The Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin wrote a story this morning saying the public-school state baseball final four will remain in the Binghamton area through 2010. As you can read in the story here, final-four play started there in 2003. The city’s bid ran uncontested this year.

I have to say, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed covering games in Binghamton the last four years. All fields are within 10-15 minutes of one another and you never have to worry about hotel rooms (except for ‘07 when Billy Graham spoke at SUNY Binghamton the day of the games).

This year, I:

A) Didn’t even book a hotel. B) Watched three games and was so close that I had something to eat during both breaks. C) Had a traffic-free ride up and back.

My only contention with the current setup is that the tournament should be played over two days. There are rumors they may change it, and I’m 100 percent sure they should. The teams are dog-tired, both physically and emotionally, by the end of the final. I believe the biggest game of the year shouldn’t be decided, in part, by stamina.

Thoughts?

As we’re eating dinner in Binghamton on Saturday night, Josh and Alex and I start filling each other in on our respective games. Each of us has a story to tell—stories about clutch hits and pitchers coming back on short rest and ultimately, victory celebrations. It occured to me how unusual that was, to have three reporters talking about three different victory marches. Just sending three reporters upstate was rare enough. But to have all of us come away with state championship stories—well, that’s so rare it’s never happened before.

I thought it was cool when I could say I saw the first Class B champion ever from Section 1. Then I find out the section has never owned three title winners before. Top to bottom I don’t know if this is the best year Section 1 baseball has ever had. But at the top it obviously is. And it all started with Somers, a defending sectional champ making it back to states, losing in the first round. I took that as a bad sign for the section (except for Mamaroneck, which seemed invulnerable).

These state title runs weren’t flukes either. Mamaroneck was elite all year. That lineup was probably the best New York State has seen in a few years. Kennedy was also a top 10 team all year. Coming from Class B that’s saying something. It got one late sac fly from Luiz Gonzalez in regionals and one comeback from 3-0 down in the championship, but otherwise handled the competition. Keio, the least expected of all because of a losing record entering the playoffs, used one miracle seventh-inning rally against Millbrook in regionals but otherwise consistently outpitched and outgloved opponents.

Some of you may remember early in the season I mentioned how Josh and I have a rivalry with local sports editor Joe Lombardi over which sport is better in Section 1, baseball or lacrosse. Now that the season’s over, let’s take a quick tally of the results:

Baseball—3 championship appearances. Lacrosse—0 championship appearances. Baseball—3 state titles. Lacrosse—0 state titles.

Now I’m no mathemagician, but the numbers suggest baseball has a slight advantage. Methinks this debate is over.

I’m sure there’ll be differening opinions, so let’s hear it: Whose title was the most impressive, all things considered?

Vote, and then post your reasoning here.

I’ll post the all-section players later today. The dinner is tonight at Rudy’s in Dobbs Ferry. Unfortunately, I can’t attend because I’m covering the Mets doubleheader today.

For those scoring at home, that will make five baseball games for me in a span of 34 hours, all of it good ball except for the Mets.

Today was truly a banner day for Section 1, but you didn’t need me to realize that after Mamaroneck (Class AA), Kennedy (Class B) and Keio (Class C) all left Binghamton with state championships.

However, while today was remarkable, it was also historic.

Here’s a look at the history made by these three schools:

— Mamaroneck, Kennedy and Keio each won the first state title in program history

— Mamaroneck became the first Westchester County school to win a state baseball title in the largest class

— Mamaroneck is the first boys team in school history to win a state title (the girls field hockey team is the only other winner)

— The wins by Mamaroneck, Kennedy and Keio marked the first time Section 1 had three baseball state champions in the same season

I’ll have more on the championships tomorrow. Time to drive home…

8:20 – Section 1 completes the hat trick. Keio wins 6-3. Kenta Miyoshi threw a five-hitter with 10 strikeouts.

8:05 – Keio still leads 6-3. It’s now thru 6.

7:40 – Keio leads 6-3 thru 5.

7:26 – it is over in Class B, as Kennedy has won the first state title in program history as well 5-3. Nick Modico, on just two days rest, pitched a complete game. Mike Mercurio hit a two run triple in the fifth that scored the winning run.

7:05- Mamaroneck is now three outs away from the first state title in program history.

6:51 – Could it be three state champs for Section 1? Sure looks that way. Here is why:

Mamaroneck still up 6-0. Benkwitt is cruising in the sixth.

Kennedy just scored five in the bottom of the fifth, with the big hit being Mike Mercurios triple.

And over in the C final, June Takeuvhi hit a three run double to highlight a five run third for Keio, which leads 5-0.

6:33 – Drizzle is beginning to fall and the lights are on here at Union-Endicott, but none of that has slowed Mamurderneck. The Tigers scored five in the fourth and now lead 6-0. Sam Gruppo had the big hit, a two run double that was nearly a grand slam. Gabe Klein and Christian Glaser each had RBI single. Klein later scored on a wild pitch.

