Gowanda’s Blake Herman reacts during Friday’s New York State Public High school Athletic Association Class C baseball semifinal at Union-Endicott High School’s Pete Sylvester Park. P-J photo by Christian Storms

ENDICOTT — Gowanda was able to work out of multiple jams through the first four innings of Friday’s state semifinal against Deposit-Hancock.

Despite taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning, the Panthers ran into another situation in the bottom of the frame that would become their undoing.

Brody Matthews hit a two-run single and Lucas Barnes threw a three-hitter with five strikeouts as the Eagles beat Gowanda 2-1 in a New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class C semifinal at Union-Endicott High School’s Pete Sylvester Park.

“We never thought that this wasn’t going to be like this,” Gowanda head coach Tim Smith said of the one-run outcome, “we just hoped that maybe one of the bounces would go our way and it would go a little bit better for us.”

The win sends Section IV’s champion into today’s title game against Section II’s Saratoga Central Catholic, which beat Section IX’s Burke Catholic 5-2 in Friday’s first semifinal.

For the Panthers, their season ends in the state semifinals for the second time in school history as seven seniors played their final game in a Gowanda uniform.

“It’s a tough group. These kids battled. They’ve played and done everything we’ve asked Gowanda baseball players to do. It is tough to see a group like this go,” Smith said. ” … Now we have some work to do. I’m very confident in our underclassmen to give us a shot next year, but some guys are going to have to put some work in because results don’t just happen.”

The teams played scoreless baseball through four innings, but Deposit-Hancock seemed to have the better chances Friday.

In the first and second innings, the Eagles got a runner to second before Panthers senior Blake Herman struck out the final batter of each inning.

Herman himself hit a line drive off Barnes’ leg and was sacrificed to second by Kyan Austin to open the first inning, but was stranded.

In the third, Deposit-Hancock’s Tyler Persbacker walked to open the inning and Noah Bass followed with a single to right field that ended with runners on second and third. After a fly out to left field, Gowanda elected to intentionally walk Eagles No. 3 hitter Blake Fortunato. The strategy worked when what appeared to be a failed suicide squeeze ended with Persbacker tagged out between third and home. Then, with a 3-2 count on cleanup hitter Jacoby Mapes, Bass was picked off second base.

“It was nothing, nothing and it was pretty tight,” Smith said. ” … At no point did we give ourselves a really nice cushion. … We didn’t make them press, let’s put it that way.”

Herman pitched around a two-out walk in the fourth inning to set his team up to finally score a run in the top of the fifth. Jayden Fish walked to open the frame and Seth Geiger hit a one-out single to right field to put runners at first and third. Madden Lay then hit an RBI groundout to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.

It wouldn’t last long.

Connor Mills doubled down the left field line to open the bottom of the fifth inning as a steady rain began to fall. Persbacker moved Mills to third with a sacrifice bunt and Bass walked before Matthews dropped a fly ball in between a pair of Gowanda outfielders to give his team the lead.

After another intentional walk to Fortunato and a fly out, Barnes walked to load the bases with two outs, but Herman finished the inning with another strikeout.

“You put that run up and they answer right away … testament to them for answering there,” Smith said. “We have to shut down a little bit better defensively at that point. I know there were some fantastic efforts at some of those plays, but a bounce goes here and there and that’s the result.”

The Panthers’ Carter Capozzi singled with two outs in the top of the sixth inning and went to second on an error, but a strikeout ended that inning.

“I didn’t think we had great at-bats early, especially in the middle and bottom half of the order, but we adjusted,” Smith said. ” … (Barnes) had a nice breaking pitch that was pretty tight. … I thought we were going to get some barrels. … It just seemed like some of the fly balls floated a fraction of a second too long.”

In the top of the seventh, Fish flew out into foul territory down the right field line when Deposit-Hancock’s Tyler Reis made a diving catch. Drew Kota followed with a walk, but Fortunato started a double play to end the game.

“Hats off to them, they played a fantastic game,” Smith said. “It was pretty even with two excellent pitchers battling it out.”

NOTES: Herman tossed a five-hitter with eight strikeouts, but did walk seven. Fifty-nine of his 107 pitches were strikes. … Barnes threw 56 of his 97 pitches for strikes. He walked three. … Today’s championship game will start at 4 p.m. at Binghamton University.