ONEONTA-If you're going to end a hex, you might as well do it in dramatic fashion.

That's exactly what the Cherry Valley-Springfield baseball team did Monday evening, scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to defeat Edmeston, 9-7, and capture the 2006 Tri-Valley Championship.

The defending state champion and three-time defending T-V champion Panthers had defeated the Patriots in the last two T-V title games, and have been the bully of the league for the past few years.

"I have the ultimate respect for their program, and it's great to be able to get a win against them in a big game," said CV-S baseball coach Ed Dubben Tuesday. "It's taken 19 hears of coaching here at Cherry Valley for us to get this. I didn't sleep at all last night."

Edmeston's championship pedigree did not allow them to quit after falling behind 6-0 after two innings of play. CV-S junior Ben Halay's two-run triple was the big hit in a six-run second inning for the Patriots, who scored all six runs with two outs.

The Panthers, 16-3, chipped away with single runs in the third and fourth, and then scored three in the fifth and two in the sixth inning to take the lead, 7-6. The Patriots had runners on second and third with no outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, but Edmeston starting pitcher Ryan Laymon struck out the next two batters and retired the final batter on a pop-up to the infield.

Both teams failed to capitalize on good scoring opportunities throughout the game, but the Patriots finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth inning. With one out, leadoff man Jeremy Hoag reached on an infield single and Halay walked. Southpaw Matt Laymon relieved his older brother and walked Hyde Clarke to load the bases.

That set the stage for junior catcher Mathias Vanderwerker, whose nickname is "China" but should probably be "Clutch." Vanderwerker doubled down the third base line, his third hit of the game, scoring Hoag and Halay with what proved to be the winning run. Clarke later scored on a passed ball for an insurance run.

"Mathias had a career game," Dubben said of his catcher. "He only had one passed ball and he did a hell of a job behind the plate."

Junior Steve Herringshaw, who relieved starter Clarke in the sixth inning, struck out two of the four batters he faced in the seventh inning, including the final out of the game. Herringshaw then threw his glove in the air, and a wild celebration ensued, including a tearful Dubben.

"It's sweet, there's no doubt about it," Dubben said. "But now we have to get back to work."

The Patriots, 12-3, open Section Four Class D play today (Thursday) at home against Schenevus. CV-S is the fifth seed, and Schenevus is seeded 12th. If the Patriots win Thursday, they will likely travel to fourth seed Hunter-Tannersville on Saturday. Edmeston is the top seed.