A lengthy, highly challenging day became one of the most satisfying in Chapel Field Christian baseball program history come the final out of Saturday’s Class D state final at Maine-Endwell High School.
With two down and runners at second and third bases, winning pitcher Bryce Hollo snared a crispy comebacker and threw to first for the closing out of a 3-2 victory against Northstar Christian.
That rounded out a day that began with a 10 a.m. start and subsequent 5-0 win over Deposit-Hancock for the Lions, a Pine Bush school playing in its second successive state final _ with substantially differing outcomes.
Chapel Field held a 2-0 lead through 3½ innings, was tied by the Knights in the last of the fourth, then scored the difference-making run in the seventh. A strapping freshman played lead role in the big one.
The Lions and Deposit-Hancock were to have played their semifinal 5 p.m. Friday at SUNY-Broome, but that was scrubbed by rain necessitating a 10 a.m. re-do Saturday at Mirabito Stadium.
Chapel Field got through that one of the strength of Leam Powell’s one-hit pitching, only to encounter a grind against Rochester’s Northstar Christian.
The decisive run of the final was scored when freshman Logan Garvey ripped a tie-breaking double with two out in the seventh.
Two runners were aboard. The count was 3-2.
“I wasn’t looking to do too much,” Garvey said. “I was just trying to get on, find a gap. I knew we had one inning, it’s been a long day and I did not feel like going into extra innings.”
And so, he tattooed a ball that bounced and rolled to the left-center field fence to make it 3-2.
Northstar responded with Da’Vonn Stevens drawing a one-out walk followed by Dominic Kurmis’ double to the fence in right.
With runners at second and third, Hollo got a three-pitch strikeout and then the conclusive 1-3.
“Part of me, there’s a relief, like a weight (lifted), said Chapel Field coach Shawn Powell. “As soon as that ball hit Bryce’s glove, there…
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