Mohonasen left fielder Jacob Pannitto makes a play during the Class AA finals against Bethlehem on Saturday, May 30, ,2026, at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium on the Hudson Valley Community College campus in Troy, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
Mohonasen fans cheer for their team during the Class AA finals against Bethlehem on Saturday, May 30, ,2026, at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium on the Hudson Valley Community College campus in Troy, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
Mohonasen starting pitcher Nic Quinlivan works against Bethlehem in the second game of the Class AA finals on Saturday, May 30, ,2026, at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium on the Hudson Valley Community College campus in Troy, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
Mohonasen batter Jaden Perry takes a swing during the second game of the Class AA finals against Bethlehem on Saturday, May 30, ,2026, at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium on the Hudson Valley Community College campus in Troy, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
Bethlehem first baseman Eamon McClain makes a play during the Class AA finals on Saturday, May 30, 2026, at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium on the Hudson Valley Community College campus in Troy, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
Mohonasen second baseman Brennan LaRue makes a play during the Class AA finals against Bethlehem on Saturday, May 30, ,2026, at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium on the Hudson Valley Community College campus in Troy, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
Bethlehem pitcher Evan O’Connell works against Mohonasen in the second game of the Class AA finals on Saturday, May 30, ,2026, at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium on the Hudson Valley Community College campus in Troy, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
Mohonasen left fielder Jacob Pannitto makes a play during the Class AA finals against Bethlehem on Saturday, May 30, ,2026, at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium on the Hudson Valley Community College campus in Troy, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
Mohonasen starting pitcher Nic Quinlivan works against Bethlehem in the second game of the Class AA finals on Saturday, May 30, ,2026, at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium on the Hudson Valley Community College campus in Troy, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
Mohonasen left fielder Jacob Pannitto makes a play during the Class AA finals against Bethlehem on Saturday, May 30, ,2026, at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium on the Hudson Valley Community College campus in Troy, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
Bethlehem baserunner Robert Frick is tagged out by Mohonasen third baseman Dom Montayne during the Class AA finals on Saturday, May 30, ,2026, at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium on the Hudson Valley Community College campus in Troy, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
TROY — Same teams, but a vastly different result.
So, the Mohonasen and Bethlehem baseball squads will need one more game to determine a Section 2 Class AA champion.
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After getting blanked 9-0 Friday night in the opener of a best-of-3 series, Mohonasen came out Saturday with seven runs in the first three innings and rolled to a victory by the same score to force a deciding game Monday at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium.
Nic Quinlivan threw a four-hitter and second-seeded Mohonasen (19-2) drew 11 walks to derail, at least temporarily, the momentum of the No. 8-seeded Eagles (12-12).
“We had some distractions last night,” Mohonasen coach Kevin Sheremeta said after his team’s 9-0 win. “We were very unfocused. The kids had the prom, even though they came here. They chose to play baseball over it. I still think there was a little bit of a distraction.”
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Mohonasen wasted little time getting on the scoreboard Saturday. Dan Corsaro and Shea Moore drew opening walks and advanced on wild pitches. Tommy Gianatasio scored Corsaro on a groundout, and Jaden Perry followed with a sacrifice fly.
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“We had Nic on the mound today,” Sheremeta said. “They know they got their No. 1, and they play with a lot more confidence.”
“Pitching with the lead, especially in the top of the first, that’s just like the best feeling,” Quinlivan said. “You know you can give up two runs, but still be in the game.”
As it turned out, Quinlivan gave up virtually nothing. Two of the four Bethlehem hits were bloopers that an outfielder lost in the sun. He walked one and struck out five.
On offense, Mohonasen had baserunners in all but one inning. In addition to the 11 bases on ball, Mohonasen had seven hits — two by Moore — and two hit batsmen.
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“We always talk about the freebie battle. We lost the freebie battle,” Bethlehem coach Matt Rehbit said. “They had a lot more walks than we did. We threw a lot more pitches, and everything we hit was just right at them. It was their day.”
A five-run third inning put the game away for Mohonasen. Perry and Brendan LaRoe each singled home a run, and Jacob Pannitto and Don Montanye drew bases-loaded walks. Corsaro capped the uprising with a sacrifice fly.
“We got the nerves out of the way,” Quinlivan said. “First game, first time in a sectional (championship), obviously. The nerves are also a big part, and then there’s no distractions today and Monday, so we should be more focused and have better at-bats on Monday.”
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Bethlehem, which had outscored its opponents 29-4 in sectionals before Saturday, likely will have junior Tate Kindlon on the mound. Kindlon, who threw a no-hitter in the Eagles’ semifinal victory over Niskayuna, was eligible to pitch Saturday, but Rehbit chose not to use him.
“He hasn’t gone seven innings all year,” the coach said. “He had a UCL surgery when he was in ninth grade. We’re trying to protect him a little bit. Even today, it would have been an inning or two. If it was a close game, we would have gone to him, but we want to give him those extra two days, so he’s at full strength on Monday.”