Brounshidle Post

Ryan Smith (Maryvale) lined a two-out single over SS to plate the winning run from second base in the bottom of the seventh to give Hamburg Post a thrilling 3-2 win over Maine Endwell in the first round of the ALB State Tournament. The hit completed an uphill climb after they fell behind 2-0 before they came to bat in the first inning.

Tom Furmanski (Albion) battled some early nerves and a shaky error behind him before settling in to give his club a shot at the win. He ended up throwing 105 pitches over 6 1/3 innings, allowing just 1 ER and 5 hits, while striking out 7. Taylor Vogel (St. Francis) came on to record the final two outs and pick up the win.

Smith’s hit followed an intentional walk making his heroics even sweeter as he was mobbed by his teammates. Jake Szymanski (St. Francis) was the key to the comeback as he drove in two including an RBI double in the fifth inning to knot the game up. Hamburg appeared to be ready to take over the game after that hit as they loaded the bases with just one out. But a line drive double play ended the threat and set the stage for all the drama. Jordan Prince (Orchard Park) contributed two hits and was pivotal in the rallies as well.

Maine Endwell is primarily composed of the HS team that advanced all the way to the Division A state finals last month. It doesn’t get any easier for Manager, Marty Szymanski’s crew tonight when they take on the Rockland County Pirates, the three time defending state champions, under the lights in the feature game of the day.