Leading off today: Senior catcher Kody O’Connor hit a three-run, walk-off home run to lift Mexico past Massena, 5-3 in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association baseball Class A tournament's first round at Alliance Bank Stadium in Syracuse.

   It was O’Connor's 34th career homer, seventh this season and third in two games.

   “Around Mexico, he’s like the stuff that legends are built on,” Mexico coach Brian DeLola told The Post-Standard. “The kids in elementary schools all talk about Kody. A lot of them were here tonight. This just adds to his legacy as one of the great Tigers of all time.”

   Evan Oustrich opened the bottom of the seventh with a single and stole second. Conrad Dolbear got on board with a one-out error to bring O’Connor to the plate with men on the corners. O’Connor blasted a 1-0 pitch over the left-field wall.

   The Tigers return to Alliance Bank Stadium today to play Section 2 champ Mohonasen at 7 p.m.

   Columbia dominates: Columbia scored four first-inning runs, belted out eight hits in the first 1 1/3 innings and breezed past Cicero-North Syracuse in a Class AA regional, 9-1. Pitcher Ian Gaule delivered three hits and three RBI, and DH Nolan Gaige added three more hits and two RBI.

   Gaule didn’t allowed an earned run in six innings, struck out seven and allowed seven hits.

   Keio marches on: Defending state Class C champion Keio Academy edged Webutuck, 3-2, to advance to the quaretrfinals against Oyster Bay.

   Keio ace Kenta Miyoshi was brought in in the sixth inning to shut down a two-on, none-out threat. Two grounders, a strikeout and a perfect seventh wrapped up the win.

   M-E goes extra innings: Nate Reynolds hit a leadoff triple in the top of the eighth inning and scored on a wild pitch to lift Maine-Endwell past Cornwall in Class A, 7-6.

   M-E rallied from a 6-2 hole through three innings and tied the game in the seventh when Reynolds scored on Mitch Tallon's safety squeeze.

   More baseball: Saratoga Catholic took advantage of seven Potsdam errors and Christian Garcia didn't allow a hit over the final three innings (striking out six) to overwhelm Potsdam, 9-3.

   Saratoga Catholic moves on to face Beekmantown today at Queensbury at 4 p.m. in the state quarterfinals.

   Clarence overcame a 2-0 deficit to rout Penfield in the Class AA quarterfinals in Jamestown, 14-3. Clarence wore down the Patriots with seven extra-base hits.

   Massapequa earned its fourth straight berth in the semifinals by downing North Babylon in Class AA, 8-3. Vinny Caesar broke a 1-1 tie with a two-run single in the fifth inning, stole second and scored on one of Mike Mauri's three base hits.

   Eleventh-hour reprieve: Long Beach scored twice in the top of 11th, but Brentwood pulled out a 3-2 win in the Class AA softball quarterfinals as catcher Lauren Buscemi singled to left to score Kristen Flint.

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   Nicole Flint, coming off a perfect game, allowed two runs, six hits and four walks in 11 innings.

   Brentwood nhad loaded the bases on an error and a walk in the 10th inning but failed to score.

   North Rockland solid: North Rockland rode the arm of junior Krystn Benson to a 7-0 softball victory vs. Horseheads to make its first regional final since 1984.

   Benson pitched a two-hitter with 15 strikeouts and did not allow a hit until Shannon Good led off the fifth inning with a triple.

   Senior Heather Hansen drove in four runs in the first two innings.

   Just a thought: How on earth are we letting teams advance directly from sectional play to a berth in the NYSPHSAA quarterfinals at the same time that other schools in the class are having to go through play-ins to reach the quarterfinals?

   Exhibit A would be the boys Class D baseball tournament, where Schenectady Christian and Indian Lake/Long Lake held a play-in game to determine who would face Cifton-Fine in the quarterfinals. On the same side of the bracket, Livingston Manor advanced directly to the state semifinals.

   Exhibit B would be Class D softball, where S.S. Seward got the free ride to Cortland while Germantown had to play Crowne Point in a prequarterfinal for the right to play Heuvelton.

   Lacrosse on tap today: I'll be blogging from today's Western Region boys lacrosse games at St. John Fisher College -- no need to do anything fancy given the fact that Time-Warner Cable is showing the games to its Rochester and Buffalo audiences -- beginning at 3:30 p.m.:

Class C. 3:30: Penn Yan vs. Silver Creek.

Class A. 5:30: Webster Thomas vs. Orchard Park.

Class C. 8 o'clock: Canandaigua vs. Frontier.

   Keith McShea of The Buffalo News says he'll also be blogging from the games.

   Gatorade award winner announced: Patchogue-Medford pitcher and shortstop Marcus Stroman has been named this season's Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year for New York.

   Stroham learned of the honor while in Washington, where he was a guest of the Nationals and attending a pre-draft workout for the team in Woodbridge, Va.

   He'll play for Duke in the fall unless he is selected high enough in today's Major League Baseball draft to command some serious coin.

   The national player of the year is Matt Hobgood, a senior pitcher and first baseman for Norco (Calif.) High School. Past national players of the year include Justin Upton, Zack Greinke, Alex Rodriguez and Gary Sheffield.