After Mason Markle had a rough first inning in Game 2 of the Section 4 Class AA baseball championship series, the Horseheads coaches took a chance that gave the junior right-hander his shot at redemption with the sectional title up for grabs Friday, May 29.
Markle delivered in front of a large crowd at Horseheads High, striking out 9 while tossing a 5-hitter as the Blue Raiders took Game 3 against Vestal by a 4-0 score to capture the series two games to one.
Horseheads secured its fifth consecutive Section 4 title and first under first-year head coach Andy Scott, the program’s longtime JV coach. Scott took over for Jeff Limoncelli, who retired after guiding the Raiders to the Class AA state title last season.
“I’m really proud of the guys,” said Scott, who was doused with a bucket of water during his postgame interview. “They did a great job. It feels really good to get this one because Vestal’s a great team and we knew it was going to be a battle for three games.”
Horseheads beat Vestal for the second year in a row in a winner-take-all Game 3.
The Blue Raiders won Game 1, 1-0, on Tuesday behind Cooper Ball’s 4-hitter.
Vestal responded with a 4-2 victory in Game 2, buoyed by Landon Pancoast’s 4-hit pitching over 5 2/3 innings.
Markle took advantage of second chance
Markle threw 31 pitches and gave up two runs in the opening inning of Thursday’s game.
Scott and his staff had a conversation about pulling Markle so he could possibly hit reset after a taxing and tough inning Thursday.
Because he was under 40 pitches, Markle was able to come back and start Friday’s contest. He gave his team 111 pitches Friday, punctuating the victory with a strikeout in front of what he said was the biggest baseball crowd he has seen at Horseheads.
“He did a great job today. He was not going to be denied twice,” Scott said.
“He’s a dirt dog. He’s really good. He’s done a great job on the mound all the time and he just works really, really hard. He’s a competitor, he plays hard, and he wanted the ball.”
Markle was told Thursday he would get the ball for the finale. He said he was thinking about the opportunity coming his way all night.
“Just the fact that we lost and I was going to have a chance to go and get it back, that just felt really good,” Markle said.
“It sucks to start a game and lose. It really hurts. Just to be able to come back and get it back is the best feeling ever.”
Double play among key moments
A double play on a line drive to Ball at first base was a big moment after Vestal’s Henry Lay led off the fourth inning with a single.
In the fifth, Markle induced a two-out ground ball to third baseman Carson Bell to strand two Vestal runners.
He pointed to his ability to get his off-speed pitches over the plate as a key, complementing his fastball.
Markle was demonstrative much of the game, pumping his fists multiple times after big outs.
“I was super pumped every inning, just getting those strikeouts to end the inning,” he said. “My team was making plays. Just amazing.”
Early run gave Raiders a boost
Lyncoln Bennett singled home Kegan Monahan with two outs in the opening inning to give Horseheads the lead. Scott joked with assistant Mike Bennett he thought that was perhaps the first time the Raiders scored in the opening inning in the last month.
“That was nice to have that, give a little confidence to the team,” Scott said. “Some timely hitting. Then after that we had a couple more in the third, which was really nice, then added one later.”
Ball drove in Monahan with a double in the third inning, then scored on a wild pitch for a 3-0 advantage. Beckett Doane brought home Ball with a single in the fifth for the final run. Doane went 2-for-3.
Isaac Rittenburg went 2-for-3 at the plate for Vestal. Josh Kweller and Colin Fimbres pitched three innings each for the Golden Bears (17-7).
Up next
Horseheads (17-7) is scheduled to face an opponent from Section 8 (Long Island) in a sub-regional at 6 p.m. June 2, with Maine-Endwell the tentative site.
Markle played on Horseheads’ junior varsity last season and was among those in attendance when the Blue Raiders captured the state title at Binghamton University.
“I got to see those guys do what they do. It gives me that urge. I want to be them. I want to do that,” Markle said.
This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Markle shines on mound as Horseheads tops Vestal for AA baseball title
Reporting by Andrew Legare, Elmira Star-Gazette / Elmira Star-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
