One team is in the state tournament for the third time in four years. The other squad is aiming to notch its third regional tile in the last five years. It’s a rematch of 2025 as the champs of Section V Rush-Henrietta and Section VI Lancaster are set to battle in the Class AAA sub-regional this Wednesday, June 3. Here’s the breakdown:
RUSH-HENRIETTA ROYAL COMETS (14-8 / Monroe County)
vs.
LANCASTER LEGENDS (12-5 / ECIC 1)
Tuesday, Churchville-Chili HS, 7:30 p.m.
How they arrived here: Rush-Henrietta (NYSSWA Class AAA No. 20) shut out Greece 12-0 in the semifinals to advance to the championship where the Royal Comets defeated Fairport 9-3 to earn a spot in the sub-regional. Lancaster (NYSSWA Class AAA No. 6) cruised to a 22-0 victory over Jamestown in the semifinals and swept top-seeded Niagara Falls 4-2 and 12-0 in the section VI AAA final to grab its spot in the matchup.
Scoring offense: Rush-Henrietta (8.5 RPG), Lancaster (8.7)
Scoring defense: Rush-Henrietta (5.6 RPG), Lancaster (2.5)
Trends: Rush-Henrietta enters the sub-regional with back-to-back victories, outscoring its opponents 21-3 during its postseason run. The Royal Comets have now scored 10 or more runs eight times this season with double-digit victories on six different occasions while pitching four shutouts. Lancaster rolls into the matchup on a seven-game win streak, outscoring its opponents 79-7 in that stretch. During the win streak, the Legends have hurled four shutouts and scored 10-plus runs five times for eight on the season.
Players to watch for Rush-Henrietta: Lizzie Rinella Sr. C (.629 AVG, 17 2B, 1 HR, 29 RBI, .694 OPB, .914 SLG percentage, 185 put outs, .990 Fielding percentage); Delaney Buttles So. SS (.603 AVG, 14 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 13 RBI, 1.014 SLG, 9-9 SB, .946 Fielding); Kendall Buttles Fr. P (132 IP, 195 Ks, 2.43 ERA, 4 Shutouts, .294 AVG , 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 18 RBI, 6 SB); Jade Galaska Sr. 1B (.372 AVG, 7 2B, 5 HR, 36 RBI); Kyla Piedici Fr. CF (.353 AVG, 3 2B, 2 3B, 17 RBI, 15 BB, .470 OBP)
Lancaster: Alyssa Brunner Sr. P/1B (40 IP, 5-0, 3.32 ERA, 42 K, .458 AVG, 22 H, 4 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 21 RBI, 13 R); Peytyn Chojnacki Sr. OF (.357 AVG, 20 H, 4 2B, 1 3B, 8 RBI, 12 R); Maddy Matthews So. P/1B (48.1 IP, 4-0, 1.45 ERA, 67 K); Brennah DeWald Sr. C (.426 AVG, 23 H, 7B, 12 RBI, 18 R); Leah Dowling Jr. OF/2B (.465 AVG, 20 H, 4 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 19 RBI, 10 R); Isabella DiMino Sr. SS/2B (.346 AVG, 18 H, 8 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 18 RBI, 17 R); Abigail DiMino So. C/INF (.457 AVG, 16 H, 1 2B, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 9 R)
Coaches: Sydney Bolton (Rush-Henrietta), Rich Winiatowski (Lancaster)
History 101: It’s a rematch from last year as Rush-Henrietta looks to get revenge after falling 11-2 in the Class AAA Far West Regional. The Royal Comets make their third state tournament appearance after going back-to-back in Section V. After winning the Far West Regional, Lancaster went on to claim the 2025 NYS Class AAA championship against Massapequa 4-2 and now look to defend its title. The Legends are back in the state tournament for the fourth time since 2018 and third time in five years with a 2-2 all time record.
What’s at stake: A spot in the NYS Class AAA quarterfinal against Corning Painted-Post (IV).
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