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Relentless Shenendehowa Claims First State Title

June 16, 2016

Paul Gotham
New York, Staff

Relentless Shenendehowa Claims First State Title

Joe Palko delivered a two-out walk-off single to cap a dramatic seventh-inning rally, and the Shenendehowa Plainsmen (II) defeated the Webster-Schroeder Warriors (V), 7-6 to claim the New York State Class AA Championship. The title was the first in Shenendehowa program history. The Plainsmen lost to Victor (V) in the 2014 title game.

Doing It With Two

Palko’s dramatics almost never happened. Schroeder’s Nick Lawlor, who threw seven innings earlier in the day, came out of the bullpen with one on and no outs and retired a pair with fly balls. It looked like Schroeder’s senior right-hander had stopped momentum until Nick Jacques tied the game with a single to center.

Rich Drum led the seventh and chased Schroeder starter, Shane Marshall, with a triple. The senior right fielder went opposite with a shot into the right-center gap. Senior catcher Ben Anderson greeted Lawlor with an RBI base hit. Frank Pizzo dropped a sacrifice bunt and reached on a fielder’s choice when Schroeder tried to get Anderson, the tying run, at second.

Can’t Start A Fire Without A Spark

Jacques, Shenendehowa’s leadoff hitter, played a role in every inning the Plainsmen produced runs. The senior shortstop led the three-run first with a single through the left side. He delivered a single in the one-run sixth and the game-tying hit in the seventh. Jacques, who had an RBI single in the semi-final win over West Islip, finished with four hits in the championship game.

Limiting the Damage

For six innings, Schroeder starter, Shane Marshall and the Warriors held off Shenendehowa. After scoring three in the first, the Plainsmen left eight on base through the first five frames. Marshall escaped a two-on, one-out situation in the second getting a pair of routine fly balls to leave runners on the corners. In the third, Frank Pizzo and Mike Jeffers reached on back-to-back two out singles. Marshall ended the threat with a ground ball. Shenendehowa punched a run through in the sixth, but Marshall maintained the lead. Kevin Huerter led the sixth with a double. Jacques put runners on the corners with a single up the middle. Marshall induced a ground ball for a double play. A run scored, but the Warriors avoided the rally. The junior starter ended the inning with a 4-3 ground out. Going into the seventh, Shenendehowa left nine on base. Schroeder finished the game with seven hits.

Schroeder’s Resolve

Not to be outdone, the Warriors sent eight to the plate in a five-run second. Lawlor was the first of three to reach via a free pass. Justin Graham followed with a two-run single. Steve Smith plated a pair with a double off the wall in left field. Marshall singled to put runners on the corners, and Schroeder pushed another across with a double steal.

Handling the Fanfare

No surprise, Shenendehowa’s Ben Anderson and Ian Anderson captured plenty of attention. Ian Anderson took the mound in the semi-final win less than 48 hours after being chosen third overall in the Major League Baseball by the Atlanta Braves. The Toronto Blue Jays picked Ben Anderson in the 26th round little more than hour prior to first pitch of the championship game.

“Whatever the situation dictated to us we were going to play that next pitch,” Shenendehowa coach Greg Christodulu said after the semi-final win. “We talked about that. We wanted to make sure these guys were grounded, relaxed and focused.”

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