Baseball: Maine-Endwell tops Section 1's Somers to reach Class A state semifinals
FISHKILL — Michael Mancini still is left in awe each time it happens, when a youngster approaches, just as amazed, and says that he and his teammates are the reason they began playing baseball.
The Maine-Endwell school district encompasses a cluster of small towns with a small-town feel, wherein most faces are familiar. In this case, some of the faces are famous to the locals.
Mancini was the star pitcher for the Maine-Endwell squad that won the Little League World Series in 2016, becoming only the third team from New York to accomplish that. A handful of those players now are standout athletes in high school, including six on the baseball team.
The area brims with pride as that collection of hometown heroes continues to shine.
“It’s an incredible feeling, having someone tell you that you’ve influenced them,” Mancini said Saturday. “We carry that proudly and the ‘Maine-Endwell’ across the chest means a lot to us, because of what it means to the community.”
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That community will again be abuzz next weekend as the baseball team earned itself a trip back to its stomping grounds.
Bryant Carpenter allowed an earned run in six innings as the Spartans beat Section 1’s Somers, 4-2, in a Class A reginal final at Dutchess Stadium. They advance to the state semifinals June 10 at Union-Endicott, about three miles from their own school.
“That’s perfect for us,” Carpenter said. “The crowd is gonna be awesome and I can just imagine the energy our fans are gonna bring.”
Somers began the playoffs as a 12th-seeded underdog but pulled a series of upsets to win its first section title since 2009. The Tuskers, though, ran into a loaded team that itself is riding a hot steak during a tremendous sports year for its school.
Mancini was the quarterback of the Maine-Endwell football team that won a state championship in December and led the boys basketball team to the regional final in March. But the baseball state tournament, he said, is something this group has yearned for.
For him, Justin Ryan, Billy Dundon, James Fellows, Jack Hopko and Jordan Owens — the crew that has remained together since Little League — a state title would be a perfect scholastic swan song. It also is a chance at redemption for the program, which lost in the 2019 state final.
“It’s been in the back of our minds, wanting to get back there,” said Mancini, a senior. “Losing a state championship is a feeling you don’t get over easily, so us having a chance to redeem ourselves and bring something back home, it’s special.”
What it means
Maine-Endwell, seeking its first state title since 2008, will face Section 2's Averill Park in a state semifinal at 1 p.m. Friday.
“We’re excited, we’re ready,” Carpenter said. “You put in all the work throughout the year, hoping for opportunities like this.”
Turning point
Evan Carway doubled and was singled in by John Roublick, putting Somers on the board in the third inning. But Maine-Endwell went ahead in the fourth. Jack Hennessey singled and eventually scored on a throwing error, then Jobe Congdon’s single drove in Niko Anastus for the 2-1 lead.
“We came in feeling prepared,” Carpenter said. “We had so many sheets of information and scouting on them, we were still reading on the bus ride.”
Mancini hit a two-out triple in the fifth and Hopko followed with a single. Mancini’s sacrifice fly drove in Mason Mohn to create the margin in the seventh. Mancini also recorded the final three outs to notch the save.
Player of the Game
Carpenter allowed one earned run, four hits and three walks and struck out four in six-plus innings. He struggled with control in the early innings and escaped two jams before settling in.
“Once I found my fastball, I was able to locate it well and pound the zone,” said the right-hander, who gave up an unearned run in the seventh. “With that going, my changeup was effective.”
Mancini described Carpenter as fearless and said, “he’s the person you want pitching a big game.”
By the numbers
Somers (16-11) — George Creighton allowed three earned runs and six hits and struck out six in 5 ⅓ innings. He also had an RBI double in the seventh. Carway was 2 for 3 with two doubles and a run.
Maine-Endwell (12-5) — Hennessey went 3 for 3 with a walk, an RBI and a run.
Quotable
“We started off 3-6 and something just clicked in the middle of the year and we got hot,” Creighton said of Somers’ turnaround. “We have six seniors, but those guys have meant so much to us. This team set the standard for Somers baseball. This is the furthest we’ve ever gotten, so those seniors are leaving a great legacy.”
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Baseball: Maine-Endwell tops Somers to reach Class A state semifinals
