Lansing wins Section IV Championship

Last year, Lansing baseball was one strike away from winning the Section IV Championship before a miraculous comeback by Trumansburg. Last Saturday, Lansing had Elmira Notre Dame down to its final out in the seventh inning before two runs scored to tie the game. The Bobcats had a chance to answer in extra innings this time around and did so, scoring three runs in the eighth inning to win 7-4.

It is the first time Lansing has won the Section IV Championship since 2018 as the team carries a 15-5 record in Saturday’s regional matchup at Onondaga Community College against the Section III Champion that has yet to be determined (Westmoreland and Adirondack played on Tuesday night after this article was written).

Junior Zack Sperger was the starting pitcher for the game and went 2-2 at the plate with an RBI, two runs scored and three walks (two of which were intentional). He gave his reaction to winning sectionals in extra innings.

“It feels absolutely amazing,” Sperger said. “Losing on a walk-off last year, that was absolutely heartbreaking, especially losing to some of our best friends in Trumansburg. When [Elmira Notre Dame] tied it, up there were absolutely emotions. We just thought, ‘No, we needed this thing right now and we deserve this.”

The answer to Elmira Notre Dame tying the game was swift from Lansing. The Bobcats scored three runs off of just two hits in the top of the eighth inning to give senior Mark Maybee plenty of breathing room in the bottom of the eighth. Maybee then shut the door on Elmira Notre Dame’s season with a double play and a fly out to right field. Head coach Brett Hotchkiss described his message to the team prior to the eighth inning.

“I just reminded them that things can become emotionally charged at times,” Hotchkiss said. “Obviously, the way we walked away from it last year was very difficult. I knew that they had grown a lot from last year and I knew they had this willingness. I was basically saying to them that we weren’t going to let this happen to us twice. We control our own fate. We control our own destiny. It was just a matter of us staying to our course.”

A few key players in the victory for Lansing were their three starting freshmen: Ryan Pettograsso-Houk at short stop, Jaxson Mayo at second base and Avery Wells in right field. The middle infielders turned three double plays in the game, and Wells caught the final out of the contest. Sperger talked about his first-year teammates.

“Those are my brothers right there,” Sperger said. “We hang out almost every day after school. They’re freshmen, and we knew that they had they had talent and that we had to take them under our wing. That’s exactly what I’m doing. Me and Mark Maybee, we’re taking them under our wing, and we know they’re going to be special, as long as they keep their heads down and work and don’t get too big-headed. They’re amazing. We need them.”

The strong group of seniors in the lineup also made an impact. Carson Crandall was hit by a pitch to bring in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, and Maybee pitched the final four outs of the game. Trevor Coates and Ben Petrich were able to score pivotal runs in the eighth inning, too. Hotchkiss talked about his group of seniors.

“This group is obviously a pretty special one for me,” Hotchkiss said. “When I was able to come over here to Lansing, this was the first group I had at the modified level before I moved up. So, to still be here with them on varsity and be able to extend it, I’m really happy to be able to extend it for them. I really want to see these guys be successful and take this ride as far as we can at this point.”

After playing three games in five days and getting much-needed rest over Memorial Day weekend, Hotchkiss detailed what’s next for the Bobcats as they prepare for the state tournament.

“It’s going to be going back to just our base fundamentals,” Hotchkiss said. “The old adage, ‘You treat it like any other game,’ obviously has special significance at this point. But we’ve got to continue to control and do the things that we’ve done well all season and go ahead and adapt to the situations that our opponents present to us. We’ll be right back to square one on Tuesday.”

Fundamentals were a huge difference maker in the championship game, as Lansing was perfect defensively, not committing a single error on 26 balls in play. Elmira Notre Dame, on the other hand, committed five errors on 21 balls in play.

Lansing baseball has won the State Championship once and that came back in 2012. On Saturday night at Onondaga Community College, the run for a second title begins.

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