Baseball: Marlboro erupts offensively, topping Wallkill and Spackenkill to win MHAL title

Mentally, Dan Conrad said of himself and his teammates, they still were charged up and riding an emotional high. But, physically, they were exhausted.

“It was unusual,” Marlboro baseball coach John Morrissey said, “there wasn’t a peep out of them on the bus ride back. But it was perfect, because I knew it was because they had left all their energy on the field.”

That they did, after playing a doubleheader Saturday that included a high-scoring marathon contest that felt almost like three games in one. And when it was over, the Iron Dukes emerged tired but triumphant, having pulled off two eye-opening upsets.

Freshman call-up Liam Correa allowed an unearned run in four innings and Mitch Neer drove in two, including the go-ahead run in the third inning as Marlboro went on to beat rival Spackenkill, 6-1, capturing its first Mid Hudson Athletic League title since 2019.

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“This feels amazing,” said Conrad, who pitched three scoreless innings of relief in the final. “My whole career, we’ve been trying to beat these teams for something meaningful. It’s a huge jump in confidence for us going to the playoffs, and we really enjoyed this.”

Spackenkill had knocked off the Dukes in a Section 9 final en route to their state championship two years ago, so a victory over that team in any title game, for them, meant more than a plaque.

And, to get there, Marlboro had its highest-scoring game in recent memory, running up a 24-14 win over powerhouse Wallkill in the MHAL semifinal earlier at the Cantine Veterans Memorial Complex in Saugerties.

“I don't know if we've ever scored that many runs before,” said Morrissey, whose offense didn't score more than six in any inning but was relentless. “To give up 14 and still win a game by the 10-run rule is unbelievable and probably shouldn’t happen. But, we’ll take it.”

Wallkill is the defending Section 9 Class A champion and had opened this season with 13 straight wins, including a victory over Marlboro in April. So, as unpleasant as it might've been to surrender that many runs, it still was fulfilling for them to rebound as resoundingly against an opponent that talented.

“It was the highest scoring game I've ever been a part of,” said Conrad, a senior. “It felt like the game wouldn’t end, but it was fun seeing everyone produce like that.”

Owen Schlagler had four hits and a walk, scored six runs and drove in four to help Tyson Fernandez get the win against the Panthers. Correa pitched the final 1⅔ innings in relief to end that game.

Tommy Benfer combined for six RBI and John Ryder totaled five in the two games for the Dukes (12-5). Cooper Vogel and Justin Piscopo each drove in two, and Matt Ciarimboli had four hits and an RBI.

“The most encouraging thing is that it was such a collective effort,” Morrissey said. “We had so many guys contributing, which is what we’ll need going into sectionals.”

Spackenkill star Dan Collins allowed four runs and struck out seven in 3⅔ innings against Marlboro. Neer’s two-run single gave the Dukes a 2-1 lead in the third and they added two runs each in the fourth and fifth innings. That, while Correa effectively contained an explosive offense.

“It was great to have a freshman come up, get put into a situation with some pressure and come through the way he did,” the coach said of Correa. “He kept the bats quiet.”

Martin McQuade, Dylan Boenig and Jacob Brandenburg each drove in three for the Spartans in a 14-3 win over Pine Plains in their MHAL semifinal Saturday morning. McQuade also struck out five and allowed one earned run in three innings to get the win for Spackenkill (14-3).

The regular season concludes Thursday and these teams will advance to their respective sectional playoff tournaments, each of them expected to contend for a championship. Marlboro, seeking its first title since reaching the Class B regional final in 2019, will compete this year in the Class A bracket.

Wallkill still is among the favorites in Class AA. Spackenkill is after a third consecutive Class B section crown and Pine Plains, which fell short in the Class C final last season, hopes to clear that hurdle for the first time since 2019.

“Winning these games was great, but it was really important for us to get this turned around,” said Conrad, whose team had lost three straight leading up to the MHAL tournament. “We’ve got some momentum from this, and I think we’re gonna carry it forward.”

After getting some rest first.

Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Baseball: Marlboro tops Wallkill, Spackenkill to capture MHAL title