Breaking down IAC South Large School baseball champion Elmira Notre Dame
A look at Interscholastic Athletic Conference South Large School Division baseball champion Elmira Notre Dame as the Crusaders get set to play for the overall IAC crown.
Title matchup at a glance
Notre Dame will face Lansing in the Large School championship game at approximately 5:30 p.m. May 10 at Wells College in Aurora, with the Small School final preceding it. Lansing beat Trumansburg, 4-3, on Friday to secure the North Large School title.
The Bobcats were Class B state runner-up in New York last season.
Key victory
The IAC South Large School title came down to Friday's showdown between Notre Dame and Edison. The Crusaders secured the win and the division by scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning for a 4-3 victory.
Jahmeire Keyser drove in Alex Daugherty with the winning run with a two-out single. That came after Daugherty's RBI double tied the score with one out.
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Spotlight player
Luke Richards, a junior, was a first-team IAC all-star last season for the Crusaders and has been a stalwart on the mound this season.
He didn't give up an earned run over the first 22 2/3 innings this season. Notre Dame won two of three against Edison last week and Richards was the winning pitcher in both. He went six innings in a 14-8 victory April 29 and struck out 12 in pitching a seven-hitter in Friday's deciding 4-3 victory.
Other Crusaders to watch
Daugherty came to Notre Dame mid-year and has basically been co-ace of the pitching staff along with Richards. Daugherty has also been a key component of the Crusaders' offensive success at the top of the order.
Keyser, the Crusaders' shortstop, is another big bat. Senior Logan Meisner provides experience at catcher to go with his offensive prowess. Jhamez Boyd has been a standout at the plate.
Defining moment in program history
The Crusaders won the 1997 Class C state title with a 9-2 victory over Carle Place. Doug Evans went 3-for-4 with a homer, double and five RBIs that day.
About the coach
This is the third season as END head coach for Brad Bellinger, a former Elmira Southside pitching standout who played collegiately at St. John's and College of St. Rose. Bellinger guided the Crusaders to a division title and the Section 4 Class C final two years ago, where they fell by a 7-4 score to Lansing.
Follow Andrew Legare on Twitter: @SGAndrewLegare. You can also reach him at alegare@gannett.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today
This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: IAC South Large School baseball champ Elmira Notre Dame at a glance
