Emma Boffalo stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and the game tied, and what happened next sent Pine Bush to the state tournament.

With Clarkstown South having intentionally walked Avery Ogden to load the bases in the bottom of the sixth inning, Boffalo laced a single to center field. When the ball was misplayed on the outfield grass, all three runners scored, and Pine Bush turned a 3-3 deadlock into a 7-3 victory in the Class AAA state quarterfinals Thursday at Monroe-Woodbury High School.

“As a team, we just played so well,” Pine Bush coach Alyssa DeMaio said. “We knew where we wanted to be in the beginning of the game.”

The four-run sixth avenged a regional tournament loss for the Bushmen two seasons ago and sent the program back to Binghamton for the state semifinals.

Ava Boffalo gave Pine Bush its footing earlier with a three-run home run after Clarkstown South jumped out to an early lead. Ogden worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the sixth before the Bushmen finished the rally, with DeMaio attempting to hold up the final runner at the plate — only to watch her score standing up for an insurance run.

Ogden earned the complete-game win, striking out six over six innings.

“My team really helped me today,” said Ogden, who also drew the decisive intentional walk. “I believe in them

— I know that if we get down by a few, we’re going to be okay.”
Payton Croce contributed offensively with two doubles and added a strikeout-to-throwout double play defensively to help preserve the win.

Pine Bush (21-3) advances to face Massapequa (Section VIII) at 1 p.m. Thursday, June 12, at Greenlight Networks Grand Slam Field in Binghamton. Pine Bush enters the state tournament with a shiny 21-3 record because they were able to heavily dominate Section IX, rolling through an undefeated 13-0 league schedule The Chiefs advanced to the state semifinals on June 6th by winning the Long Island Regional championship game against Section XI powerhouse Sachem North.

The Bushmen are familiar with Grand Slam Field, having played in the Elite 2026 James “Ace” Morabito Memorial High School Invitational Tournament, facing a gauntlet of state powerhouses including Susquehanna Valley, Shenendehowa, and Edison Elmira Heights.