Cooperstown entered the game with a perfect 11-0 record, incluidng playoff victories over Cherry Valley on Thursday and the Cooperstown III 13-year old team on Monday at Doubleday Field.

The Cooperstown I team led for most of the game on Tuesday, opening up a 6-2 lead after three and a half innings of play.

But Bainbridge battled back with one run in the fourth, three in the fifth to tie it and five in the bottom of the sixth inning to open up an 11-6 lead heading to the top of the seventh.

Taylor Lierheimer hit a one out double, Nick Schifano singled and, after a strikeout, Nick Weir walked to load the bases. Leadoff man Chris Harmon hit a fly to right center that was dropped, allowing two runs to score, bringing the tying run to the plate. But the next batter grounded to second to end the game.

"I knew we needed to play a mistake-free game, and in the last two innings we didn't do that," Cooperstown I head coach Jim Knodel said. "We had a great season, and more importantly we had a lot of fun during the season, and that's what it's all about."

Cooperstown I defeated Cherry Valley, 4-1, in the quarterfinals to improve to a perfect 10-0 on the season.

Eddie Bauer picked up his fifth pitching win of the season, allowing just five hits and striking out eight in the complete game effort. Bauer also drove in David Pikarsky with the first run of the game, and hit a sacrifice fly in the third inning for the second run of the game.

After Bauer's sacrifice fly, Colin Weeks hit a two-run double, scoring Ian McGillivray and Rob Knodel for a 4-0 lead. With Cherry Valley threatening in the fifth inning, Knodel, Taylor Lierheimer and Jake Staffin combined on a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

Cherry Valley finally got on the scoreboard in the sixth inning, when Scott Dubben laced a run-scoring triple. Tyler Spofford pitched a complete game for Cherry Valley, allowing just six hits.

McGillivray and Weeks each had two hits.

Monday night at Doubleday Field featured the first ever match-up between two Cooperstown squads. The game was played just after the completion of this year's Hall of Fame exhibition game, and featured trophy presentations to both teams for winning their respective divisions.

Cooperstown Mayor Carol Waller was invited to throw out the first pitch, as several hundred relatives, friends and tourist were on hand to enjoy the game. There was even a live radio talk show being broadcast to Cleveland from the Doubleday press box, and their listeners were provided with periodic updates as play proceeded.

This semi-final match found the undefeated Cooperstown 15 year-old team playing the upstart 13 year-old squad. The younger team was representing the village at this level for the first time.

With the exception of one inning, the game proved to be very close, but the older boys picked up eight runs in the third stanza to take an 11-1 victory. Ian McGillivray earned the win.

for Cooperstown I, as he hurled a two hit game and allowed just the one run during the five innings of play. Wesley Carroll picked up the loss for Cooperstown III.

Offensively, the older lads used their size and experience to take advantage of multiple errors in the third inning to pick up the eight runs before finally being shut down. This gave them the advantage needed to make the younger boys play catch-up for the remainder of the game. Frank Petroskey and Brian Segit picked up the only hits for Cooperstown III, while older team was led by Taylor Lierheimer, Ian McGillivray, Eddie Bauer and Robbie Knodel.