Pine Bush edges Kingston to win sectional title
SAUGERTIES, N.Y. » A last-inning rally by Kingston fell short as the Tigers dropped a 6-4 decision to Pine Bush in the Section 9, Class AA championship game on Sunday at Cantine Field.
“Unfortunately today we were not at our best and it hurt,” Tigers coach Mike Groppuso said in an email. “We gave them too many second chances with some sloppy defense and weren’t able to capitalize offensively when we gave ourselves opportunities.”
Marc Cancelliere’s one-out RBI double down the right-field line in the first inning drove in Mike De Sena who’d reached on an error by Tigers shortstop Jack Boyle to give the Bushmen a 1-0 lead.
Top-seeded Pine Bush, which won its first sectional title since 2006, widened its lead to 3-0 in the second when, after a hit batter, Nick Croce drilled a pitch to left-center that landed in a grass area adjacent to a pavilion for a two-run homer.
The Bushmen made it a 4-0 game in the third on Mike Jacques’ runscoring sacrifice fly.
The second-seeded Tigers got on the board in the fourth when Jake Bonesteel doubled before scoring on Jack Boyle’s sacrifice fly. Kingston closed the gap to 4-2 in the fifth. Gavin Groppuso led off the inning with a walk off Bushmen pitcher Joe Gleason. He advanced on Logan Hart’s ground single before scoring on Evan Dieter’s base hit.
The Tigers threatened in the top sixth, loading the bases with nobody out. Gleason gave way on the mound to Alex Bucolo, who got out of the jam by fanning two hitters before retiring Hart on a flyout to center.
Pine Bush tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to go up 6-2. Down to its last out in the seventh, Kingston rallied as Dylan Barnhart reached on an error and Jack Boyle singled. Jake Crantz then delivered a two-run double to draw Kingston to 6-4. That’s as close as the Tigers got, however, as the Bushmen got the final out.
“This team grew in so many ways the last two years,” Groppuso said. “They have worked extremely hard and l am proud of each and every one of them.
“High school baseball is incredibly special,” he added. “It starts when you’re in (Little League), going to (high school) baseball games and dream of being out there. I see it as a teacher, coach and parent, so it hurts when you have a group of young men you know are champions regardless but don’t get to put that final stamp on it.
“I have coached and watched some of these seniors since they were 8 and 9. Like l said, (high school) baseball is incredibly special and l am proud and grateful to have coached these young men. Gavin Groppuso, Jake Bonesteel, Jake Crantz, Evan Dieter, Josh Kowatch, Bradley Clark, Steven Fischer, Aiden Hobart.”
Pine Bush drew a bye in the subregional round of the state high school tournament. It will face the winner of Thursday’s subregional game between Section 1 champion Roy C. Ketcham High and Section 4 champion Horseheads in a regional contest.