Five years after securing the second of back-to-back state Class B championships, the Westhill baseball team is going back to the state final four.
On Saturday afternoon, Westhill met Section IV champion Oneonta in the Class B regional final at Broome Community College in Binghamton – on the same diamond where the state final four takes place this weekend.
And the Warriors earned a return trip, beating the Yellowjackets 8-4 with a come-from-behind effort that was steady, relentless and, ultimately, quite successful.
Westhill got started in the right direction in the top of the first inning when Brian O’Mara led off with a single, moved to third and eventually scored on Chris Coates’ two-out hit.
But Oneonta countered by streaking to a 4-1 lead against Warriors starter Joe Sweeny, scoring twice in the bottom of the first as Connor Tavarone had an RBI triple and scored on Keaton Mark’s single. Two innings later, the Yellowjackets added two more runs as Brooke Eichler singled home Tavarone and Mark.
The comeback began in the fourth, when Westhill started to solve Oneonta starting pitcher Brock Eichler. Coates singled, Jeff Lobello walked and, after an error, Ryan Roland singled home Coates and, when he stole second, allowed Lobello to cross the plate, cutting the Warriors’ deficit to 4-3.
Bobby Antonacci relieved Sweeny in the bottom of the fourth, giving up two singles, but stranding them after coaxing Tavarone to fly out.
Then, in the fifth, Westhill went up 5-4 with a two-out rally, again with Coates as the centerpiece as he followed Walsh’s single with a double that allowed Walsh to score the tying run. Noah Sheehan relieved Eichler, but a wild pitch and an error on Chester’s grounder brought Coates home with the go-ahead run.
Roland started another two-run rally in the sixth by drawing a one-out walk. Sacrificed to second, Roland trotted home when O’Mara smashed a triple to the wall and, after Sheehan hit Brad Canavan, Walsh delivered an RBI single.
Coates manufactured another run in the seventh when he singled, went to second on a sacrifice bunt, reached third on an error and cored on a wild pitch. Antonacci did the rest, tossing his fourth scoreless inning of relief to lock up the Warriors’ return trip to Broome.
In the state Class B semifinal Saturday at 1 p.m., Westhill meets Section V champion Livonia, with the winner proceeding immediately to the final at 4 p.m. against Mattituck (Section XI) or Ogdensburg Free Academy (Section X).
