Rondout loses to Mattituck in regional final

Rondout Valley High’s baseball season ended a win away from the state final four Saturday as the Ganders lost, 5-2, to Mattituck in a Class B regional final at Cantine Field.

Branch Cranfield pitched a nohitter for five innings in a scoreless battle for Rondout, but the final two innings proved disastrous for the Ganders.

After Bryce Grathwohl denied Rondout in the bottom of the fifth by pitching out of a bases-loaded jam, Mattituck scored three runs in the sixth.

Jon Lisowy drew a leadoff walk, then Ryan McCaffrey singled past the shortstop to end Cranfield’s no-hit bid. A dropped fly ball filled the bases and Mattituck took control and knocked

Cranfield out of the game with a two-run single from Grathwohl and an error.

The Ganders, who won their first Section 9 title in 13 years, got a run back in the bottom of the inning when Andrew Huffman doubled and later scored on Dallas Romaguera’s groundout. Mattituck tacked on two more runs in the seventh on Lisowy’s single. Rondout threatened in the bottom of the seventh

as a pair of singles and a booted grounder loaded the bases with one out. Huffman hit a drive off reliever Kevin Mahon to deep center, but it was chased down and became a sacrifice fly for the second out. Mahon then induced a grounder to end the game.