Robert Tedesco put the Mohonasen baseball team on his shoulders and carried the Mighty Warriors to the Section II, Class A semifinals.
Tedesco scattered nine hits and struck out 13 in a complete-game performance to help Mohonasen defeat top-seeded Lansingburgh 4-2 in last Saturday’s quarterfinal game in north Troy.
We believed (we could win) this whole game, and that was the difference, said Tedesco.
Things didn’t look good for the Mighty Warriors (8-13) early on. Lansingburgh struck for a run in the first inning on Scott Fane’s RBI double and added another run in the bottom of the second on a Mohonasen error to take a 2-0 lead.
Mohonasen’s impatience at the plate didn’t help matters. The Mighty Warriors took some mighty cuts at T.J. McLaughlin’s pitches in the first three innings, but they couldn’t get any hits.
`Our guys were extremely anxious, and I knew they would be anxious,` said Mohonasen coach Jim Huggins. `It was actually backfiring on us in the early innings.`
When Mohonasen’s hitters started to relax at the plate, things fell into place. The Mighty Warriors scored three runs in the top of the fourth inning to grab a 3-2 lead ` two came in on wild pitches, and the third came in on Vinny DeMarco’s two-out RBI single.
`It’s crazy because all year long we hadn’t caught a break, and we finally caught some breaks in this game,` said Tedesco.
Lansingburgh, which entered the game ranked fourth among Class A teams in New York, tried to rally in the bottom of the sixth inning. Mark Tracey and Jake Shaw opened the inning with consecutive singles, and a wild pitch from Tedesco moved Tracey and Shaw into scoring position.
Tedesco, though, showed the maturity of a senior pitcher. The Siena-bound righty struck out the final three batters of the inning to keep Mohonasen in the lead.
`Those two guys (on base) were on me,` said Tedesco. `I got back on the (pitcher’s) rubber and said, ‘I have to get out of this.’`
`I think Robby got squeezed at the plate (by the umpire) at times, and I think he showed maturity by not getting rattled and making adjustments,` said Huggins.
The Mighty Warriors gave Tedesco some breathing room in the top of the seventh inning. DeMarco belted a double to the hill in right-center field and gave way to pinch runner Brandon Logon. Logon moved to third on a single and scored on Ryan Semerad’s sacrifice bunt to put Mohonasen ahead 4-2.
Tedesco sealed the victory with a strong seventh inning that included a pair of strikeouts and a pop out.
Mohonasen advanced to Wednesday’s Class A semifinal against Ichabod Crane at Shuttleworth Park in Amsterdam. It marked the first meeting between the two teams since last year’s Sectional final, which Ichabod Crane won.
`After the season we’ve had, it’s great for these kids,` said Huggins. `We’ll work hard and see if we can’t go on from there.`
Schalmont also advanced to the semifinals in Class A after beating Gloversville 4-1 in last Saturday’s quarterfinal game in Rotterdam.
The Sabres (18-6) scored two runs in both the third and fourth innings to give starting pitcher Joe Amorosi all the support he needed. Amorosi scattered four hits and struck out nine to pick up the complete-game victory.
Kyle McKelvey and Conor Hart did their damage with one swing from their bats. McKelvey launched a two-run homer in the third inning, and Hart added a two-run shot in the fourth for Schalmont’s runs.
The Sabres met Glens Falls in the other Class A semifinal Wednesday at Shuttleworth Park.“