CAMAS – The Camas baseball team didn’t need a hit to beat Union on Monday.
The Papermakers managed three hits, which proved to be plenty with Max Fraser and Ryan McClaskey on the mound.
Fraser pitched five shutout innings and McClaskey closed out the win with two innings of scoreless work as Camas won 2-0 Monday in the first game of three scheduled games this week against rival Union in 4A Greater St. Helens League play.
“I think as a team today with me and then Ryan coming in to shut the door I think that is going to be a pretty hard combination to string multiple hits together against or get runs across,” Fraser said.
The game figured to be a pichers’ duel with Fraser, the Washington State signee, taking on Union’s Dylan Osborne, a University of Washington commit.
“Dylan is definitely a dude on the mound, and we’ve been throwing against each other since we were 11,” Fraser said. “I mean I’ve been looking forward to this, and I’m sure he has been too.”
Osborne kept the Papermakers hitless through the first four innings but still found himself trailing 1-0.
Camas loaded the bases in the second on a walk, error and hit batsmen. Zach Blair’s groundout gave Camas its 1-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Union mounted threat after threat, only to come up empty each time.
The Titans put runners on second and third in the second, then loaded the bases in the third, fourth and fifth innings, all without scoring.
The fifth inning rallied hurt the Titans the most. With the bases loaded and one out, a Union baserunner thought a 3-1 pitch was ball 4 and started drifting toward third base. However, it was called strike 2 and the resulting rundowns enabled Camas to record the second out of the inning at home plate.
Fraser ended the threat with a strikeout.
“Today was a day when I had a little less command on my fastball,” Fraser said. “We all knew with a strike zone that tight it was going to be a mental battle. But I was just happy to get out of it with no runs.”
Fraser allowed three hits and four walks in five innings, but also struck out six.
McClaskey struck out three in two hitless innings of work.
With Camas and Union producing three-game sweeps last week of Battle Ground and Skyview, respectively, this week’s matchup could determine the 4A GSHL champion. The two teams are scheduled to meet again Tuesday at Union and Thursday back at Camas.
“This matchup, Camas-Union, this year is definitely better than it’s been any year that I’ve played,” Fraser said. “It’s going to be really fun to watch, really fun to be a part of.”
