# Bulldogs Run Into Defending Champs, Historic Season Ends in Regional Final CANTON — For most of the spring, Heuvelton was the team nobody could solve. On Monday afternoon at St. Lawrence University, the Bulldogs finally met a team that looked a lot like themselves. Unfortunately for Heuvelton, that team happened to be the defending New York State champions. Oriskany showed exactly why it entered the Class D Regional Final undefeated and riding a 37-game winning streak, defeating the Bulldogs 14-4 to advance back to the Final Four. The victory improves the Skyhawks to 21-0 and extends their winning streak to 38 straight games. Heuvelton's remarkable season comes to a close at 20-1. If there was any consolation for Bulldog fans, it's this: There is absolutely no shame in losing to a team that appears determined to collect another state championship trophy. The game was originally scheduled for Sunday before Mother Nature decided she wanted one more say in the postseason. By Monday afternoon, however, the skies had cleared. Unfortunately for Heuvelton, Oriskany's bats had not. The Skyhawks grabbed a 1-0 lead in the opening inning and immediately looked comfortable. Heuvelton appeared ready to answer after a leadoff walk put pressure on Oriskany. Instead, the runner was picked off, and the momentum quickly shifted back to the defending champions. Then came the second inning. And the inning that may have decided everything. Oriskany's hitters looked like they had discovered the answer key to the final exam. Curveballs that had baffled opponents all season suddenly found barrels. Line drives began finding gaps. Ground balls found holes. Fly balls found grass. By the time the inning ended, five runs had crossed the plate and the Bulldogs found themselves staring at a 6-0 deficit. That's the frustrating thing about baseball. Sometimes you hit rockets right at people. Sometimes your opponent hits routine ground balls that somehow find daylight. Monday felt like one of those days. While Heuvelton repeatedly put the ball in play, it often seemed destined to find a defender's glove. Meanwhile, Oriskany kept finding every available blade of grass in St. Lawrence County. The Skyhawks eventually built an 8-0 lead behind junior ace Dean Koenig, who showed why he's one of the best pitchers remaining in Class D. The right-hander struck out nine hitters over six innings and rarely allowed the Bulldogs to build sustained momentum. To their credit, Heuvelton never folded. The Bulldogs finally broke through offensively and showed the fight that carried them to a Section X championship. They put together quality at-bats, scratched across runs, and briefly gave their fans something to cheer about. But every time the Bulldogs pushed forward, the Skyhawks pushed back harder. By the final inning, Oriskany had once again created separation and punched its ticket back to Binghamton. The scoreboard will remember a 14-4 final. The community should remember something much bigger. A 20-win season. A Section X championship. A regional appearance. A team that made an entire town believe every time it stepped onto the field. Only three unbeaten baseball teams remain in New York State. For six innings on Monday, Heuvelton stood across from one of them. And while the Bulldogs won't be making the trip to Binghamton, they leave behind a season that will be talked about in Heuvelton for years to come. The final score belonged to Oriskany. The spring belonged to the Bulldogs.