Former Notre Dame P is hitting his stride with Catfish, as health returns

The Cape Catfish dropped a pair of games to Thrillville on Friday at Capaha Field, which wasn’t a positive thing. However, on the bright side, Catfish pitcher Kam Dohogne had one of his better outings in relief during the opening game of the doubleheader, so that was something to feel good about.

“I think that his confidence is much higher than what it was at the beginning of the year,” Catfish pitching coach Jason Chavez said following the 3-2 loss in Game 1.

The Catfish (28-12 overall, 6-6 second half) fell to the Thrillbillies 4-2 in the opening game and 3-2 in the second game.

Dohogne, who threw at Notre Dame High School until his graduation in 2020, worked 2 2/3 innings of relief of starter Caden Bogenpohl and didn’t allow an earned run or a walk.

The Oran native was effective in allowing three hits and a couple of strikeouts by throwing off-speed pitches to precise locations (22 strikes in 30 pitches).

“Everybody wants to blow up the radar gun,” Chavez said. “But you don’t have to do that. If you can just hit your spots and be efficient, then you can pitch with anybody.”

Dohogne has endured obstacles since he graduated from Notre Dame. He has spent three seasons pitching at NAIA program Columbia College but has been injured for two of those springs.

“Going into my freshman year (2021),” Dohogne explained, “I struggled with elbow pain.”

In an early outing against William Woods, Dohogne, who didn’t get to throw his senior year with the Bulldogs due to COVID, “snapped his elbow.”

He tried to rehabilitate his way back, but never was right, and threw just 13 2/3 innings for the year.

In November of 2021, he was throwing a bullpen session and his elbow snapped completely, and had to have Tommy John surgery.

“This year (2023),” Dohogne said, “was my first full year of college baseball.”

Dohogne has been limited in action from the summer of 2019 to essentially this past March.

“I threw pretty well this spring,” Dohogne said of finally getting on the mound.

He threw 27 innings this spring and was 5-0, as he only allowed 13 earned runs and struck out 21 batters.

For the Catfish, he has had a challenge in adjusting to the higher level of competition, but he has had a couple of July outings where he showed his potential.

In a July 2 performance against Thrillville, he worked three innings and allowed just one hit and no earned runs.

“About the last three or four outings,” Chavez said, “he has done really well. He has come in some tight spots and thrown strikes and gotten outs.”

In 11 outings this summer, Dohogne has thrown nearly 23 innings and walked just four batters.

“I’ve wanted to work (this summer) on attacking the strike zone,” Dohogne said. “I want to keep pounding the (strike) zone. I have challenged myself with the higher level of hitters that I am seeing this summer.

“I’ve wanted to see where I stood with those guys (in the Prospect League).”

Dohogne has three years of eligibility remaining at Columbia and will graduate with his bachelor’s degree in May 2024, and then will pursue his M.B.A. in business management and entrepreneurship in his final two years in college.

In the first game on Friday, Bogenpohl allowed four earned runs on four hits in two innings to take the loss.

The former Jackson High School standout walked three batters and struck out one.

Brody Chrisman had a couple of hits to pace the Catfish offense.

‘Fish struggle offensively

Cape dropped the second game after logging just three hits, two of which came from Dante Zamudio.

Former Chaffee High School pitcher Breven Yarboro gave up two hits and three earned runs in 2/3 innings of relief work, which proved to be enough for Thrillville.

The Catfish will visit Alton (14-26, 5-9) on Monday at 6:35 p.m.

Cape will return to Capaha Field on Tuesday vs. Clinton (23-14, 7-3) on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m.