By PAUL GOTHAM
DICKINSON, N.Y. — No instructions were needed.
Individual medals had been distributed and the team trophy secured. The Bombers of Bloomfield softball then gathered at home plate for a photo.
They didn’t require any assistance in getting organized. They filed into two rows. Taller players in the back. The “not-so-tall” took a knee and settled in the front row.
It came natural to the group of 14 players.
“We’ve done it a couple of times,” said ninth-grader Sydney Falsone who grabbed the championship sign for the picture. “Our team is a big photo-taking team. We all know our spots and who holds what.”
On four occasions over the past two seasons the Bombers had posed after winning championships.
Twice each they celebrated sectional titles and regional crowns.
Early Saturday afternoon at Greenlight Networks Grand Slam Park they claimed one last piece of hardware for the trophy case.
Falsone scored four runs and drove in two while Ashlyn Wright accounted for four hits and five RBI along with hurling a one-hit shutout as Bloomfield (24-1) claimed the 2025 New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Class C title with a convincing 11-0 victory over Tuckahoe (I).
A year ago, the Bombers dropped a 1-0 decision to Berne-Knox-Westerlo (II). This after edging Pine Plains (IX), 1-0 in the semifinals.
On Saturday, they doubled that output within their first four batters.
“Amazingly prepared,” Bloomfield head coach Mark Jacobs said of his squad. “They were in the moment as they always are. When we talked last night, the coaching staff, the major difference between this year and last is we got a good hitting team.”
And it began with the ninth-grade centerfielder who has already started in two state championship games.
Falsone led the game with a base hit and scored the first run.
“Every time I go up to bat, I know I set the tone,” she said. “I know I have to be aggressive and not look to walk. I know a lot of leadoff batters tend to do that (work walks)…If I get a hit, everyone gets going.”
The left-handed batter sent a one-ball, two-strike offering into left field.
“Low and outside,” she said of the pitch that she took to the opposite field. “That’s my pitch, low outside.”
After teammate Calla McCombs put runners on the corners, Wright delivered with a one-out single that brought home both.
The Bombers eventually scored in each of the first five innings.
“Top to bottom, we got nine girls who can put the ball in play,” Jacobs said.
Falsone finished 3-for-3 on the day and reached base all four times she came to the plate. She added a two-run triple in the second when Bloomfield scored three more times.
“Sydney has been such a spark plug for our team,” said Jacobs. “To get her on base, it puts so much pressure on the other team.
“She gets up there and I know there are people who look at her diminutive stature and think ‘Oh boy, here comes a bunt.’ She just smacks the crap out of the ball. That triple she had today, that ball was tattooed.”
An MVP was not handed out, but make no mistake Wright would have garnered that honor. The senior right-hander capped her career with her fifth straight shutout – a stretch that includes 33 innings.
The West Point commit didn’t allow a run for her last 39 frames and a just a single unearned blemish over the final 52 innings of her high school career.
She retired the first eight batters she faced on Saturday and 9 of 10 close the game. She finished with 12 strike outs and one walk.
At the plate on Saturday. Wright was 4-5 with a double.
“Offensively and defensively,” Jacobs said of the performance. “At one point when I said No. 8 courtesy runner (teammate Evalynn Howlett who ran for Wright after each of her hits) their coach said ‘I’ve heard that enough today.’”
The state championship was the first in program history.
“The taste of redemption is great,” Wright said. “The whole ride has been amazing. Doing it together as a team has been so special.”
McCombs went 2-5 with a triple in the win. Bri Leitten singled, drove in a run and scored. Abby O’Brien and Marlee Poole had two hits apiece.
“The thing that makes this team so special is we hit the ball as a team, and we play defense as a team,” Jacobs said. “I think we’re one of the best defensive teams. I’d be shocked if there’s a better defensive team in Class C.”
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