Cape baseball downs CR 1-0 in 11 innings
It took 11 innings, but the Cape baseball team pulled off a 1-0 victory over Caesar Rodney April 1 at Chris Short Field in Lewes.
It’s always a battle when the Riders and Vikings baseball teams take the diamond, and this game was no different. It was a pitchers’ duel from the start, as the Riders threw D1 commit Steven Donigan to start and Colby Rall in relief, while the Vikings started Jaxon Clampitt and brought in Jacob Smith in relief.
Both teams had opportunities, with each team having runners on third, but neither could punch a run across.
“It was a pitching battle for sure,” said Cape coach Ben Evick. “[Donigan] has tremendous stuff, and he was able to take advantage of keeping our hitters off balance. We knew one run would win the game.”
Clampitt pitched lights out, striking out eight batters over five innings, but he hit his pitch limit.
“He pitched out of multiple tough situations with runners in scoring position, including a leadoff triple,” Evick said.
Clampitt was able to induce a weak pop out to Brady Kosc followed by back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning.
Jacob Smith pitched the final six innings in relief. He earned the win, striking out 11 hitters and allowing just two hits.
Jase Mitchell went 2-for-4 at the plate with a single in the 11th. Trey Hitchcock then came through huge with a double to move Mitchell to third. Clampitt then slammed a sac fly to left field to score Mitchell.
“When I came up, I knew what I needed to do to get Jase in from third,” said Clampitt. “I knew I had to get a hit or get the ball into the outfield, and if I got a good pitch, I was going to swing hard. I made contact and got the fly ball.”
“It was a gritty performance for our guys and showed a lot of determination in a tough game,” Evick said. “They had their backs to the wall and kept battling. It was a very good test, and we responded well. We missed a few opportunities where we didn’t execute fundamentals and we need to improve. It was a great high school baseball game with a good atmosphere other than the 15 mph wind straight into the hitters’ faces.”
Cape’s Emmett Wheatley also had a pair of hits for Cape.
Donigan had a great start on the mound for CR, going seven innings, striking out nine, allowing just four hits and no runs.
Cape has outscored its opponents in 27-0 in 2025.
Dan has worked for the Cape Gazette for more than 30 years as a photographer and reporter, covering high school sports and happenings around eastern Sussex County. He won a photography award from the National Newspaper Association, and numerous awards from the Maryland, Delaware, D.C. Press Association. A Delaware native, Dan graduated from Cape in 1972 and returned as a teacher and coach in the 1980s. He retired from the classroom in 2016. He was inducted into Cape High’s Legends Stadium in 2016. In his spare time, Dan enjoys spending time with his wife, two sons, grandchildren and dogs.
