by TYLER HATHAWAY
PENFIELD, N.Y– Cottreall-Warner Post 942 (20-7) staved off elimination and forced a winner-take-all game on Wednesday morning, but Kingston-Saugerties Post (24-9) used five runs in the top of the tenth inning of the deciding game to break a 4-4 tie and pull away to a 9-6 win in the final game of the New York State American Legion Tournament at Penfield High School on Wednesday afternoon.
It ends a season that featured the second straight District 7 title for the Canal Dogs.
“This is all about representing the veterans at your post,” said manager Gary McNeil. “Honor, integrity, character. I love it. And I think our guys did that the whole season. I’m not surprised that they battled and were as successful as they were throughout the course of the season. They won back to back league championships, made a nice run here in states, and they did it the right way.”
Entering the day, Cottreall-Warner needed to win twice against Kingston-Saugerties to win the title. The Canal Dogs picked up a 13-0 win in the first game to force a winner-take-all showdown.
“Its always about sacrifice,” McNeil said of his team. “The kids could go on vacations, they could go to concerts, they could do other things, but they sacrificed those things to play baseball and represent the post. That’s first and foremost why they play. They were also trying to work on things and have success throughout the summer. And I think from when we got together, when our season started, to where we finished, I think everyone was able to accomplish their personal goals, which helped us have success on the field as well as a team.”
VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM STEVEN TWARDZIK.
Cottreall-Warner led 4-2 after the second frame in Game 2. Conor Forkey provided a sac fly to score Nick Rene in the first and Tyler Estelle, Sam Roselli, and Garrett McNeil each brought runs home in the second. But two solo-shot home runs by Kingston-Saugerties in the third brought the game to a deadlock that lasted six innings.
In the tenth, Kaden Deibert, Jake Young, and Austin June each had RBI singles before Jayden McLean hit into a fielder’s choice to make it 9-4 Kingston-Saugerties. Max Caron hit a two-run blast in the bottom of the tenth for the Canal Dogs to bring the game to its final score.
Nick Rene walked three times, scored, and pitched four innings of one-hit relief while striking out seven batters for Cottreall-Warner. Henry Shutts doubled, singled, walked, and scored. On the mound he tossed an inning of relief. Tyler Estelle doubled, plated a runner, walked twice, and scored. Connor Smith struck out three batters over four innings on the mound as the starter. Caron finished with two RBI and walked in addition to his homer. Brady Sayers singled, scored, and walked. Ryan Merlo had a base hit and crossed home plate once. Sam Roselli plated a runner and walked. Garrett McNeil had an RBI. Ty Gordner hurled an inning of relief and nabbed a strikeout.
For Kingston-Saugerties, John McKenna and Kaden Deibert each homered, had a hit, and plated two runners, with Deibert scoring twice and McKenna scoring and walking. McKenna was also the starter and struck out a batter over two innings. Landon VanGaasbeck doubled, singled, and scored. Jake Young had a two-RBI single and scored. Jaylen McLean scored and struck out two batters over eight innings of relief. Jackson Huber doubled and singled. Will Cummings tripled and crossed home plate twice. Austin June had an RBI single. Luke Johnson had a base hit and walked twice.
Kingston-Saugerties’ John McKenna was named the MVP of the tournament, while Garrett McNeil won the “Big Stick” award for being the tournament’s best hitter. McNeil hit .391, had nine RBI, and hit two home runs, including a game-tying home run to force extras in a 7-6 win over Hamburg Post earlier in the tournament.
In the first game of the day, Cottreall-Warner scored three in the first inning before adding nine in the second to pull away. Tyler Estelle was 3-for-4 with a double, four RBI, and two runs scored. Dylan Dumont pitched four and a third innings and struck out six. Max Caron had a single, a run, two walks, and three RBI. Nick Rene singled twice, walked twice, and scored three times. Garrett McNeil had a sac fly and singled. Drew Gruba singled, plated a runner, scored twice, and walked. Conor Forkey walked twice and scored both times. Sam Roselli had an RBI, scored, and walked. Brady Sayers walked. Tyler Gordner threw the final two third innings.
Keegan Hughes, Jackson Huber, Kaden Deibert, and Jackson Barcone each singled for Kingston-Saugerties. John McKenna walked twice. Nico Martines drew a walk. Will Cummings and Robert Paschal each tossed an inning, with Cummings earning a strikeout. Keegan Hughes hurled three innings.
Kingston-Saugerties advances to the the 2026 American Legion Baseball Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament, starting August 6th in Shrewsbury, MA.
Great interview with CW Coach McNeil, congrats on such a successful season.
Thank you to Pickin Splinters for all you do and outstanding coverage