Crown Point, Malone still in hunt

By JOHN CORYER
Staff Writer

June 14, 2008 04:00 am

— PLATTSBURGH -- The Crown Point and Malone Franklin Academy baseball teams carry the state title hopes for their respective sections today in the NYSPHSAA Final Four in Binghamton.
The Section VII Class D champion Panthers oppose Section III winner Rome Catholic at 1 p.m. at SUNY Binghamton in the Final Four semifinals.
The Section X Class A champion Huskies, meanwhile, tangle with Section IV's Maine-Endwell in semifinal play at NYSEG Field.
Panthers unbeaten
Crown Point (20-0), which has already won the Mountain & Valley Athletic Conference Northern Division, the MVAC overall and Section VII titles, advanced to the Final Four with a come-from-behind 12-8 victory over Section II's Fort Ann in the quarterfinals.
"The kids are excited and ready to play," said Crown Point coach Eric Mullen. "We had a good ride down here and we're where we want to be."
Mullen will go with Jacob Spring on the mound against Rome Catholic.
Spring, Travis Tabor, Adam Clark, Kevin Gadway, Matt Kiely and Nathan Tabor are among the leading hitters for Crown Point.
"Everybody has hit for us, especially in the post-season," Mullen said. "We've had to come from behind a few times to win games, but we have been pretty consistent all season. Hopefully, we're peaking in the post-season -- we had 17 hits the other day."
Rome Catholic (20-4), the Panthers' semifinal opponent, posted a 6-1 win over Section IV's Edmeston to earn its berth in the Final Four.
"They have some decent hitters and two really good pitchers," Mullen said. "I believe they've won 15 games in a row. So, it's going to be a tough challenge for us."
The winner of the Crown Point/Rome Catholic game will play at 4 p.m. for the state championship.
The opponent will be either Section IV's Chapel Field or Section V's Batavia Notre Dame, who play in the 10 a.m. semifinal.
Chapel Field advanced to the Final Four with a 7-6 victory over Section VIII's Smithtown Christian, and Batavia Notre Dame was a 7-3 winner over Section VI's Pine Valley.
Malone peaking
Franklin Academy recorded a 6-1 win over Section X rival Massena to win its sectional title and then had a first-round bye in the state playoffs prior to a 5-4 victory over Section III's Whitesboro in the Class A quarterfinals.
Nick Leffler rapped a big two-run triple and went the distance for the pitching decision against Whitesboro.
Leading hitters this season for the Huskies, with 48 at-bats or more, include: Daniel Marshall (.424); Paul Rose (.417); Brock Bannon (.357); Brad Fleury (.351); and Nick Leffler (.345).
Maine-Endwell (21-1), moved into the Final Four with a 5-3 win over Section IX's Cornwall in the state quarterfinals.
Should the Huskies (13-5) prevail in the semifinals, their opponent in the A state championship GAME will be either Section XI's Islip or Section V's Pittsford Sutherland.
Islip edged out a 3-2 victory over Section VIII's Levittown Division Ave. in the quarterfinals, while Pittsford Sutherland rolled to a 14-1 win over Section VI's Dunkirk.