The Chapel Field baseball team might be heading into the upcoming Section 9 Class D with a bit of a chip on their shoulder with the outcome of their regular season finale.

The Lions squandered a six-run lead, saw it become a one-run deficit, and tied the game in the seventh inning before a walk off hit by Donovan Mooney chased home Matthew Drillings with the winning run in a 9-8 victory on May 16 at Chester Academy.

“I think our guys played with some serious intent,” Chapel Field coach Shawn Powell said. “We hit the baseball, and we played really good baseball. We did try to do a little too much. We got ourselves into a couple of situations with some walks and a couple of mishaps here and there. They just have to grow and learn to stay within themselves.”

However, early on, it was the Lions who were able to take advantage of the Hambletonians’ missteps.

After the teams traded runs in the first inning, the Lions benefited from some wildness by Chester starting pitcher Xavier Espaillat. He walked Wi and then hit Drew Hollow and Jonah McDuffie to load the bases. Bryce Hollo broke the tie with a single to left field and Leam Powell hit a sacrifice fly. Then with the bases loaded again, Espaillat hit Logan Garvey with a pitch to give the Lions a 4-1 lead.

Chapel Field added three more in the third inning. After Espaillat hit another batter and walked another, Chester coach Mike Doucette went to ace George Lawson. After a sacrifice bunt by Drew Hollo, Lawson struck out McDuffie. Then with two out, Bryce Hollo delivered a two-run double to center field and Powell followed with an RBI single to right field.

“Our guys were patient, and he was having a hard time locating,” Powell said. “Our guys stayed intent on hitting and we did have a couple of key base hits to keep ourselves rolling, and I’m happy we had to face one of their best pitchers.”

That was Lawson, who after the third inning shut the Lions down, giving the Hambletonians an opportunity to catch up. Lawson allowed only two runs in six innings of relief and gave up six hits. He struck out nine.

“I’ve known George since Little League and Fall Harvest,” Powell said. “I know we got beat by one of their best pitchers. We didn’t get beat by their No. 5.”

Chester started their long march back in the third inning. Powell walked Andre Jenkins, who then took second on a wild pitch. He then came home when Drillings reached on an error by Chapel Field second baseman Drew Hollo, and then scored on Hollo’s second error of the play. Mooney then singled home Drillings, cutting Chapel Field’s lead to 7-3.

The Hambletonians pulled to within a run in the fourth when – with the bases loaded – Mooney dumped a blooper into short center field that scored three runs. They tied the game in the fifth on Lawson’s sacrifice fly off Bryce Hollow.

“Leam was preoccupied with trying to do a little too much as a pitcher, instead of concentrating on the guy at the plate,” coach Powell said. “Leam has good stuff. It was working for him, and he’s got support. I think he got himself out of a groove al little bit.”

The Hambletonians took their first lead of the game when Mooney singled home a run in the sixth.

Drew Hollo scored when Leam Powell reached on an error to tie the game.

Bryce Hollo took the loss on the mound, but was a major contributor at the plate, reaching base five times with four hits, including a double, and drove in three runs, and scored twice.

“Bryce has really grown into that leadoff batter that I’ve asked him to be,” coach Powell said. “He’s incredibly patient. He’s put in a tremendous amount of work in the offseason to be a better pitcher, and he’s getting some good looks and found things that worked.”

It’s been a successful season for the Lions as they seek to return to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association championship game. They’ve run an 8-3 record, only losing to Class B Highland, Class A New Paltz and now the Class B Hambletonians.

They’ve won the rest of their documented games by an average of about 12 runs.

They do, however, have a long wait before the top-seeded play their Section 9 Class D championship game on Saturday at Lorenz Field in Saugerties against the winner of Wednesday’s game No. 3 Eldred and No. 2 Webutuck.

“These guys do not like to lose, and they learn from their mistakes, and they keep fighting,” coach Powell said. “We’re going to, in the next week-and-a-half, get some good, hard practices in, and get a scrimmage game in and get a little more experience and just get better.”