Burke throws complete-game gem as Monroe-Woodbury reaches state semifinals

Braeden Burke put Monroe-Woodbury on the verge of a state title appearance with the kind of performance postseason teams remember. The senior right-hander threw a complete game, struck out 12 and did not issue a walk as the Crusaders beat Mamaroneck 8-5 in a Class AAA state quarterfinal, a win that pushed Orange County’s hottest baseball story one step closer to Binghamton’s final stage.

The victory carried unusual weight because Monroe-Woodbury was not just chasing another playoff win. The Crusaders had won their first Section 9 baseball title in 36 years on May 31, then carried that momentum into the state tournament as one of the section’s top seeds. By the time Burke finished off Mamaroneck, Monroe-Woodbury had turned a long-awaited sectional breakthrough into a run that has reopened the program’s postseason history in a very public way. The win lifted the Crusaders to 20-3 and extended their winning streak to eight games.

Burke’s command was the separator. He scattered seven hits and allowed three earned runs, but never let Mamaroneck settle in by giving away free baserunners. Against an opponent that entered with a five-game road winning streak and a pitching staff that had been allowing only 2.5 runs per game, Monroe-Woodbury still produced enough offense to control the game. The Crusaders answered with balanced production: Joey Bauer went 2-for-2 with three RBIs, Evan Erickson scored three runs, and Liam Hayes added two hits, including a double, while scoring and driving in a run.

For Monroe-Woodbury, the quarterfinal win was larger than the box score. The program had not been in the state playoffs since 1990, and the combination of a rare sectional title, a top tournament seed and a decisive quarterfinal victory has made this team a local rallying point in Central Valley and across Orange County. Burke, identified earlier in the season as a Wagner commitment, delivered the kind of ace outing that gives a team confidence when the margin for error disappears.

Monroe-Woodbury was set to face Massapequa at 7 p.m. June 12 at Union-Endicott High School in Binghamton in the NYSPHSAA Class AAA state semifinals. The state semifinals and finals were scheduled for the greater Binghamton area June 12 and 13, with the Crusaders now carrying a season that has already become one of the program’s defining runs.