Vestal secured the 13th Southern Tier Athletic Conference baseball championship in program history on a day in which Trumansburg and Union Springs claimed Interscholastic Athletic Conference titles.
The Golden Bears sent Horseheads to its first loss, 3-2, at Binghamton’s Mirabito Stadium on May 17.
In the first game of Saturday’s IAC doubleheader at Watkins Glen High School, Trumansburg was an 11-3 winner over Thomas A. Edison in the Large School final.
Union Springs took the Small School crown with a 14-0, five-inning triumph against Tioga Central. Union Springs beat Tioga, 11-1, in last year’s championship.
STAC final: Vestal 3, Horseheads 2
Gavin Brady broke a 2-2 with a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning to score Josh Kweller and Vestal held on for the win. Kweller singled and stole second.
Horseheads loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh after three walks, but Parker Terrell induced Mason Holloway to ground out to third.
Terrell held Horseheads to one hit in three scoreless innings of relief.
JT Gannon was 2-for-4 with an RBI for Vestal (15-2), which opened the season with a 16-2 loss to Horseheads. Henry Lay added a hit and an RBI, and Liam Hughston doubled.
Cooper Ball had a triple and RBI for Horseheads (16-1). Trevor Reidy had a single and an RBI, and Josh Stout doubled.
Blue Raiders starter Brendan Clark gave up two runs on seven hits over 4 1/3 innings before giving way to Keagan Monahan.
Landon Pancoast allowed two runs on three hits over four innings to open for Vestal.
Earlier in the day, Vestal’s Ben Tanton struck out nine and walked three in a four-hitter as the Bears topped defending STAC champion Owego Free Academy, 3-0, in a semifinal. Gannon, Brady and Colton Hubbard had two hits apiece for Vestal.
Horseheads was a 10-2 semifinal winner over Oneonta as Holloway went 3-for-4 with a homer, triple and five RBIs. Ball picked up the win, going 5 2/3 innings and limiting Oneonta to three hits and two runs while striking out six.
IAC Large School: Trumansburg 11, TAE 3
Nik Nelson struck out nine in pitching a three-hitter to help the Blue Raiders to their first IAC title since 2017.
Willoughby Puryear lined a grand slam over the left-field fence in the bottom of the fifth inning to cap a five-run inning that gave the Blue Raiders (15-1) a 10-2 lead.
Edison led 2-0 in the opening inning on an RBI single from Niko Cheplick, who scored on an error.
Trumansburg responded with four runs in the bottom of the frame. Nelson’s RBI single was followed by a run-scoring double from Ozzy Vogel-Moore, a sacrifice fly by Connor Sherwood, and an RBI single from Anthony Muro.
Edison ace Drew Slaven was scheduled to start on the mound, but he suffered a leg injury while at the plate in the top of the first and left the game. Paxton Hoover took over pitching duties, with Zach Crown replacing him in the fifth.
Dylan Beam scored two runs for Edison (12-8). He raced home from second in the sixth inning as Trumansburg threw to first to retire Bentley Stroman on a bunt.
IAC Small School: Union Springs 14, Tioga 0
Jack Walters struck out seven and pitched a five-inning two-hitter as Union Springs improved to 19-0. He added a 3-for-3 day at the plate with two runs, three RBIs and a walk.
The Wolves scored two in the first, four in the second, six in the third, and two in the fourth.
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This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: HS Baseball: Vestal edges Horseheads for STAC title; T-burg, Union Springs take IAC crowns
Reporting by Andrew Legare, Elmira Star-Gazette / Elmira Star-Gazette
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