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And then there were two.
The local high school baseball season is in its final days with only Section 1 Class C champion Tuckahoe and Iona Prep of the Catholic High School Athletic Association still playing.
Behind Connor Brice's 14-strikeout performance, Tuckahoe blanked Port Jefferson 2-0 in a state regional final last Saturday to advance to the state semifinals. It will play Section 2 Saratoga Central Catholic at 1 p.m. Friday at Mirabito Stadium in Binghamton. If it wins, it will return there Saturday at 1 p.m. to play the winner of Section 5 Kendall-vs.-Section 7 Ticonderoga for the state Class C title.
While Tuckahoe's story has a bit of Cinderella in it, since it went 9-11 during the regular season, although emerging as the top seed in Class C for the Section 1 playoffs, Iona Prep's story is even more interesting.
Arguably the best team in the Section 1 area, it fell in the Intersectional Tournament Championship playoffs to rival Stepinac, then fought through the losers' bracket to face Stepinac again. It beat the Crusaders twice, wrapping up an incredible week in which it won five games over just six days.
Iona Prep will play Long Island's St. Dominic's in the semifinals of the New York State Catholic State playoffs at 7 p.m. Friday at St. John's University in If it wins, it will face the winner of the St. Francis Prep-vs.-Nichols semi for the state title Saturday at St John's.
Below find a recap of both Iona Prep wins over Stepinac to win the Intersectional title. This file will also be updated with results and stats from both teams' semifinal games and the championships, if one or both reach them.
NYSPHSAA
Class C semifinals
Friday, 1 p.m. at Mirabito Stadium, Binghamton
Tuckahoe vs. Section 2 Saratoga Central Catholic
New York State Catholic State Championships
Semifinals
Friday, 7 p.m. at St. John's University
Iona Prep vs. St. Dominic's
Between last Tuesday and Friday, Iona Prep kept its season alive by first defeating St. Joseph by the Sea, then Archbishop Molloy and then Xaverian.
But then came an equally tough or maybe tougher task. Ion Prep, which had gotten blasted 13-3 earlier in the Intersectional Tournament by Stepinac, found itself having to beat Stepinac twice to win the championship title and continue play on the state level.
And Iona Prep did just that.
Saturday, it broke open a 2-2 game in the seventh, scoring three times en route to a 5-3 win
Gianluca Giordano, who pitched five innings of relief, giving up one run on one hit and three walks, while striking out five, picked up the win. Cash Millsom, who recorded the final out by strikeout, got the save.
Ryan Hogan (triple) and Kaden Ceballos each had a hit, scored and drove in run. Luke Tran also had a hit and an RBI. Sean Concannon, who walked twice, scored twice and Connor Van De Loo also tripled and scored.
James Cosgrove (double) and James Donahue each had a hit an an RBI for Stepinac.
Aiden LaSalle doubled and scored Grady McGee walked and scored and Yuki Gessaroli had a hit and scored.
Nilo Rodriguez was saddled with the loss, tossing six innings and giving up five hits, four walks and four earned runs. He struck out seven.
Stepinac won the series-deciding game 12-7 as Hogan (three hits) and Tran (a double and two walks) each drove in three runs and scored twice.
Jeff Maldari had two hits and drove in a pair of runs and Caballos had a solo home run and scored twice.
Concannon also had three hits and scored three times.
Millsom got the win in relief. He went 3 2/3 innings, allowing four hits two talks and two runs, but both runs were unearned.
But this was hardly a pitching duel. Ione Prep had 17 hits and Stepinac had 11.
LaSalle had three of the Crusaders' hits, including a double, to go with a walk. He scored once and drove in one run.
Nate Baumstark had two hits and a walk and also scored and drove in a run.
Alejandro Giraldo, Lucas Goldman and Cosgrove each had an RBI.
McGee picked up three hits and scored three times and Gessaroli also scored.
Jayden Perez took the loss for Stepinac. He went an inning, giving up five hits and four runs -- three earned.
Iona Prep coach Ryan Mahoney noted Iona Prep had lost a few key pitchers coming into 2026, including, due to his family moving to Georgia, star hurler and Maryland commit Shane Jelenevsky, who last year, as a junior, hurled back-to-back no-hitters and is regarded as a potential high draft choice.
"To have the kids step up all year (after that) was amazing," Mahoney said.
But maybe just as amazing was their comeback to win five straight games in the playoffs after the early Stepinac loss to secure the Intersectional title.
"After losing to them in game two of the tournament, we knew we had to face everyone's No. 1 pitcher to have an opportunity to play for a championship," Iona Prep coach Ryan Mahoney said. "this team really came together and rallied after a tough loss and winning five games in six days was very special."
Nancy Haggerty covers sports for The Journal News/lohud.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Tuckahoe and Iona Prep in NYS and Catholic baseball state semis
Continue reading...
