The Chapel Field Lions came into Saturday having won the last three Section 9 Class D baseball championships.

Leam Powell pitched them to all three championships, including last year’s New York State Public High School Athletic Association championship.

This time, it was Mikey Bonagura’s turn, and he was up for it, allowing a run on three hits in a complete-game effort as the top-seeded Lions defeated the No. 2 Eldred Yellow Jackets, 4-1, on Saturday to win their fourth straight Section 9 Class D championship at Lorenz Field in Saugerties.

“It feels amazing,” Bonagura said. “It’s hard to describe, but it’s amazing.”

The biggest difference between the past and current pitcher is that Powell was a strikeout pitcher. Bonagura only struck out three batters and needed to use his defense. The Lions made three errors but were able to minimize the damage.

Except for the first inning when Dalen Espie doubled and scored when Josh Warming reached on an error to give the Yellow Jackets a 1-0 lead before the Lions even came to bat.

“There’s nerves, but as leaders we have to stay positive and keep our team in it and stay aggressive at the plate,” Bonagura said. “And we did that.”

The Lions finally broke through in the fourth inning when Logan Garvey doubled to lead off the inning, took third on a wild pitch and scored on a passed ball to tie the game at 1-1.

Then, with one out, Ryan Hoffman drove home Jonah McDuffie with a single to left field. The Lions added two more runs on an error to take a 4-1 lead.

It was the only inning the Lions were able to get to Eldred’s Josh Warming, who allowed all four runs, two earned on four hits. He struck out 11.

“Josh is one heck of a pitcher,” Chapel Field coach Mike Bonagura said. “Congrats to him. What a career. WE went through his pitch count in the first game, and they were up 4-1 and we were fortunate to come back against their other pitchers. He had our number the first time. He owned us big time.”

Another bonus for player and coach is this is the first year Mike Bonagura has coached the team.

“This is the first time he’s been on the team, so it’s a great experience,” Mikey Bonagura said.

The elder Bonagura has coached various sports at Chapel Field over the course of 30 years.

“It’s a thrill,” coach Bonagura said. “What a gift that (Head of Schools) Bill Spanjer gave me in the winter when (Shawn) Powell stepped down to offer me this position. It’s a gift that I’m very grateful for.”

The Lions will return to the NYSPHSAA regional finals on Saturday when they travel to Long Island to face Section 11 champion Bridgehampton at the Middle County Athletic Complex.

“We haven’t been to Long Island in a while,” Mikey Bonagura said. “So, we’re going to Long Island. We’re going to play some baseball there. It’ll be fun.”