After a pair of epic come-from-behind victories in the first two rounds of sectionals, the Cooperstown baseball team finally ran out of steam in an 18-3 loss to Utica-Notre Dame in the Section Three Class C-1 final at VanDuyne Field in Syracuse Monday.

Cooperstown head coach Frank Miosek said his team was mentally and physically drained after their 9-8, eight inning victory over Hannibal Sunday, a contest that had a little bit of everything.

Cooperstown, led by a solid pitching performance from sophomore Brian Dibble, held a 5-4 lead heading to the top of the seventh inning-that's when things got strange.

After two singles to start the inning, Greg Lott relieved Dibble and gave up a bunt single on the first pitch to load the bases with no outs.

Another single made it 5-5, and Hannibal still had the bases loaded with no outs. But the next batter struck out, then Hannibal attempted a suicide squeeze, but the batter missed the sign and the runner breaking home was tagged out. Lott got another strike out to end the inning.

Ryan Hill led off the bottom of the seventh inning with his third double of the game, but was stranded at third base. In the top of the eighth inning, Hannibal struck for three runs, but lost a chance to extend their lead even further when rightfielder Kyle Willsey threw a Hannibal runner out at the plate.

A discouraged Cooperstown team came to bat in the bottom of the eighth, but quickly mounted a rally when Jim Knodel led off with a single and Brett Wilhelm walked. Willsey hit a grounder to shortstop, but the throw to third got by the third baseman, allowing Knodel to score. Luke Sittler singled to load the bases, and Ryan Hill followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 8-7.

Nate Smith then hit a long double to the gap in left-center field, scoring Willsey and Sittler with the tying and winning runs, and kicking off a wild celebration.

The victory was even sweeter for Cooperstown since Hannibal not only knocked the Redskins out of last year's sectional tournament in baseball, but they beat both the Cooperstown boys and girls basketball teams in sectionals last March as well.

"From an athletic standpoint, it was nice to get some revenge on them," Miosek, who also coaches the girls basketball team, said. "I just told them when they came in for the bottom of the eighth that there was no reason to be down and we just needed to get some men on base."

As impressive as Sunday's win was, Cooperstown came from even further behind to defeat Lowville in the first round Thursday at Doubleday Field.

Cooperstown trailed 5-1 heading to the bottom of the sixth inning, when Brad Hill singled home Ryan Hill and Nate Smith, who had doubled, to make it 5-3. Lowville scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning, but Ryan Hill threw a runner out at home to end the inning and fire up his team.

"That play really seemed to give us some momentum," Miosek said.

Wilhelm led of the seventh inning with an infield single, and after a strikeout, Sittler singled hard to center. Ryan Hill then doubled off the left field wall, scoring two runs and making it 7-4, and Smith singled up the middle to make it 7-6.

After Jake Saracino grounded out, Brad Hill legged out an infield single putting runners on first and third. Hill then stole second, putting runners on second and third for senior Vernon Kline. After swinging and missing at two pitches, Kline, a lefty, singled to left-center to score Smith and Hill and give Cooperstown an 8-7 victory.

"That's something that Vernon will hopefully remember for the rest of his life," Miosek said. "I know I will and his teammates will."

On Monday, Lott, pitching for the third time in five days, took the pitching loss, while Ryan Hill banged out three more hits and Smith and Saracino two hits each.

"This is not the most talented team I've ever had, but they've got a lot of heart," Miosek said.