The Kingston-Saugerties American Legion Senior baseball team captured the New York State title on Sunday, edging Cottreall-Warner Post 942 by a 9-6 margin in a dramatic finish.
A five-run burst in the tenth inning turned a 4-4 deadlock into a decisive lead, allowing the squad to pull away and seal the championship.
Key Performances
Kaden Deibert, a Kingston High graduate, sparked the offense with a solo homer in the third inning and later added an RBI single in the tenth, while Jake Young, a Cairo-Durham alumnus, delivered a two-run single that pushed the lead to 7-4.
Austin June, a Catskill High graduate, plated another run with a run-scoring single to left field, and Landon Van Gaasbeck, also a Kingston High graduate, capped the scoring with a groundout that brought the final run across, raising the tally to 9-4 before the opposing team added two more.
Other contributors such as Max Caron, Jaylen McLean, Will Cummings, Johnny McKenna and Fred McCoy provided crucial support throughout the tournament, delivering solid defense and timely hits that kept the momentum alive.
Looking Ahead
The champions will now travel to the Mid-Atlantic Tournament, scheduled for August 6 through August 9 in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, where they will face regional powerhouses in pursuit of a national crown.
This championship marks the first state title shared by Post 72 of Saugerties, a milestone that underscores the program’s resurgence; the last state title for Kingston Post 150 was recorded in 1995.