even the score 3-3 in the bottom of the second.

After Hudson regained the lead with an unearned run in the top of the third, Chatham surged ahead for good in the home half of the frame. Landon Van Alstyne doubled and scored on Wilber’s double. One out later, Clark smacked a double to plate Wilber with what turned out to be the decisive run.

Defense helped Chatham maintain its lead in the top of the fifth when Logue belted a triple and attempted to score on an errant throw in from the outfield. Clark, who was backing up at third base on the play, retrieved the throw and fired a perfect strike to catcher Wilber to erase Logue. Clark induced the next batter, Trent Keller, to ground out to end the inning.

Chatham tacked on two insurance runs in the fifth on a two-run single by Clark after Van Alstyne had singled and Wilber doubled.

Hudson had one last chance in the sixth when its first two batters of the inning walked, but Clark struck out the next three to end the game.

Van Alstyne added a double and single single to Chatham’s attack. Carter Starks had an RBI.

Logue tripled and singled for Hudson. Duntz chipped in with a single and Sheldon had an RBI.

Derek Horton started on the mound for Chatham and pitched 3 2/3 innings, striking out six, walking five and allowing four runs on two hits. Clark struck out three, walked two and gave up one hit in his relief outing.

Egan (5bb,2r), Ryan Conte (9k,2bb,2r,5h) and Logue (2k,1bb) all pitched for Hudson.