The Longest Arm of the Law

This is what's known as saving the best for last.

The Class AA championship game at Joe Bruno Stadium featured yet another pitchers' duel, this one between Shenendehowa's Branden Disonell and Niskayuna's Sam Morra. If this doesn't further whet your appetite for when the Tri-City Valleycats begin their home schedule in less than two weeks, I don't know what does.

Shen drew first blood in the first inning without the benefit of a hit. Patrick McGuire walked. With one out, Morra fanned Ben Lavery, but catcher Rob Schneider couldn't hang on to the ball, and Lavery reached. Schneider had similar problems catching a third strike against Chase Carroll, but was able to complete the play before Lavery came up. As a result, McGuire was on third, and scored when Jake Reinisch forced Lavery at second.

It took Niskayuna until the home half of the third inning to answer. Aaron Whitley was hit by a pitch, with two out, and had an idea of taking a step toward Disonell, suggesting there'd been some earlier drama between the two. The last time these two teams played, also at the Joe, just last month, there were no hints of issues between Whitley & Disonell. Whitley stole second, and scored on a single by Jacob Hand to tie the game.

After an error by Nick Lemire allowed Cole Hedden to reach, Disonell settled down, and induced a comebacker from Tim Schaffer to end the frame.

From that point, the pitchers & defense took over. Oh, did it ever. Shen right fielder Sam Law, who'd robbed Jack Murray of an extra base hit in the third before the drama with Whitley began, made another diving grab in the sixth, this time stretching into foul territory to catch a drive from Chris Erickson. In the seventh, he robbed Morra of what could've been an extra base hit if the ball had not drifted into foul territory. And so it went. Until the ninth.

Lavery led off the Shen half with a ground ball that Cole Hedden muffled for his second error of the game, and this time, it would prove costly. A couple of pitches later, Reinisch went shopping at the Gap, as they say on ESPN, and Lavery scored all the way from first on a triple. After a walk to Tom Krill, Niskayuna manager Chris Bianchi shuffled the defense, with Morra moving to left field, Murray to third, and Hedden took over the pitching. He didn't have complete command on Friday against Guilderland, and it was more of the same tonight. Lemire reached on a force play when Reinisch was thrown out at the plate.

Then came one of the most oddball plays of the season. With two out, two runners in scoring position, and four runs already home, Hedden unleashed a wild pitch that Schneider took a week to find, enabling both Law & McGuire, who'd had run scoring hits, to come home. Hedden's night was over, as Bianchi came back out to pull him in favor of Shawn Vena with a count of 2-2 on Carroll. Carroll subsequently walked, but Lavery struck out to end the inning. In all, six runs scored.

Morra went six-plus, giving up two runs, while striking out nine. Hedden poured gasoline on the fire in 2/3 of an inning, with a strikeout and two walks, to go along with four runs.

Disonell, meanwhile, went the distance, striking out ten while walking just two on four hits, as Shen takes home another AA title, 7-1. State play awaits the Plainsmen, starting later this week.

For the Silver Warriors, however, it's a case of where did everything go wrong, and at such a bad time. Did Bianchi leave Morra on the mound too long, since he was grinding in the seventh & eighth innings, his tank nearing empty? Maybe. Hedden wasn't the answer tonight. His error opened the floodgates in the ninth, and putting him on the mound exacerbated things. Not a good way to end the season.

While Section II's champions move on, Bruno Stadium will host the first 518 Futures All-Star Game on Saturday night at 6 pm.