Boffalo sisters power Pine Bush past Clarkstown South, into semifinals

Emma Boffalo and Ava Boffalo turned Pine Bush’s latest playoff test into a showcase for the family pair that has become the center of the Bushmen’s postseason surge. Emma delivered a three-run single and Ava followed with a three-run homer as Pine Bush beat Clarkstown South, 7-3, in the NYSPHSAA Class AAA quarterfinal Thursday at Monroe-Woodbury High School.

The win kept Pine Bush’s run alive in the state tournament and extended a season that has already reached 21-3. It also sent the Orange County program on to the semifinals at Greenlight Networks Grand Slam Park in Binghamton, where the official bracket listed Pine Bush against Massapequa at 1 p.m. Friday as the Class AAA championships opened June 12-13.

Pine Bush did not need just the sisters to finish the job. Payton Croce added two hits, and Avery Ogden earned the win in the circle as the Bushmen handled a regional quarterfinal on a familiar Hudson Valley stage before the bracket tightened to state-semifinal stakes. The result reflected the kind of balanced lineup and pitching depth that has carried Pine Bush through a demanding postseason.

The Boffalo sisters have given the team its most recognizable edge. Emma and Ava signed National Letters of Intent on Nov. 14, 2025, to attend and play soccer at Manhattan University, and they have also stood out for Pine Bush in multiple sports. On the softball field, their production has become the shorthand for a group that keeps finding ways to score in bunches when the games matter most.

That identity was reinforced again in Pine Bush’s Section 9 Class AAA championship run. The Bushmen won the section title May 29 by beating Newburgh Free Academy, 17-5, after erupting for 13 runs in the fifth inning. It was Pine Bush’s second Section 9 Class AAA championship in three seasons, and Emma Boffalo captured the meaning of that finish with a simple line after the title win: “It means the world to me.”

Now, with a semifinal at Binghamton in front of them, Pine Bush has moved beyond a strong county season and into the kind of state stage that can define a program. The Boffalo sisters have helped make that possible, and their production has become part of the team’s identity as the Bushmen chase one of the biggest softball moments in school history.