Baseball: Bonagura, Hoffman help Chapel Field win fourth straight Section 9 Class D title

SAUGERTIES - As the Chapel Field baseball players walked off the field, gold medals adorning their necks and a plaque in tow, they were met with several requests from an adoring crowd. There were the sentimental parents, who wanted them to pose for photos, excited schoolmates who wanted to take pictures with them.

And there were a few small children who wanted their autograph. When Logan Garvey began signing a baseball for Zach Grant, the 10-year-old’s face lit up with joy.

The Lions have attained community rockstar status, which might be one of the perks of building a small-school dynasty.

“We missed out on a lot of titles years ago,” senior Mikey Bonagura said, “so I guess now we’re making up for it.”

Chapel Field began the defense of its state championship with a 4-1 win over second-seeded Eldred on Saturday, holding onto the Section 9 Class D crown for a fourth season.

Softball, too: Chapel Field also tops Eldred for Section 9 softball title

Mikey Bonagura allowed five hits and an unearned run a complete game, and Ryan Hoffman hit a go-ahead RBI single in the fourth inning to lead the Lions, who have beaten Eldred in each of those finals.

Chapel Field (7-4) advances to face Section 11’s Bridgehampton in a regional final on Saturday, 3 p.m. at Middle Country Athletic Complex on Long Island. They defeated Bridgehampton, 2-0, last season en route to winning it all.

“It’s incredible because all year, we’ve tried to prepare for this moment,” said coach Mike Bonagura, who took over the program this season. “That’s a luxury of Class D, you go into the year already knowing what the matchup in the final will be, so you can start planning.”

Josh Warming doubled and later scored on an error, putting the Yellowjackets on the board in the first inning. An early deficit was “nerve-racking,” said Mikey Bonagura, who was the starting pitcher for the first time in a final. He assumed the role after superstar Leam Powell graduated.

“There are nerves,” he admitted, “but leaders have to stay positive. You trust your preparation and your teammates.”

Along with a changeup and looping curveball, which kept Eldred off-balance and induced soft contact.

“What a gift for a parent,” Mike Bonagura said of winning a championship with his son. “I’m grateful for this experience.”

Warming, whom the Lions described as “heck of a pitcher,” allowed five hits and one earned run and struck out nine for Eldred.

Garvey led off the fourth with a double and eventually scored the tying run on a wild pitch. Jonah McDuffie walked, advanced to third on an errant pickoff attempt, and came home on Hoffman’s hit for the 2-1 lead. Hoffman and Aaron Falkena later scored on an error to create the margin.

“We’ve been lucky to have some good athletes, and we’ve had guys putting in the work,” Mikey Bonagura said of the run of excellence the school has had in baseball and basketball. “We’ve also got some talented young kids coming up.”

Perhaps, even, some of those autograph-seekers.

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

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Baseball: Bonagura leads Chapel Field over Eldred in Section 9 final