When the Wallkill baseball team got on the bus to head to Saugerties for the Section 9 Class A championship game against Cornwall, the Panthers knew they were up against the same team they lost to in the 2022 finale.

Wallkill, however, had no intention of allowing the same story to play out twice.

The Panthers used a big sixth inning, along with a complete game shutout from Kyle DeGroat, in a 7-0 victory over the Dragons, securing the Class A title.

“Last time against the same team it ended in the ninth inning and it didn’t go our way,” DeGroat said. “We haven’t forgotten that since. That gave us drive in the offseason, every practice knowing you’ve got to be the best you can be to win the championship.”

Wallkill went into the fourth inning last Saturday deadlocked in a scoreless tie with the Dragons. After DeGroat walked to lead off the bottom half of the inning, he advanced to second on an error and to third after tagging up on a fly ball.

The junior Stony Brook baseball commit came in to score the Panther’s first run on a costly two-out error, off the bat of Chase Hermance.

DeGroat was able to hold the one run lead until the sixth, when Wallkill put up a six-spot on the scoreboard, blowing the game open.

Mason Franklin drove in the Panther’s second run with an RBI single. He was followed by a two-run double from Hermance. Chris Wager tacked on a sacrifice fly, providing Wallkill a 5-0 lead.

“Our offense has been doing that all year,” Wallkill coach T.D. Mills said of his team putting together big innings. “Honestly, it was surprising we only had one run up until that point.”

“It started with just a single to score a run, and we kept it going,” added Franklin, a freshman who remembers watching the championship game from the stands last season.

“It’s something you’ll never feel again,” Franklin said. “Last year I remember how badly I wanted to be out here. This year, being here and winning, it’s hard to describe.”

Spencer Freer capped off the bottom of the sixth with a two-run single, giving his team a 7-0 lead.

That left DeGroat with just three more outs before the Panthers could begin celebrating.

“I think my coaches wanted to see me finish it off just as much as I did,” DeGroat said. “We had Chase warming up, but they said, ‘you’ve got it.’ He was ready, but they wanted me to get it done. They believed in me and I love our coaches.”

After recording two quick outs, DeGroat made things interesting, as he struggled to find strikes. Cornwall had the bases loaded, as Mills headed to the mound for a visit.

“He ran out of gas,” Mills said of DeGroat. “I went out and talked to him. I’m glad he got the first two guys out because that gave us some leeway. We had our other guys ready to go, so I went out and told him he had one guy left. It was a really gutsy performance to finish that inning.”

After beginning the next hitter with a 3-0 count, DeGroat rebounded to secure a strikeout, the final out he needed for the Panthers to claim the Class A championship.

“It means a ton,” DeGroat said of the opportunity to finish the game. “Obviously you’ve got to believe in yourself, but when other people believe in you, you feel like anything’s possible.”

“Our defense was spectacular today,” he added. “We made tough play after tough play, and I couldn’t be more grateful to be on this team this year.”

“This is a blast, just being here,” Mills said. “Obviously you want to win, but I love being out there with these guys.”

Over his seven scoreless innings, DeGroat allowed five hits and six walks, while striking out six. Sean Asendorf and Wager each tallied two hits in the game.

During the top of the sixth inning, on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Cornwall, Wallkill second baseman Jake Spindler was involved in a collision while covering first. Although he recorded the out, Spindler had to be tended to by coaches and a trainer for a bloody nose.

Spindler was ultimately able to stay in, playing the remainder of the game.

“He was hurt in the beginning of the year too and has been playing his way back,” DeGroat said of Spindler. “He’s been playing through pain and he’s wanted to be here as badly as anyone. I threw the ball over there knowing he’d make the play – and he did. He got banged up, but he stayed in the game and that’s why I love him.”

It has been seven years since Wallkill’s previous Section 9 championship, which came in 2016. The program won its first ever title in 2014.

In 2014, current Wallkill assistant coach Jon Avila was a junior at Valley Central, who helped lead the Vikings to back-to-back Class AA championships.

“It’s surreal, man,” said Avila, recalling his time playing for championships at Cantine Field in 2014 and 2015. “This title was a special one because it brought back some great memories from back in the day, winning a few section titles on this same dirt with VC. I will never forget this group of boys and this Wallkill team.”

“These are the moments you live for,” he added. “Winning baseball is fun, man. I think these guys would have given (James) Karinchak a run for his money back in 2014 with the lineup we’re rolling with.”

Wallkill (20-2) advances to the state tournament for the second time in program history. The Panthers will be up against Section 4’s Horseheads (15-3) in a subregional game on Thursday, June 1. That game will be at Mirabito Stadium in Binghamton at 5 p.m.

Should Wallkill defeat Horseheads, they will face Section 1’s Walter Panas at Cantine Field on Saturday, June 3 in the regional championship.