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Ninth-inning rally secures district championship; Tribunes clinch trip to World Series
Ninth-inning rally secures district championship; Tribunes clinch trip to World Series
May 17, 2026

Ninth-inning rally secures district championship; Tribunes clinch trip to World Series

By PAUL GOTHAM

Box Score
VALHALLA, N.Y. — Aaron Reina (Rochester, N.Y./ Churchville-Chili) had four forgettable at-bats through the first eight innings of Sunday's National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II East District championship. 
 
His fifth trip to the plate, though, that was one for the personal highlight reel. 
 
Reina snapped a three-all tie with a two-run triple to left center that proved to be the game winner as Monroe Community College (37-8) took a 6-3 decision over Mercer County CC (N.J.) and clinched a spot in the NJCAA World Series. 
 
"I just wanted it so bad," the first-year shortstop said. "I got one in the air, and it found a gap. That's about as good as I can do it right there." 
 
Aidan Gallagher (Hopewell Junction, N.Y/John Jay East Fishkill) and Thomas Woodridge (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) scored on the play. 
 
Gallagher drew a leadoff walk and moved to third on an errant pickoff throw. Woodridge worked a base on balls of his own to put runners on the corners. 
 
One out later, Reina came to the plate. 
 
"I see Aiden, and I see Tom get on," he said. "I'm like, all right, this is it. I'm  gonna get a shot." 
 
Reina was retired on a comebacker in the first then popped up in the third. He ended the fifth on a ground ball and struck out in the eighth. 
 
In the ninth, he pulled a two-strike curveball on the outside third of the plate that beat Mercer left fielder Slade Harrill. 
 
"That's the game of baseball," Reina said. You know, some days you come to the baseball field, and you got it. Then other days, you don't. Yesterday I had a tough day, two errors in the field, no hits.
 
"You want to give it all you got for the guys on the team, and  that's what we did out here today." 
 
It was his fifth triple of the season for the 6-foot-3 shortstop but first since April 19th. 
 
"It just shows what contact can do," said MCC head coach Dave Brust noting that the pitch was located well and tough to hit. "Guys in that situation often try and do too much. He got the bat on the ball and it showed his athleticism the way the ball carried." 
 
Older brother, Braedon Reina (Rochester, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) followed with an RBI sacrifice fly for the 6-3 final margin of victory. 
 
"It feels great," the younger Reina said. "You don't get a group of guys like this every day. We have so much talent, and so many things going good. When you get a group of guys like this, you just want to do what you can." 
 
Cameron Bentley (Toronto, ON/Humberside) worked 2 and 1/3 innings of relief to pick up the win. The first-year left-hander surrendered the tying run in the eighth off a Mike Amrhein sacrifice fly. 
 
Bentley issued a two-out walk in the ninth before ending the game with his fifth strike out. 
 
"My boys had my back, so all I had to do is throw strikes," Bentley said referring to the three-run top of the ninth. "Us staying on the bats gave me confidence for sure." 
 
Jaden Sherwood (Batavia, N.Y./Notre Dame-Batavia) struck out three over 3 and 1/3 innings in relief with the only run that scored against him being unearned. He left with the lead. 
 
Cos Zeiser (Victor, N.Y,/ Victor HS) started and threw three innings. 
 
Mercer (35-15-1) entered action this weekend scoring better than 10 runs per game. The Tribunes' pitching staff held the Vikings to a total over four runs (two earned) over 15 innings. 
 
Kevin Stewart staked Mercer to a 1-0 lead in the first with a one-out RBI single. 
 
Monroe's Tyler Cannon (Webster, N.Y/Webster Schroeder) doubled and scored on a Miguel Matos (Rochester, N.Y./East High) base hit to knot the game at one in the second. 
 
Woodridge drove in Gallagher with a single in the fifth and eventually came home on a wild pitch for a 3-1 Tribunes' lead. 
 
Gallagher finished 2-for-4 at the plate with a walk. The sophomore centerfielder had seven hits over the three games of the tournament. 
 
Woodridge was 2-3 with a sacrifice bunt and a walk in Sunday's win. 
 
Michael Sardou (Rochester, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) was 2-5. The Tribunes' second baseman made a spectacular leaping catch on a line drive off the bat of Mercer's Jordan Raba. With bases loaded and the game tied at one in the second inning, Raba's blast was destined to score two runs for the Vikings. Sardou had nine RBI for the weekend. 
 
Cannon was 2-5. The first-year designated hitter had seven hits including four doubles during the tournament. 
 
Tanner Holmes (Allenford, ON/Owen Sound District) had a bunt single in the seventh. 
 
The World Series appearance will be the 11th in program history and fourth under Brust who has also taken teams in 2016, '18 and '19
 
Hall-of-fame head coach Dave Chamberlain guided the Tribunes to the World Series in 1976, '78, '80 and '89. 
 
Skip Bailey, also a member of the MCC Athletics and NJCAA halls of fame, led the Tribs to the 2007 series. 
 
Mike Kelly was at the helm in 2008 and 2009 when Monroe claimed the district championship. Kelly's 2008 team had the program's best showing with a third-place finish in the World Series. 
 
The NJCAA Division II World Series will played at David Allen Memorial Park in Enid, Oklahoma from May 23-30. Monroe's first opponent along with the date and time of the game are to be announced. 
 
Westchester Community College hosted this weekend's district championship.