Kennedy now trails 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth. Two errors led to Chathams last two runs.

6:10 – Keio tied 0-0 after one inning in the C final.

Kennedy was still down 1-0 last I heard in the third.

Mamaroneck struck for a run in the third. Sam Grippo reached on an error then scored when Gabe Klein sliced a double just past the reach of the left fielder. Taylor Mondshein followed with a hard single to CF. Mike Chiapparelli held Klein at third with the red hot Matt McGovern up, but McGovern grounded into (for him) an almost unheard of double play. He just happened to hit it right at the second base bag.

Benkwitt pitched a perfect fourth and now has allowed two singles and no walks thru four innings of work.

5:55 – OK, all three games are under way and here is what we have so far:

Mamaroneck is tied 0-0 in the top of the third. Each team has one hit. Andrew Benkwitt looks sharp so far. He stranded a runner at third in the first. Sean Hagan, who had four RBI in the semis, hit a double in the second.

Kennedy currently trails Chatham 1-0 after two innings. Nick Modico started on two days rest.

Keio and Thomas A. Edison just got under way.

Here’s the state finals lineup. The rain has stopped and there are some peaks of sun.

Class AA
Mamaroneck vs. Massapequa (Section 8), 5:15 p.m.

Class B
Kennedy vs. Chatham (Section 2), 5:15 p.m.

Class C
Keio vs. Thomas Edison (Section 4), 5:45 p.m.

4:15 – Sean Hagan is clearly tiring. He has allowed three hits, hit a batter and issued a walk. But he just induced a force out to end the game 7-5. Mamaroneck will now meet Massapequa in the state final very shortly. Very close call at the end. There were runners at first and third and the tying run came to bat.

4:05 – Mamaroneck scored two in the seventh and heads to the bottom of the inning up 7-2. Hagan is still in.

3:50 – Mamaroneck went quietly in the sixth, but Hagan held LaSalle scoreless in the bottom half of the inning. He struck out the leadoff batter with runners at first and second to retire the side.

3:25 – Mamurderneck is back. The Tigers touched LaSslle for three runs in the fifth. Taylor Mondshein and Mike Rosenfeld each had RBI singles as part of three straight hits. Hagan added a sac fly to give Mamaroneck a 5-2 lead.

Hagan then pitched around a double to finish off a scoreless fifth. It is now the top of the sixth. They are six outs from a state final against Massapequa.

3:11 – 1-2-3 inning for Hagan. Mamaroneck has 9-1-2 this inning.

3:03 – Sean Hagan has slumped at the plate lately, but he just delivered the biggest hit of the year, a two run double to left that tied the score 2-2. That’s where the score remains in the middle of the fourth.

2:53 – Mamaroneck stranded Luke Glaser at third when LaSalle pitcher nabbed a hard smash up the middle by Taylor Mondshein.
Hagan then stranded two runners in the bottom of the inning.
It is still 2-0 LaSalle.

2:42 – after a 1:02 delay, the game is back on.

1:52 – Mamaroneck still trails 2-0 in the top of the third. Luke Glaser led off with a deep, ground rule double to LCF. The game was then immediately delayed due to rain. We see lightning and hear thunder, so this could take a while.
Hagan settled down in the second and didn’t allow a hit.
We will see how long this takes. Could be all day, but at least Union-Endicott has lights.

1:27 – La Salle scored two in the bottom of the first to take a 2-0 lead against Mamaroneck. Sean Hagan have of a bouncing ball and a bloop to put runners at first and second. An infield single with one loaded the bases, and La Salle scored on a sac fly and an RBI single.

11:50 – Kennedy won 5-1 behind a complete game three hitter by Ryan Tatnell. What a turnaround by Tatnell, who had his worst outing of the season against Marlboro on Wednesday but rebounded to win the Gaels biggest game of the year to date. The run Tatnell allowed was unearned. He was in control the whole way.

Kennedy will face the winner of Chatham and CBA-Syracuse at 4 p.m. For the final.

11:45 – Keio won 9-1 behind a five-hitter by Toriyama. He had 10 Ks. Keio will play the winner of the other semi at 4 PM.

11:35 – Keio took a 6-0 lead thru five innings. All six runs are unearned. Ryan Tatnell allowed a run in the fifth, but Kennedy still leads 5-1. Tatnell has a four hitter going.

11:10 – Keio leads 5-0 thru five and Yuki Toriyama is cruising. He had allowed just one walk and struck out eight thru four innings of work. Don’t be surprised if Rocky Pasquale comes back with him in relief in game 2. Kennedy took a 5-0 lead on three runs in the in the bottom of the third. The Gaels hold that lead now thru four, with Ryan Tatnell tossing a two hitter.Gowanda has committed one error in each inning. Anthony Corona hit an RBI single to score the third run. Joe Santanagelo had a two run triple to score the last two runs.

10:50 – I’m here at Broome Community College where Kennedy leads 2-0 in the middle of the third. Ryan Tatnell has pitched very well so far, allowing just two hits in three innings.

