Kamages and defense advance Gauchos in NCS baseball

Nick Kamages, backed by a sold defense, pitched Casa Grande to a 3-2 over Concord in the first round of the North Coast Section Division 2 playoffs.|

Casa Grande High School senior Nik Kamages pitched a wild one-hitter to hurl the Gauchos by Concord’s Minutemen, 3-2, in the first round of the North Coast Section Division 2 playoffs on May 23.

The win moved the North Bay League champion Gauchos into the quarterfinals against El Cerrito, a 3-2 winner over Petaluma in its first-round contest. That game was played Saturday on the Casa Grande diamond.

Kamages was unhittable in his dominating route-going performance against Concord, with only two balls even hit into the outfield against him. However, at times he was also uncontrollable, walking seven Minutemen and working with men on base in each of the last five innings.

Kamages struck out seven, but he had a lot of help along the way, especially from his infield of AJ Miller at first, Dylan Moore at second, Cole Santander at third and Joe Lampe at shortstop.

Among sundry other contributions, the middle combo of Moore and Lampe turned two double plays, including a twin kill in the seventh inning to end the game.

Casa Grande didn’t do a lot of heavy bat work against Concord pitchers Johnathan Miller and Josh Anders, but the Gauchos did grind out enough quality at bats to get the job done, finishing with six hits.

Moore and Lampe also collected two of the three Casa Grande hits during a three-run second inning that provided all the offensive support Kamages was to need - or get.

Moore started the rally with Casa’s first hit of the game and Lampe finished it with an RBI single to right-center. In between, there was a bunt, two walks, an error and two wild pitches, one allowing a run to score.

Casa Grande looked as though it might continue the momentum in the third when Cameron Downing and Moore opened the inning with singles, but a couple of ground outs and a looked-at third strike ended Casa hopes.

Meanwhile, Kamages and the Casa defense kept frustration wearing a Concord uniform. A double play wiped out a potential rally in the fourth, a strikeout stranded a runner at second in the fifth; two strikeouts thwarted a runner at second in the sixth; and the final Moore-to-Lampe-to-Miller double play finished it all.

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