Chester Academy has played “small ball” quite well of late, and the Hambletonians put the method to good use when it mattered most.
Chester scratched out single runs in the first, second and fifth innings in the state Class B title game on Saturday, June 13, in Vestal, posting a 3-0 victory over Medina at Binghamton University.
It was Chester’s first state baseball title, following a loss in the 2022 finals.
Chester head coach Mike Doucette turned to left-handed Aiden Francisco for the final and the southpaw did not disappoint. He held Medina to just four base hits and worked out of a jam in the seventh inning, inducing a groundout and posting his 11th strikeout to end the game with the tying run at plate. Francisco flexed in triumph, flung his glove high in the air and embraced the hug of catcher James Musco before the battery got swallowed up in a dogpile by the mound.
Musco’s talents as a leadoff man proved well again. In the first inning, he drew a full-count walk from Aidan Papaj, stole second with two outs, was pushed to third on a walk and raced home on a wild pitch.
In the second, No. 9 batter Ian Arnett laced an 0-2 offering up the middle for a single. Musco advanced him with a groundout. Arnett scored when Nick Sharp drilled an 0-2 pitch to right for an RBI single and 2-0 lead.
In the fifth, Sharp drew a one-out walk and later scored when Logan Bach grounded out to the right side, the second baseman Carlos Doval unable to throw home as he raced to the bag for the out instead.
kmcmillan@th-record.com
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This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Chester baseball claims first state title with 3-0 win over Medina
