Hunter Stephens (5) greets Dom Montanye at home plate after the two scored run for Mohonasen on a go-ahead single by Daniel Corsaro during the Section 2 Class AA quarterfinals against Columbia on Friday, May 22.
Kyle Adams/For the Times Union
Mohonasen celebrates after it took an 11-9 lead in the Section 2 Class AA quarterfinals against Columbia on Friday, May 22.
Kyle Adams/For the Times Union
Brennan LaRue turns a double play for Mohonasen during the Section 2 Class AA quarterfinals against Columbia on Friday, May 22.
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Nic Quinlivan throws a pitch for Mohonasen during the Section 2 Class AA quarterfinals against Columbia on Friday, May 22.
Kyle Adams/For the Times Union
Columbia shortstop Sean Boniface tags out Mohonasen baserunner Daniel Corsaro on a pickoff during the Section 2 Class AA quarterfinals on Friday, May 22.
Kyle Adams/For the Times Union
Hunter Scott throws a pitch for Columbia during the Section 2 Class AA quarterfinals against Mohonasen on Friday, May 22.
Kyle Adams/For the Times Union
Nic Quinlivan throws a pitch for Mohonasen during the Section 2 Class AA quarterfinals against Columbia on Friday, May 22.
Kyle Adams/For the Times Union
Columbia shortstop Sean Boniface tags out Mohonasen baserunner Daniel Corsaro on a pickoff during the Section 2 Class AA quarterfinals on Friday, May 22.
Kyle Adams/For the Times Union
Columbia first baseman Ascher Melino makes a catch in foul territory during the Section 2 Class AA quarterfinals against Mohonasen on Friday, May 22.
Kyle Adams/For the Times Union
Mohonasen second baseman Will Quinn makes a throw to first base during the Section 2 Class AA quarterfinals against Columbia on Friday, May 22.
Kyle Adams/For the Times Union
Columbia’s Sean Boniface takes a swing during the Section 2 Class AA quarterfinals against Mohonasen on Friday, May 22.
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Columbia head coach Chris Dedrick visits the mound during the Section 2 Class AA quarterfinals against Mohonasen on Friday, May 22.
Kyle Adams/For the Times Union
Mohonasen’s Dom Montanye comes in to score a run during the Section 2 Class AA quarterfinals against Columbia on Friday, May 22.
Kyle Adams/For the Times Union
ROTTERDAM — It’s the year of the upset in the Section 2 baseball tournament, and No. 2 Mohonasen nearly fell victim to that phenomenon on Friday during its Class AA quarterfinal contest against No. 7 Columbia.
The area’s baseball playoffs have seen dramatic upsets in nearly every bracket, perhaps most notably in Class AAA, where No. 7 Albany took down No. 2 Christian Brothers Academy 3-2 in the quarterfinals.
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In the Class AA quarterfinals, No. 8 Bethlehem upset No. 1 South Glens Falls, 4-3, and No. 6 Troy defeated No. 3 Queensbury, 3-2.
The No. 13 seed in Class B, Chatham, earned wins over No. 4 Salem/Cambridge and No. 5 Coxsackie-Athens, to move on to the semifinals. No. 15 Fonda-Fultonville took out No. 2 Cobleskill-Richmondville, and No. 19 Hoosick Falls defeated No. 14 Voorheesville and No. 3 Johnstown.
In Class C, No. 13 Waterford-Halfmoon defeated No. 4 Hoosic Valley and No. 12 Schoharie eliminated No. 5 OESJ.
Mohonasen’s Jadon Perry slides home safely during the Section 2 Class AA quarterfinals against Columbia on Friday, May 22.
Kyle Adams/For the Times Union
“We were thinking about it,” Mohonasen catcher Daniel Corsaro said. “We knew Columbia was going to be tough, but with the season we’ve had, we didn’t want to end it here.”
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Mohonasen, of the Colonial Council, put its 17-1 overall record to the test against the Suburban Councils’ Blue Devils. Columbia put up five runs in the first inning and tacked on four more in the second to take a commanding 9-2 lead.
Mohonasen chipped away at Columbia’s lead, scoring two more in the bottom of the second, until it had its own big inning in the fourth. A seven-run frame gave Mohonasen an 11-9 lead that held up for a wild playoff win.
“It feels like Mohon against the world,” Corsaro said. “We continue to prove the team that we are and who we can be.”
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“Just win an inning. Just come back and get a run,” Mohonasen head coach Kevin Sheremeta said of his team’s mentality when facing the large deficit. “It starts with getting a run, and these kids don’t give up, they fight. They’re gritty, tough kids and I told them to pull the rope, and they pulled the rope.”
Mohonasen celebrates after it took an 11-9 lead in the Section 2 Class AA quarterfinals against Columbia on Friday, May 22.
Kyle Adams/For the Times Union
In that seven-run fourth inning, Mohonasen strung together five hits, two walks, a hit batter and a sacrifice fly. The stretch included three straight two-out hits by Hunter Stevens, Dom Montanye and Corsaro.
It was Montanye’s two-run single that tied the game at 9-9.
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“It was electric, seeing everyone going crazy,” Montanye said. “I’ve been thinking to myself all year how much I wanted to hit. I’ve been getting DH’d for most of the time, and I wanted to make the most of my opportunities when I’ve gotten them.”
Corsaro then came to the plate and delivered his team a go-ahead, two-run single.
“It was amazing. I have no words for it. I have faith in every guy on this team to come through in a pressure situation,” Corsaro said. “There was never a doubt. We knew the grit that our team has, and that if we stayed composed and played our game, we could keep chipping away.”
Mohonasen pitchers Tommy Gianatasio and Eoin O’Brian each tossed two scoreless innings of relief, making the comeback possible.
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“They’re Suburban Council, big-time baseball,” Sheremeta said. “This is a big win, but anybody can beat anybody on any given day. There (have been) a lot of upsets.”
Eoin O’Brian throws a pitch for Mohonasen during the Section 2 Class AA quarterfinals against Columbia on Friday, May 22.
Kyle Adams/For the Times Union
Monday’s 4 p.m. Class AA semifinal at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium will put Mohonasen back up against Troy, the team that represents the only blemish in its otherwise perfect season.
The Flying Horses defeated Mohonasen in a 10-inning Colonial Council matchup on May 14, as Logan Keefe’s walk-off single secured the dramatic 4-3 win.
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“They know we’re coming,” Corsaro said. “We didn’t have situational or timely hitting in that last game, but we’ll be ready. … We did it against a great Suburban Council team like Columbia, who doesn’t go down without a fight. This boosts everyone’s confidence to know what we can do.”
“They’re looking forward to the opportunity to play Troy again,” Sheremeta said. “It’s a single-game elimination, and all the seniors know that every game could be their last.”