MIAMI, Okla. - Cameron’s unbeaten Aggies belted host Northeastern A&M, 9-6, Saturday night to capture the National Junior College Invitational baseball tournament championship.
Coach Ted Owens’ amazing Aggies roared to a 5-0 lead, saw the Vikings slice the margin to 5-4, then shoved across three more tallies in the seventh inning and another in the eight to clinch the tourney title.
The unheralded Cameron nine stretched its winning streak to seven in a row by winning three straight in the tourney. The Ags shaded tourney favorite Phoenix, Ariz., 4-2, and Navarro of Corsicana, Tex., 5-3 in a pair of thrillers Friday.
Northeastern advanced to the championship game by nicking Trinidad, Colo., 3-2, Saturday morning. Navarro downed Trinidad for third place, 3-0. Also, Lamar, Colo., defeated Phoenix, Ariz., 4-1, for fourth place in the eight-team meet, and Dodge City, Kan., whipped Ellsworth of Iowa Falls, Iowa, 13-9 for seventh.
Cameron’s terrific feat had a twist of irony, since several Aggie players were on Cameron’s No. 1 ranked basketball team, also coached by Owens, which won 27 straight games and lost in the semifinals of the national tournament juco meet at Hutchinson, Kan. last March.
Homer Watkins and Earl Tankersley shared the hurling duties after both pitched in Friday’s games.
Timely Aggie hitting and a pair of Northeastern fielding lapses led to the state juco league championships’ downfall. Cameron tallied its first three runs in the third without a basehit.
Pat O’Dell walked to open the rally, and James Ray was safe on an error at third. Dexter Rolette sacrificed the runners and Jackie Martin was hit by a pitch, loading the bases.
Watkins then slapped a sharp grounder which went through the shortstop, two runs scoring on the boot and Martin taking third. Marlin held as Sid Griffin forced Watkins. Jackie scored alter Terry Byrd's long fly to right was hauled in.
The Aggies made it 5-0 in the fourth. Wayne Tedder' was safe on a bobble, and after O'Dell and Ray Hied out deep, Rolette doubled to right-center, scoring Tedder. After Martin walked, Watkins singled Rolette across.
Cameron's three-run burst in the seventh sewed It up with four consecutive singles producing the first two tallies. Martin, Tankersley, Griffin and Byrd got the blows. Griilin counted on a costly balk by the Vikings' third hurler, Hood.
The Ags tallied again in the eighth to boost their margin to five runs, 9-4. O'Dell raced to third on a throwing error by the third-sacker which hit O'Dell on the foot and bounced away. After one out, he scored on Rolerte's grounder to third.
Northeastern never gave up after falling well behind. Rosko doubled in a tally in the fourth off Watkins and slugging catcher Burt Donahoo smashed a two-run homer in the three-run fifth to drive the tying Homer from the mound.
Tankersley came in and the knuckleballer held the Vikings scoreless with the exception of the eighth to pick up' his fourth win without a loss. Three singles produced two runs for the losers in the eighth.
Cameron 9
|
Name (Pos) |
AB
|
R
|
H
|
RBI
|
|
O'Dell, 2b |
4
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
|
Ray, ss |
5
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
|
Rolette, 3b |
3
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
|
Martin, rf |
3
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
|
Walkins, p |
3
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
Tankersley, p |
2
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
|
Griffin, 1b |
5
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
Byrd, c |
4
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
|
Marr, cf |
5
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
|
Tedder, lf |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Totals |
37
|
9
|
8
|
4
|
|
Northeastern 6
|
Name (Pos) |
AB
|
R
|
H
|
RBI
|
|
Jones, ss |
4
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
|
Berry, 2b |
5
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
|
Beeler, 3b |
4
|
2
|
3
|
1
|
|
Donahoo, c |
4
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
|
Garman, cf |
3
|
2
|
2
|
1
|
|
Sprouse, 1b |
3
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
|
Rosko, rf |
3
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
|
Green, lf |
4
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
B. Jones, p |
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Forman, p |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Hood, p |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Totals |
34
|
6
|
8
|
6
|
|
E- O'Dell, Rolette 2, Berry 3, Beeler 2
2b- Rolette, Marr, Rosko
HR-Donahoo
SAC-Rolette, Byrd
|
Name (Pos) |
IP
|
H
|
R
|
SO
|
|
Walkins |
4 2/3
|
4
|
4
|
4
|
|
Tankersley (4-0) |
4 1/3
|
4
|
2
|
1
|
|
B. Jones (L) |
3 2/3
|
4
|
5
|
3
|
|
Froman |
2 1/3
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
|
Hood |
3
|
4
|
2
|
1
|
|
Team |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
R
|
H
|
E
|
|
Cameron |
0
|
0
|
3
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
1
|
0
|
9
|
8
|
3
|
|
Northeastern |
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
6
|
8
|
5
|