The Gaels scored in the first. Joe Rock had a leadoff walk and scored on a sac fly by Mike Mercurio. Later, Anthony Corona singled, moved to second on an error by the CF, and scored on an RBI single by Luis Gonzalez.Over at Conlon Field, Keio has taken a 4-0 lead over Hoeyone on the strength of four unearned runs.

I’m about to leave for Binghamton and basking in the afterglow of the best round of golf I’ve ever played. For those of you who play, you know the feeling. I can tell you about four minutes after I returned home my fiancee was already sick of hearing about it.

Anyway, this is a big weekend for Westchester baseball. It is the first time since the LoHud had a regional champ (1973, Eastchester and Valhalla) that three Westchester programs are headed to the final four. Pretty amazing, and even more so for Mamaroneck. The Tigers can become the first Westchester school from the largest classification to win a state title.

(And, of course, all three, Mamaroneck, Kennedy and Keio, will vie for state title numero uno.)

Here’s a look at all three matchups, including sites, directions to those sites, team records, and possible championship-game opponents:

Banner year for Section 1 baseball as Mamaroneck, Keio, and finally Kennedy will all make the trip to Binghamton for state semifinals. All three won their regional finals by a mile too. Mamaroneck won 13-3, Keio won 7-1 (although I guess it was close until late), and Kennedy won 11-2.

The Gaels prevailed today on basically two things: a 10-run fourth inning, and the pitching of Rich Lennox that followed the 10-run fourth inning. They were down 2-1 when Anthony Corona (2 for 3, three runs), Luis Gonzalez, and Jon Humphrey each got one-out hits. The last tied the game. Joe Santangelo reached on an error before Mark Palmer walked to force in the go-ahead run. Two batters later came the big blow: a grand slam down the left field line by Joe “Can’t Stop the” Rock. Doubles by Joe Smith and Mike Mercurio plated another run. Corona walked and Gonzalez followed with a three-run dinger to centerfield. I have to admit, it was funny watching the centerfielder smash through and tumble over the short plastic fence as he reached for it. (The kid was fine.) Thirteen Gaels came to the dish in the 10-run inning.

Lennox, who’d been in some trouble over the first three innings, completely settled down. The dejected Oyster Bay Baymen couldn’t touch him over the last four innings. He went the distance, striking out a season-high seven. Two batters reached over the final four innings, as opposed to nine over the first three.

By finishing it himself, Lennox allowed Kennedy to rest Ryan Tatnell and Nick Modico. Both should be available on Saturday to at least pitch in relief.

Kennedy had a big contingent of fans at this game even though it was in Glen Head, Long Island. I think they chartered a school bus. I’d say the numbers were about equal even though Oyster Bay is about five minutes from Glen Head. Some of the yelling between fans from across the field got pretty ugly though. It spilled over onto the field, so that by the sixth inning the Oyster Bay right fielder was exchanging insults with a Kennedy parent. Not sure what caused it, but I definitely heard some unnecessary stuff out of both mouths.

Keio kicks off its Class C regional final in about 10 minutes. Kennedy will start an hour later. I’ll be watching the Gaels while colleague Matt Ng covers Keio. We’ll be sending in regular updates from our games. Check back over the next few hours as we tell you what’s going on.

3:35—Keio trails 1-0 after two innings.

4:00—Keio scored two in the fourth to take a 2-1 lead.

4:40—Kennedy took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on Joe Santangelo’s RBI double.

4:50—Keio puts up a five-spot in the seventh to take a 7-1 lead. Kenta Miyoshi is working on a complete game.

4:52—Oyster Bay used a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the third to go up 2-1.

FINAL KEIO WINS 7-1. Here are the details:

Keio’s Kenta Miyoshi pitched a two-hitter in the Unicorns’ 7-1 win over Section 11’s Port Jefferson today in a Class C baseball regional final.
This is the second consecutive year Keio has reached the state final four. Last year it lost in the final.
Kadu Matsuda had a two-run single in the seventh that extended Keio’s lead from 2-1 to 4-1.
Miyoshi’s RBI single gave Keio a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning. He had six strikeouts and only one walk, and Port Jefferson’s run was unearned.

AND MORE GOOD NEWS FROM KENNEDY…

5:30—Joe Rock hit a grand slam and Luis Gonzalez hit a three-run homer as Kennedy scored 10 runs in the fourth inning to take an 11-2 lead.

629—Kennedy goes on to win by that score 11-2. Richie Lennox went the distance for the victory. They’ll play on Saturday at Broome Community College at 10 a.m.

If you want to know how Oyster Bay got to the Class B championship game, read Newsday’s story here. Seems reluctant hero Billy Clark hit a grand slam with two outs in the seventh of a tie game.

Another dramatic ending in Class C, where Mike D’Auria’s walkoff single propelled Port Jefferson to a 3-2 win. Note how this story begins in the exact same way as the Oyster Bay story even though they were written by different reporters.