BINGHAMTON — Sixteen seniors lead an experienced Babylon baseball team.

But with Babylon on the brink of elimination Friday, two sophomores saved the day in a 5-4 comeback win over Section II’s Mechanicville in the state Class B semifinals at Mirabito Stadium.

Sophomore second baseman John Stricoff’s RBI single with one out in the top of the seventh inning gave Babylon, which clawed back from a 4-0 first-inning deficit, what proved to be the winning run.

Babylon trailed 4-2 with runners on first and third and none out in the bottom of the third inning when sophomore righthander Jake Ostertag relieved starter Gavin McDonnell. Ostertag escaped and pitched five shutout innings for the win, allowing one hit and one walk and striking out five.

“It’s never say die,” Babylon coach Michael Birnbaum said. “We’re a senior-heavy team, and we talk about just extending the season. Everybody stepped up. The kid who got the big hit is a sophomore. He’s a defensive guy. He comes in and does the job.

“You never know what hero’s coming out.”

Brett Coffey (2-for-4) led off the seventh with a single, advanced to second on a wild pitch and reached third on a groundout before Stricoff drove him in.

“I’m just looking for a pitch to hit,” said Stricoff, who entered the game in the bottom of the third. “He threw me one, and I hit it. I try not to think much. I just hit the ball.”

Ostertag tossed a perfect seventh to cap a gutsy, season-saving outing.

“I found out early they were really late on my fastball, so I just kept throwing it,” Ostertag said. “And then after that, they were sitting on it. So I tried to tunnel the slider, and it worked perfectly.”

The last out came on AJ Messercola’s long fly to leftfielder Michael Bender, who tracked backward and reached to make an acrobatic catch. The Panthers stormed to leftfield to celebrate.

“I moved in thinking that we had the last out and everything, and the kid just sailed one,” Bender said. “I honestly thought it was out off the bat. But you got to play like a senior, play to every last second. And I barely made that catch, but God got me.”

Babylon (21-3), which has won 14 straight, will face Putnam Valley (Section I) in the state final at 1 p.m. Saturday at Mirabito.

Messercola (3-for-4) and Jake Fedorowicz hit two-out, two-run singles in the first inning for Mechanicville (19-7).

“We know it all year, we can hit,” Birnbaum said. “That’s our strength. And when you’re down four runs and you know you can score double digits, it’s anybody’s game. Just chip away.”

Babylon scored two runs in the third without recording a hit. The Panthers scored their first run on an outfield error and Coffey’s RBI groundout produced the second.

Babylon tied it in the fourth on RBI singles by Aidan Kistner and Ostertag.

“A senior-heavy team, you have to have that senior mentality,” Bender said. “It’s our last ride. You got to really play to play. No other opportunities.”