The local high school baseball season is in its final days with only Section 1 Class C champion Tuckahoe and Iona Prep of the Catholic High School Athletic Association still playing.
Behind Connor Brice's 14-strikeout performance, Tuckahoe blanked Port Jefferson 2-0 in a state regional final last Saturday to advance to the state semifinals. It will play Section 2 Saratoga Central Catholic at 1 p.m. Friday at Mirabito Stadium in Binghamton. If it wins, it will return there Saturday at 1 p.m. to play the winner of Section 5 Kendall-vs.-Section 7 Ticonderoga for the state Class C title.
While Tuckahoe's story has a bit of Cinderella in it, since it went 9-11 during the regular season, although emerging as the top seed in Class C for the Section 1 playoffs, Iona Prep's story is even more interesting.
Arguably the best team in the Section 1 area, it fell in the Intersectional Tournament Championship playoffs to rival Stepinac, then fought through the losers' bracket to face Stepinac again. It beat the Crusaders twice, wrapping up an incredible week in which it won five games over just six days.
Iona Prep will play Long Island's St. Dominic's in the semifinals of the New York State Catholic State playoffs at 7 p.m. Friday at St. John's University in If it wins, it will face the winner of the St. Francis Prep-vs.-Nichols semi for the state title Saturday at St John's.
Below find a recap of both Iona Prep wins over Stepinac to win the Intersectional title. This file will also be updated with results and stats from both teams' semifinal games and the championships, if one or both reach them.
High school state championships
NYSPHSAA
Class C semifinals
Friday, 1 p.m. at Mirabito Stadium, Binghamton
Tuckahoe vs. Section 2 Saratoga Central Catholic
New York State Catholic State Championships
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Semifinals
Friday, 7 p.m. at St. John's University
Iona Prep vs. St. Dominic's
Iona Prep tops Stepinac twice to win Catholic Intersectional Championship
Between last Tuesday and Friday, Iona Prep kept its season alive by first defeating St. Joseph by the Sea, then Archbishop Molloy and then Xaverian.
But then came an equally tough or maybe tougher task. Ion Prep, which had gotten blasted 13-3 earlier in the Intersectional Tournament by Stepinac, found itself having to beat Stepinac twice to win the championship title and continue play on the state level.
And Iona Prep did just that.
Saturday, it broke open a 2-2 game in the seventh, scoring three times en route to a 5-3 win
Gianluca Giordano, who pitched five innings of relief, giving up one run on one hit and three walks, while striking out five, picked up the win. Cash Millsom, who recorded the final out by strikeout, got the save.
Ryan Hogan (triple) and Kaden Ceballos each had a hit, scored and drove in run. Luke Tran also had a hit and an RBI. Sean Concannon, who walked twice, scored twice and Connor Van De Loo also tripled and scored.
James Cosgrove (double) and James Donahue each had a hit an an RBI for Stepinac.
Aiden LaSalle doubled and scored Grady McGee walked and scored and Yuki Gessaroli had a hit and scored.
Nilo Rodriguez was saddled with the loss, tossing six innings and giving up five hits, four walks and four earned runs. He struck out seven.
Stepinac won the series-deciding game 12-7 as Hogan (three hits) and Tran (a double and two walks) each drove in three runs and scored twice.
Jeff Maldari had two hits and drove in a pair of runs and Caballos had a solo home run and scored twice.
Concannon also had three hits and scored three times.
Millsom got the win in relief. He went 3 2/3 innings, allowing four hits two talks and two runs, but both runs were unearned.
But this was hardly a pitching duel. Ione Prep had 17 hits and Stepinac had 11.
LaSalle had three of the Crusaders' hits, including a double, to go with a walk. He scored once and drove in one run.
Nate Baumstark had two hits and a walk and also scored and drove in a run.
Alejandro Giraldo, Lucas Goldman and Cosgrove each had an RBI.
McGee picked up three hits and scored three times and Gessaroli also scored.
Jayden Perez took the loss for Stepinac. He went an inning, giving up five hits and four runs -- three earned.
Iona Prep coach Ryan Mahoney noted Iona Prep had lost a few key pitchers coming into 2026, including, due to his family moving to Georgia, star hurler and Maryland commit Shane Jelenevsky, who last year, as a junior, hurled back-to-back no-hitters and is regarded as a potential high draft choice.
"To have the kids step up all year (after that) was amazing," Mahoney said.
But maybe just as amazing was their comeback to win five straight games in the playoffs after the early Stepinac loss to secure the Intersectional title.
"After losing to them in game two of the tournament, we knew we had to face everyone's No. 1 pitcher to have an opportunity to play for a championship," Iona Prep coach Ryan Mahoney said. "this team really came together and rallied after a tough loss and winning five games in six days was very special."
Nancy Haggerty covers sports for The Journal News/lohud.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Tuckahoe and Iona Prep in NYS and Catholic baseball state semis
Continue reading...
