ENDWELL – Few Section III baseball programs knew more about the challenge of winning a New York State Public High School Athletic Association championship as did the Westhill Warriors.
Part of it stemmed from claiming back-to-back state titles in 2009 and 2010, but it also was due to more recent trips to the Binghamton area for the state final four, including its last appearance in 2015.
Back then, it was all done in a single day – semifinals and finals. Concerns about fairness brought a change where the semifinals would take place Friday and the title game a day later.
Against this backdrop, Westhill met Schuylerville (Section II) in Friday’s semifinal at Maine-Endwell High School. The Black Horses had reached the state final the last time the tournament was held in 2019.
And Schuylerville would get there again, taking full advantage of untimely Warriors mistakes in the fifth inning to go in front and moving from there to prevail by a score of 4-2.
Getting the start on the mound, sophomore left-hander Mike Madigan immediately found trouble in the bottom of the first inning, the Black Horses loading the bases, but Madigan pitched out of it, as he did again in the second despite Griffin Brophy’s double.
Then, in the top of the third, Brady Richardson doubled off Schuylerville pitcher Ryan Dow. Two batters later, Aiden Kerr nearly cleared the fence, but his long triple scored Richardson, and the Warriors made it 2-0 when Tyler Campbell’s single plated Kerr.
It stayed that way until the bottom of the fourth. Again, Schuylerville loaded the bases, and this time got a run when Ryan Dow’s fly ball brought Alex Renner home.
Once more, Madigan avoided bigger damage and kept Westhill in front 2-1, but in the bottom of the fifth Campbell took over on the mound.
Displaying their patience, the Black Horses produced a bases-loaded situation for the third time. Then a ground ball to short was thrown home for a force play, but Anthony Sampo threw wild to first trying to get the double play.
That brought home the tying run, and when Brophy laid down a perfect squeeze bunt, Schuylerville led 3-2, tacking on an insurance run when Campbell threw a wild pitch that brought Owen Sullivan home.
Trying to rally in the sixth, Westhill got Geoff Daniul on base, but he was thrown out by Black Horses catcher Carson Patrick as he tried to steal second, ending the threat.
From the fourth inning onward, Dow kept Westhill off the board. All told, he struck out five and only issued one walk, able to pitch a complete game and send the Black Horses back to the state final against Spackenkill.
Westhill lost despite seven hits, two of them by Ryan Campbell, and finished its season at 18-5. Daniul and Tyler Campbell were part of a small senior class as Sampo, Madigan, Richardson, Kerr, Tyler Campbell, Taden Chester and Dom Zawadzki all should return in 2023.
