Lansingburgh's freshman left fielder Ryan McGrath makes a great diving catch to rob Mohonasen's Anthony Savini of a base hit in the top of the first inning in Saturday's Section II Class A quarterfinal at Lansingburgh High School. (photos by J.S. Carras - The Record)

Lansingburgh's T.J. McLaughlin gave the Knights a solid start, giving up one earned run and three hits over six innings.

Mohonasen's Siena College-bound Robert Tedesco, however, was masterful, spinning a compete game 14-strikeout gem as the No. 8 seed Mighty Warriors toppled No. 1 Lansingburgh 4-2.

Tedesco gave up single runs in the first and second innings, with Lansingburgh's second run scoring on his throwing error to first base.

"I took a moment," Tedesco said. "I stepped off the mound and I said, ‘I can give up right now. I can fold and I can quit the season and say, you know what, Lansingburgh was supposed to beat Mohonasen and they did, or I could step back on the mound and bear down and pull off an upset’."

Check out the full story in Sunday's edition of The Record.

Lansingburgh's Scott Fane (3) reacts after being caught stealing second base in the first inning of Saturday's game. Fane finished with three hits and drove in Frank Castiglione on a first inning single.

Lansingburgh (19-4) left Saint Rose-bound senior pitcher Jordan Zareski on first base, a move Knights head coach Joe Henkel made to maximize his defensive and offensive production.

"When T.J. pitches we have a much better defense out there and additionally, when Jordan pitches, his batting average is a little lower than when he is not on the mound," Henkel said. "We felt that we were going to need every hit that we could possibly get."

It was still a banner season for the Knights, who won their first Colonial Council regular season title since 2003 and with plenty of young talent, they are already looking forward to 2010.

"I didn’t expect to win any more than 15 or 16 games, but I’ll take 19-4 any day," Henkel said. "I can’t say enough about my kids. We were a young team and we’ll be back next year."

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There were plenty of other upsets today on diamonds across the Capital Region.

In Class AA baseball, Bethlehem topped Shenendehowa 10-4, advancing to a semifinal with CBA Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Joe Bruno Stadium.
On the other side of the bracket, Saratoga Springs defeated Big 10 No. 1 seed Albany 6-5 in nine innings, moving on to the 4 p.m. semifinal with Columbia.
It's still wide open, but I would have to give the edge to Columbia with their power-packed lineup and the 1-2 duo of Gaige and Gaule on the hill.

In Class A, Schalmont and Glens Falls will face off opposite Mohon and Ichabod Crane.
If Mohon can get past Ichabod and put Tedesco back on the bump in the Class A final (which they reached in 2008) the Mighty Warriors have a chance to make some big noise as a No. 8 seed.

In Class B, Ravena knocked off Granville, which was 20-1 coming into the game, to set up a semifinal showdown with Fonda.
I picked Ravena at the top of my preseason small school poll and I know they have a lot of returning talent, so a trip to the Joe is not out of the question for the Indians.

In Class CC, Hoosic Valley's Chad Houle pitched the Indians past Corinth, setting up a threematch with Wasaren League rival Cambridge. (Hoosic Valley won both meetings during the regular season).
Alex Kugler will likely start as Houle, their ace, threw a ton of pitches on Saturday.
Hoosic Valley head coach Boyd Hunt was not sure, but he (nor could anyone else I talked to last week when I saw the Indians top Tamarac in the Wasaren League finale) remember the last time Hoosic Valley won a sectional game.

In Class C, Waterford and Fort Plain continue their march towards a championship game showdown, which could be easily one of the top small school games of 2009 should it come to fruition.

In Class D, Loudonville Christian and Schenectady Christian are set for an interesting semifinal matchup Tuesday afternoon at the Boght Complex in Latham.

Click here for the latest 2009 Section II baseball brackets.


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In softball news, the Class CC and C rained-out games from Thursday were made up this morning in Queensbury.

In Class CC, Hoosic Valley mirrored the baseball team's success, knocking off No. 3 Corinth to set up a Wasaren League threematch, in this case, against No. 2 Hoosick Falls.
We know Hoosick Falls will be throwing freshman sensation Rachel Quackenbush, so the Indians will be hard-pressed for hits. They do, however, have plenty of postseason experience in basketball and softball and that could very well come in handy in what figures to be a game that comes down to one play.

In Class C, Waterford marched on with a 15-2 thumping of Mayfield as the Lady Fordians bounced back from a non-league defeat to Voorheesville near the end of the regular season.
Duanesburg is the big bad wolf on the block in Class C, but I think the Lady Foridans could be able to give them a run for their money should they meet in the title game.
Waterford will have to get past Canajoharie first in Monday's semifinal. The Cougars knocked off Waterford in this round in 2008.

For updated 2009 Section II softball brackets, click here.


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Remember, I'll be answering your questions right here on this page Monday night at 8 p.m. after I catch up from the Hoosic Valley-Hoosick Falls softball showdown in Clifton Park.

I'm open for any discussions on the baseball and softball semifinals coming ahead next week from Tuesday to Friday.

Depending on the turnout and your feedback, I may consider making it a regular feature of the site, so please drop by Monday night from 8-9 p.m.!