HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL: WALK-OFF HIT BY FRESHMAN BENNETT, DOMINANT PITCHING HELP LIFT HORSEHEADS TO STATE FINAL FOUR (24 PHOTOS) (2025-06-07)

By Brian Fees
Southern Tier Sports Report
ENDWELL — After nine innings of scoreless baseball it came down to a freshman at the plate with a chance to send the Horseheads baseball team to the New York State, Class AA Final Four.

Lyncoln Bennett delivered for the Blue Raiders, lining a single to left to give the Blue Raiders a 1-0 win over Walkill to capture the regional title.

The Blue Raiders freshman got ready to try a suicide squeeze on the first pitch. But, the pitch was out of the zone and he took a ball, before delivering a hit on the next pitch.

“With a kid that young, first pitch was a safety squeeze and they understand with a safety squeeze the pitch has to be a strike and he had the guts enough to take it as a ball and the next time he got the base hit,” Horseheads coach Jeff Limoncelli said.

“I saw the players playing, Lyncoln usually hits the opposite side, and that was wide open. I said go ahead and hit and he pulls it. But, that’s how the game is.”

There were some nerves for Bennett, but he knew he was in a spot where he had to get the big hit.

“Pretty high (the nerves), but we prepare for this all year,” Bennett said. “We are expected to make plays and we do. (The plan was to) Try and get the squeeze down first, and when it wasn’t swing alone. It was outside the zone, so leave it alone.”

Bennett saw a fastball on the second pitch and he didn’t miss.

“I saw a fast ball I could handle over the middle of the plate and we have been preparing for that all year long,” Bennett said.

While Bennett is a freshman, his teammates aren’t surprised he came through in a big spot.


Through nine innings Mason Holloway of Horseheads and Ryan Mayer of walk ill were locked in a pitcher’s duel.

Mayer allowed six hits and three walks, striking out six in eight innings.

Holloway was even better, allowing three hits and striking out 13 in nine innings. Holloway is 7-0 on the year with one earned run allowed this year. He has a staggering 105 strikeouts to no walks on the year.

“It’s special,” Limoncelli said “I owe it all to those guys. They performed. They are hot at the right time. Of course it took a little longer than I wanted. I was just hoping we wouldn’t waste that pitching performance, because that’s one for the ages. I knew when his pitch count got maxed that Cooper was going to have to step up and that’s a big spot for a sophomore, and he was great.

“Real special (the performance by Holloway). That’s what he’s supposed to do. He’s a senior, he’s a leader, he’s done it for years.”

Trading zeroes in a game like that was fun for a while, but it does start to get stressful as the game goes on.

“It’s definitely fun to start,” Holloway said. “But, later and later as the game is going on it gets a little nerve-wracking, but I had faith in us the whole time even though it took us 10 innings.”

Walkill had beaten Horseheads the past two years, with Kyle DeGroat shutting them down a year ago. DeGroat was drafted in the 14th round of last year’s MLB draft.

“It’s unbelievable,” Holloway said. “This group, I love every single one of them. Being able to go on for the first time in a really good game feels special.

“Obviously he (Mayer) didn’t throw as hard as DeGroat last year, but he was an unreal pitcher. He hit his spots and he threw it well. You have to give a lot of props to him. But, we found a way. Finally after 10 innings we found a way.”

IN the eighth inning the final two batters fouled off pitch after pitch, running up Holloway’s pitch count. He had just seven pitches left going into the ninth, but he was able to get through that inning with those limited pitches left.

“I had seven left in that last inning,” Holloway said. “But, I’ve been saying it all season, the defense behind me is one of the best around and when it gets hit on the ground you know there is going to be a play made.”

It was big for Horseheads to have Holloway get through that inning so quickly.

“Little stressed,” Limoncelli said. “Trying to get Cooper down in the bullpen when he was second up in the inning. That pitch count kind of rose quicker than we wanted it to. They had two great at bats with those foul balls. It’s just one of those things where you start the inning and you go with Coop (when he runs out of pitches). And he goes 1-2-3 and it was kind of quick. Offensively it was tough today, but they pitched well too.”

Ball worked one inning, allowing one hit and no walks or runs.

Holloway put down Walkill in the first inning, but gave up a hit by pitch in the inning. Mayer answered putting the Blue Raiders down in order.

