Sean Asendorf had surgery to fix a broken bone in his arm in November, which caused him to miss most of the 2024 baseball season.

He only returned to the Wallkill Panthers’ lineup late in the season.

However, he picked an opportune time for his biggest hit of the season as Asendorf blasted a three-run double in the first inning, lifting the top-seeded Wallkill Panthers repeat as champions as they won the Section 9 Class AA championship with an 11-1 win over the No. 3 Valley Central Vikings in a game that ended after five innings due to the 10-run rule.

Asendorf also drew a bases-loaded walk in the Panthers’ six-run fifth inning.

“It’s amazing,” Asendorf said. “I’m just happy I’m playing with my boys again. Being out for so long after playing all last season was hard. But after finally being able to get back with them, I’m just happy I can help them win this game.”

Asendorf’s hit was only one of two bases-loaded triples the Panthers hit in the game. Immediately after Asendorf’s walk gave the Panthers a 6-1 lead, Jake Spindler blasted a three-run triple of his own to give the Panthers a 9-1 lead.

“Our offense has just been crushing the ball since the New Paltz game (on April 24),” Wallkill coach T.D. Mills said. “After that, it’s been lights out at the plate for our offense.”

Speaking of lights out, even on a day when star pitcher Kyle DeGroat was less than himself after battling a stomach bug for most of Saturday morning – even after he hit Valley Central’s Justin Freeman to start the game, and he came around to score in the first inning, DeGroat settled down the rest of the way.

He allowed base runners in every inning except the fifth, in which he finished with a flourish and struck out the side.

“Definitely my curveball was working,” DeGroat said. “My fastball velocity was down today. It didn’t feel like I had it that much. Location wasn’t my best. After the first two batters, I didn’t allow any runs the rest of the game, so I think I settled in well and I trusted the guys behind me like I always do.”

The Panthers got to Valley Central pitcher Jason Murphy for four runs in the fourth inning, and he gave up nine of the Panthers’ 11 runs. He finished with three strikeouts.
“Jason Murphy is a gamer,” Valley Central coach Matt Lennon said. “He is competitive beyond belief, and he expects perfection out of himself and everybody around him.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t our day today. It’s nothing to hang our hats on. We worked hard this season, and we deserved every right to be on this field today.”

The Panthers, who opened the tournament with an 8-0 win over No. 8 Warwick, then pounded the No. 5 Washingtonville Wizards, 19-2 in the semifinals. They will return to Cantine Field on Saturday to face Section 4 champion Horseheads.

“They’re a good team,” Mills said. “They’re going to be well-coached. The coaches are very good up there. They’re going to give us a ball game.”

The Vikings opened the tournament with a 7-5 win over No. 6 Goshen and then routed the second-seeded FDR Presidents, 15-4 in the semifinals.

“We’re going in the right direction,” Lennon said. “I think the future will show us exactly where this program is at and where it’s going to be. We expect to be here again.”