Yesterday’s NYSAIS Baseball Semifinal felt different.

Not our presence there (it was our third straight appearance), nor the venue (Jeff Adams Field played host to all three), nor the opponent (we met Fieldston each time), nor the result (we won). It was the business-like way the boys defeated the Eagles in a mercy rule-shortened 12-0 victory that propelled them back to the NYSAIS Championship.

Nick Parker took the mound for the Bears and walked the leadoff batter on four pitches to elicit some boisterous chatter from the Fieldston dugout. Nine pitches later, the dugout was quieted by a pair of strikeouts and a steal attempt that was foiled by catcher Juju Martinez.

In the bottom of the 1st, the Bears loaded the bases with nobody out on a Jordan Serrano walk and singles by Larry Hotaling III and Aiden Ruiz. Two runs then dashed home on wild pitches over the catcher’s head before a pair of strikeouts moved the Eagles within an out of escaping the inning relatively unscathed. However, the pitcher fell behind Travis Stroud II, who launched a 2-0 pitch over the wall in dead center for a three-run home run that vaulted the Bears to a 5-0 advantage. A Fieldston player could be heard yelling to his teammates, “This doesn’t change anything!” but even the call to arms had a note of desperation in it. The game was young, but the result had already been determined.

Parker needed just 10 pitches to retire the Eagles in order in the 2nd. In the Bears’ half, Mateo Lopez doubled and Serrano singled to open the inning. A Hotaling III single and Ruiz ground out plated two more runs. Seth Laureno then hammered a two-run double to right, Martinez knocked an RBI single, and Stroud II had a productive run-scoring ground out as the lead swelled to 11-0.

Parker continued his brilliant pitching performance. Only one batter reached second base all day. He carried a no-hitter into the 5th and was two outs away from the 13th no-no in team history before a looping single to right gave the Eagles their only hit. A ground out to Lopez officially ended a game that was over an hour before.

When the Bears beat Fieldston in 2022 and 2023, the final out touched off wild celebrations as the boys reached, then returned to previously uncharted territory for the program. Yesterday, the boys walked onto the field to shake hands as though they had just wrapped up a March scrimmage. They’d been prepared by an unparalleled coaching staff, tempered by a national schedule, and drilled on the fundamentals of the game. Getting to the State Championship was no longer a goal worthy of unbridled celebration, as impressive as it is–our school has only been to three other state title games. They had been there before, won, and expected to win again.

Now, they just have to finish the job and make a little history in the process.

Every single starter reached base, so there were heroes up and down the lineup, led by Stroud’s 4 RBIs and Laureano’s 2 hits and 2 RBIs. Parker threw a gem, allowing 0 runs, 1 hit, and 3 walks while striking out 8 in 5.0 innings.

The Bears move on to the NYSAIS State Championship for the third straight year where they will face #6 Columbia Prep tomorrow afternoon at 3:30pm at Purchase College.

---