When the ball left Jeff Hoffman’s bat, it looked like the Shaker baseball team was going to win its first state title.
Victor outfielder Josh Ludwig had other ideas, though.
Ludwig made a running grab on Hoffman’s bases-loaded drive in the bottom of the seventh inning to preserve Victor’s 5-4 victory in Sunday’s conclusion of the Class AA state final in Binghamton.
When it was first hit, I thought it was going to be a hit, but it hung up long enough for the kid [Ludwig] to get there, said Shaker coach Steve Frank.
The Class AA final was suspended by rain Saturday with Victor (Section V) leading 4-3 in the fourth inning. The Blue Devils tacked on a run in the top of the sixth when the game resumed Sunday morning on Josh Maves’ RBI single.
`That was a bloop that landed behind second base,` said Frank. `It was one of those hits where the second baseman, the shortstop and the center fielder all converged, but they couldn’t get to it before it fell in. That allowed the run to score from second base.`
Bryan Egan singled home fellow senior Hoffman in the bottom of the sixth inning to pull Shaker within a run. The Blue Bison then loaded the bases on two walks and a hit batter in the bottom of the seventh before Ludwig tracked down Hoffman’s fly ball to end the game.
Things started well for Shaker against Victor. The Blue Bison scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning and added another in the third to build a 3-1 advantage.
The momentum swung in Victor’s favor in the fourth inning, though. With two on and two out, Cary McDonald hit a three-run homer off senior pitcher Zach Breen to give the Blue Devils a 4-3 lead.
`We hadn’t been behind in the playoffs,` said Frank. `We got off to a good start against Victor, and the kid [McDonald] hit a nice shot to put them ahead.`
The rain soon followed McDonald’s home run, and the game was put on hold until 9 a.m. Sunday ` a long time for Shaker to think about a rally.
`I don’t know what the kids were thinking right away because they hadn’t been behind, but a half-hour later they were ready to play,` said Frank.
Senior Derek Gardella came in to pitch for Breen when the game resumed Sunday, and the senior did what he could to keep Shaker close. But Maves’ bloop hit proved to be the difference.
Shaker advanced to its first state final by shutting out Kingston 6-0 in Saturday’s semifinal game.
Hoffman wasn’t his usual dominant self on the pitcher’s mound against Kingston, but Shaker’s defense bailed him out on several occasions. Hoffman finished with a five-hit shutout and struck out five.
`I thought Kingston played a great game,` said Frank. `They hit the ball all over the field, but we made the plays.`
Junior Eric Egan led Shaker’s offense against Kingston with three hits and an RBI. Hoffman, Bryan Egan and senior Gabe Casillo also drove in runs for the Blue Bison.
Shaker finished the season with a 19-7 record and a spring’s worth of memories including the school’s second Section II Class AA title.
`We want to really enjoy the time we had with the senior class,` said Frank. `These guys are going to be tough to replace.`
Loudonville Christian (19-3) also reached the state finals in Binghamton and also endured a rain delay before falling to Livingston Manor 13-0 in the Class D championship game.
`I’ve never seen a team run out of gas like that before,` said Loudonville Christian coach Tim Phelps.
Livingston Manor built a 6-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning and led 7-0 when the rain halted the game Saturday afternoon. When it resumed Sunday, Livingston Manor picked up where it left off by adding six runs in the fifth inning.
Livingston Manor pitcher Mikey Miles limited the Eagles’ potent attack to two hits during the two-day championship game.
`We’ve been shut out before, but no one has held us to two hits,` said Phelps.
Loudonville Christian advanced to its first state final by defeating Brookfield 5-3 in Saturday’s semifinal game. Senior pitcher Alex MaLossi scattered six hits and struck out 11 for the Eagles, while David Lewicki and Luke Barton each drove in two runs.
`It was a great accomplishment for the kids,` Phelps said of his team’s run to the state finals.“