Monroe-Woodbury Baseball's State Semifinal Dreams Dashed by Massapequa

The Monroe-Woodbury baseball team, champions of Section 9 Class AAA, faced a tough defeat in the state semifinals, losing 5-3 to Massapequa, the Suffolk County champions, on Friday, June 12, in Endicott. Despite a commendable season that saw them finish with a 19-4 record, the Crusaders struggled with key mistakes on the basepaths that contributed to their elimination from the tournament.

Throughout the game, Monroe-Woodbury had two runners thrown out in critical situations during the last four innings, hampering their chances to rally. In the fourth inning, Joey Bauer earned a walk, and Liam Hayes capitalized by stealing third base. Hayes scored on a high throw from catcher Anthony Dinello, but the momentum shifted when left fielder Caiden Erker quickly retrieved the ball and relayed it to Dinello, who caught Bauer attempting to advance to second base, ending the inning with the Crusaders trailing 3-2.

As Monroe-Woodbury entered the final inning down 5-2, Ryan Lugo started with a walk and advanced to third after a misplay by second baseman Brady Love on a ground ball from Jeremy Lai. Evan Erickson then hit a single that brought Lugo home, narrowing the gap. However, with the tying runs on base, Hayes hit a fly ball to short right-center. Center fielder Anthony Conza made an impressive play, cutting in front of his teammate Christopher Sultana to make a perfect throw to third base, where Ryan Moore executed the double play, sealing the game for Massapequa.

This match marked the end of Monroe-Woodbury's postseason run, leaving the team and its supporters to reflect on a season filled with promise and potential.