Horseheads Baseball Team Moves Forward with Ball's Stellar Pitching and Charlanow's Bat

Cooper Ball delivered another impressive performance on Tuesday, June 2, as he led the Horseheads baseball squad in their quest for consecutive New York state titles. Competing in a Class AA subregional contest at Maine-Endwell High School, Ball threw a remarkable one-hitter against Garden City from Section 8, demonstrating his skill as he struck out nine batters while allowing three walks.

This stellar outing followed Ball's earlier achievement of a four-hit shutout during the opening game of the Section 4 Class AA championship series. Horseheads secured their spot in the state tournament after defeating Vestal two games to one, having clinched last season's Class AA championship.

Dmitri Charlanow emerged as a standout player for the Blue Raiders, contributing significantly with a strong offensive performance. He went three for three at the plate, hitting a two-run homer in the second inning that initially gave Horseheads a 2-0 lead, followed by an RBI single in the sixth inning, bringing his total to three RBIs for the game. Ball also contributed offensively, going two for three, including a crucial two-run single that extended the lead to 4-0. Beckett Doane added to the team's success with a two for three effort, featuring a double and two runs scored.

Head coach Andy Scott praised Hunter Matkosky for his defensive prowess at first base, noting that Matkosky made "three huge defensive plays" that were instrumental in maintaining the shutout.

Looking ahead, Horseheads (18-7) will face Hamburg, the Section 6 champion, in the regional final at ESL Ballpark in Rochester on Friday, June 5, at 7 p.m. Hamburg secured their spot by winning their subregional matchup against Webster Schroeder from Section 5 with a walk-off grand slam.