TROY — Hitting a slider thrown by Geneo Savoca proved difficult for Columbia on Friday at Bruno Stadium, and junior third baseman Johnny DelGrosso found it particularly confounding as he struck out twice in three at-bats against Albany Academy’s ace pitcher. In extra innings, DelGrosso attacked a first-pitch slider against reliever Scott Hanson with vigor and got a much-needed break.
DelGrosso smacked the ball toward third and the ball bounded high into left field as it hit the infield lip between the grass and dirt to put the Blue Devils ahead in the top of the 10th. Columbia added another run and junior reliever Andrew Gabriel retired Hanson on a pop-up to end the game as the second-seeded Blue Devils produced a pulse-pounding 5-3 victory over the top-seeded Cadets in the Section II Class A championship game at Bruno Stadium.
“I was thinking slider. In my first at-bat, I just missed it. I got out on my front foot (earlier against Savoca),” DelGrosso said. “The last at-bat I got the job done.”
“He deserves it too. He works hard and has had a great season. He pulled it off in the end when we needed it,” Gabriel said of DelGrosso.
The Cadets (19-3) had the chance to close things out in the seventh. Steven Heller thwarted those plans as he delivered a two-run single with two outs to tie it for the Blue Devils (17-6) at 3.
“This is great. We worked all season for it,” Gabriel said as the Blue Devils claimed the program’s first sectional title since 2018. “We were down to our last out. You couldn’t ask for more.”
“The kids just have so much resiliency. They are a family and have each other’s backs,” Columbia coach Chris Dedrick said. “Getting down like that and coming back, that experience showed. Three years with this team and they got it done.”
Savoca worked the first seven innings, allowed six hits and struck out nine.
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