VESTAL — As the innings wore on and the game grew longer, the unfortunate reality became more apparent.
Somebody — Niagara Falls or Saratoga Springs — had to lose the second Class AAA semifinal in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships. But neither team deserved to.
Ultimately it was Niagara Falls whose storybook season came to an end Friday afternoon, one day sooner than it wanted.
After 10 innings, after 2 hours, 40 minutes of championship-level baseball, Section II’s Saratoga Springs earned the right to play Section I’s Roy C. Ketcham for the title Saturday morning. A double by Jack Rigabar scored Raul Rodriguez from first base, making the Blue Streaks 2-1 winners in a classic at Binghamton University.
The Section VI champion Wolverines (16-6), riding the deepest run in their school’s 25-year history, were hard-luck losers.
“These guys put their heart and soul in it,” Falls coach Rob Augustino said. “It just didn’t work out our way.”
Augustino had said he wanted his team to put its best foot forward Friday, giving it a chance to reach the championship game. He couldn’t have asked for a much better pitching performance from senior Trevor Meidenbauer, his lefty ace who made postseason masterpieces a regular occurrence.
Against Saratoga (20-6), Meidenbauer went eight innings before reaching the 125-pitch limit, striking out eight batters. The Blue Streaks, via five hits, four walks and a hit batter, had some baserunners against the SUNY Niagara commit, including the first three batters of the game. But Meidenbauer yielded only one run — a fourth-inning RBI single by Jack Collier that scored Adam Weiss on a close play at the plate — and Saratoga finished 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
“When he’s on the mound, we all know what’s going to happen,” Wolverines senior captain Anthony Savino said. “He holds them. He’s just dominant, that’s all there really is to it.”
In four playoff starts, Meidenbauer was 3-0 with two complete games, plus Friday’s no-decision. In 27 innings, he allowed only three earned runs.
“I think that if anyone says there’s a better pitcher in Western New York, they’re full of it,” Augustino said.
Matthew Brydges came on in relief in the ninth and retired Saratoga in order. In the 10th, Rodriguez worked a leadoff walk. Rigabar took the next pitch to the wall in right for the winning hit.
The Blue Streaks also received strong pitching from starter Thomas McNamara, who allowed three hits in six innings, striking out seven batters, walking one and hitting two others. Submariner Charlie Greiner (six strikeouts) relieved him in the seventh and retired 12 of the 13 batters he faced.
After the second inning, when they took a 1-0 lead on an RBI groundout by Johnathan Touma, the Wolverines had only one runner reach second base.
“The first guy was really good early with his offspeed stuff, and he kind of kept us on our toes,” Augustino said. “And then that second guy, you don’t see that that often. When a guy throws from under like that … the timing was off. They were late swinging it a lot.”
Junior Andrew Brydges had two of Niagara Falls’ three hits. The Wolverines will graduate seven seniors, five of them starters.
“To say I love this team is just an understatement, and it’s just double for the seniors,” Augustino said. “They’ve been with us for so long. Just a great group of kids. They’re phenomenal … we love them. I’m glad they got to ride this ride. I’m just sad for them that it ended a game early.”