Smithtown Christian baseball falls to North Warren in state Class D semis
Isaiah Gibbs takes third base after hitting a triple in the first inning for Smithtown Christian against North Warren during the NYSPHSAA Class D baseball semifinals on Friday at SUNY Binghamton in Vestal, N.Y. Credit: /David Trotman-Wilkins
BINGHAMTON — It was an unforgettable experience for Smithtown Christian senior Isaiah Gibbs.
In the first inning of the Knights’ Class D baseball state semifinal against North Warren Central (Section II), Gibbs scorched a triple to the centerfield wall, driving in his freshman brother, Quincy.
The Knights ultimately fell, 5-2, to North Warren at SUNY Binghamton on Friday.
“It was an unreal experience, something I’m never gonna forget, even when I’m an adult,” Isaiah said. “To come up here, you got a luxury bus and a hotel. Just being with this group of guys was such a great thing.”
Following his triple, Gibbs scored on a wild pitch to give the Knights a 2-0 lead.
After taking a 3-2 lead in the second inning, North Warren turned to Owen Schaefer on the mound. The junior lefty consistently threw off-speed pitches and changed up the timing of his delivery to keep the Knights guessing. Schaefer retired all 11 batters he faced and struck out four batters in 3 2⁄3 innings of relief to earn the win. He threw just 37 pitches.
“He keeps you off balance,” Smithtown Christian coach Tony Passalacqua said. “If you can’t keep your weight back, you’re just gonna keep making soft contact and pulling the ball foul. We couldn’t correct it. We didn’t make the adjustments, but that’s baseball.”
North Warren (15-5) will face Section III’s Oriskany (18-1) in the final on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Mirabito Stadium.
Smithtown Christian (14-3) was the only Class D team on Long Island, forcing the Knights to play in a league with larger schools all season. They played their final regular season game on May 16 and didn’t play another competitive game until June 8, when they defeated Eldred (Section IX), 12-0, in five innings in the Southeast Regional Final.
“I’m proud of them because they battled all year,” Passalacqua said. “They had so many obstacles all year. You look at the record and you go, ‘It was easy.’ It really wasn’t.”
Quincy Gibbs went 1-for-2 with a walk and allowed one hit in two innings of relief, striking out three. Vaughn Beresford went 1-for-3.
“This program has a great future,” said Isaiah, one of four graduating seniors. “We still have Vaughn Beresford, who is a dog. My brother, Quincy, is a dog. We have Landon Jansson. We have a bunch of guys that are gonna step up in big moments.”
Matt Lindsay is a high school sports reporter who joined Newsday in 2022 after graduating from Stony Brook University.