In the second inning Walkill had a batter reach on an error, they had a single and a hit by pitch to load the bases with two outs. But, Holloway got a fly out to end the threat.

For Holloway hitting two batters is something that never happens.

“This game means a lot to every single one of us,” Holloway said. “Especially with Limoncelli this being his last year, we really want to do everything we can for him.

“To start the game, this is a big game, regional game. So there is a lot of adrenaline in every single person. It kind of got to me at the start. I was throwing the ball everywhere, but after that we all got settled down and we got done what we needed to get done.”

The hit by pitches were caused by Holloway being amped up the senior pitcher said.

Horseheads had two hits in the bottom of the second but couldn’t get a run across the plate.

The third inning saw Holloway give up a two-out single, but that was all.

Horseheads had one hit in the bottom of the third, but weren’t able to advance the runner.

Holloway put down Walkill 1-2-3 in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings and gave up a single in the seventh, but got out of the inning with a double play by the defense.

“It’s special,” Limoncello said of the win. “Walkill has had our number two years in a row and they are very well coached and they know how to pitch and they are prepared. We got one more run than they did.”

Horseheads loaded the bases in the fourth, but a line out ended the threat. After Horseheads went 1-2-3 in the fifth they had a leadoff single by Ball in the sixth and he was sacrificed to second and third, but he was stranded there.

Walkill had a one-out single in the seventh, but Holloway then ran in on a bunt attempt, caught the ball and from his knees threw to first for the double play.

“It was good,’ he said. “It was all kind of reaction. He threw a bunt down and I ran off the mound and it ended up in my glove.”

Zac Giammichele led off the seventh with a single and was sacrificed to second, but that’s as far as he got.

In the eighth inning the third batter had a 13 pitch at-bat, ending with a catcher’s interference. Holloway got the strikeout to end the inning.

For Horseheads catcher Trevor Reidy he wanted to make up for the catcher’s interference.

“It was a little stressful,” he said of the game. You have to keep your emotions down, keep them in check and lock in and make sure you are doing your job and help out where you need to be.

“It was very tough. I had a catcher’s interference. I thought I had to make it up somewhere, throw a runner out and help the defense out and help us overall.”

Holloway walked to start the eighth and was sacrificed to second. Reidy walked and a groundout moved Holloway to third and pinch runner Chase Mashanic to second. A pop out ended the threat.

After Holloway put Walkill down in order in the ninth, Horseheads got a one-out single, but they were caught trying to steal and weren’t able to get another runner on.

For Reidy it’s always fun catching Holloway.

“I love it, he’s a great teammate, great person, great friend, he does a good job,” Reidy said. “Very, very hard worker, always supports his teammates. He throws it right where you need it to be.”

In the top of the 10th Walkill had a lead-off single but Reidy threw out the batter at second. That proved huge as the next batter reached on an error, before Horseheads got back-to-back outs.

“It was very special,” Reidy said of throwing out the runner. Key turning point in the game. Just make sure you get a quick transfer and throw it out.”

Monahan, Bennett and Reidy all had two hits in the game. Bennett with an RBI and Monahan a run scored. Ball, Micah Hays, Giammichele and Patrick Laney had hits in the game.

Horseheads plays Section V champion Webster Thomas at 1 p.m. Friday in the state semifinals at Union-Endicott High School.

“Very exciting, very exciting and we don’t have to take a long bus drive and that’s even better,” Limoncelli said. “We get to sleep in our own beds and be ready to go. One thing with Horseheads is we always have a great following and it looked like there were a lot of people here and we appreciate that.”

It’s a special spring for Horseheads with softball and baseball both in the final four.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Limoncelli said. “Those girls are winners with Paul Richmond coaching and with our two teams being in teh final four it’s special and we’ll never forget it. But, we aren’t done yet.”

The fan base just made things more special for the Blue Raiders.

“Very special, couldn’t do it t’s going with our the fans here today,” Reidy said.

The Blue Raiders know things won’t get easier, but they are ready for another tough test in the state semifinals.

“It’s going to be a battle every single week,” Holloway said. “But, like what I’ve been saying every week we have one of the best defenses, we have one of the best offenses, I have faith in us.”
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PHOTOS BY BRIAN FEES

PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE GAME:


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