Jackson alum Cameron Marchi goes from Catfish fan to pitcher

For the Cape Catfish, it was another win.

For one newcomer, it was something special.

Cameron Marchi, one of Jackson High School's many successful athletic alums, closed out the Catfish's 5-0 win over the Clinton Luberkings on Tuesday at Capaha Field.

It was made all the more special to Marchi because Tuesday was Alzheimer’s Awareness Night, and the game raised money towards the cause to find a cure for a disease that took his grandfather. A lot of planning went into the event taking place, and Catfish president Glenn Campbell wasn't about to let 24 hours' worth of rain prevent it.

“Between bus costs, hotel costs, and the money we had already invested with Alzheimer’s Awareness jerseys and hats, we were planning to wait the rain out as long as we needed to,” Campbell said.

Marchi has been coming to Capaha Field throughout his life, whether it was going to events as a fan or pitching in high school tournaments. By joining the Catfish, he has reunited with Jackson teammates Quinton Borders and Caden Bogenphol, who threw a scoreless inning of his own on Tuesday.

"It's just a fun experience," Marchi said. "It's been a while since we've done it, but every time we go out there it's just fun, especially because all these people are from Cape and Jackson. They've seen us play before."

Marchi appeared in 18 games during his freshman season at St. Charles Community College, striking out 38 batters in 30.2 innings. He received a call from the Catfish after spending the first half of the summer training and working on raising his velocity.

"They called me right before the Fourth of July and asked if I wanted to come play for them," Marchi said. "I hadn't thrown off a mound in a while so I figured before I go back to college that I should probably get out here and start playing for them."

The Prospect League has seen players parlaying their highlights from the summer into a spot on Division I rosters. The most recent example is Notre Dame and 3Rivers alum Austin Gast committing to Jacksonville State thanks to his work with the Thrillville Thrillbillies. Marchi believes that the same can happen to him in due time.

"With baseball, it's right place, right time," Marchi said. "You could have your best outing in front of a coach that has never seen you before. That's how you end up on a good team."

The Catfish defeated the Lumberkings off the backs of strong pitching. Jorge Romero started the game with five scoreless innings and three strikeouts.

“I didn’t have my velo tonight," Romero said, "but I was locating the ball pretty well, and my offspeed was good.”

Dee Triplett singled to right field to score two runs in the second inning. A pair of sacrifice flies and an RBI single by Justin Carinci padded the Catfish lead.

With the win, the Catfish became the first team in the Prospect League to win 30 games. The team is known for its chemistry, and Marchi got to experience it upon joining them.

"Since the first day I've been here, they accepted me," Marchi said. "You come in and you're just playing with 30 of your best friends. You walk in and it's a good time from the first inning to the ninth inning."