Lead Stories, Sports

Harrison avenges loss to Garnets

The last time Harrison and Rye met on the softball field, the Garnets scratched out a win against the perennial league power, silencing the Huskies’ bats to escape with a 4-0 win. On May 3, Harrison exacted revenge, striking early and often in a 9-0 rout.

Tamara Day authored an eight strikeout, three-hitter and Harrison’s bats were led by Lindsay McConway (3-4, 3 RBIs) and Sydney Mallen (2-2, 2 RBIs) as the Huskies avenged their early season loss to the rival Garnets.

Lila Mogavero collects the ball at third base on May 3. Harrison topped Rye 9-0.

“This is the team that I want to see come out every day,” Harrison coach Dean Marino said. “Good defense, good offense and good pitching; and we were only a couple of hits away from really breaking the game open.”

Consistency has been something of an issue for the 8-6 Huskies this year, according to Marino, as the team has had several impressive outings—such as the one against the Garnets—mixed in alongside some troubling losses. While the team has earned wins over good ballclubs like Rye, Lakeland and Somers, they have also suffered some defeats, like a 10-1 loss to Nanuet on May 2, that have left the coach scratching his head.

“Flat out, I told the girls that [Nanuet] was the worst game I’ve coached in my 30 years of coaching; Nanuet scored eight runs without hitting the ball out of the infield,” Marino told the Review. “But a game like this makes a coach feel good, and hopefully this game against Rye is what really kicks us into gear.”

As the playoffs loom, Marino is hoping to see a more sustained effort from his squad, both in the field and at the plate. “So much of it is the mental stuff,” he said. “The girls need to be mentally prepared every day, not just every other day.”

To that end, Marino is counting on some of his veteran players to set the tone for the remainder of the season. The squad has a number of tough league games left over their final six contests, including two matchups against Pelham and a tilt with Eastchester in the team’s season finale on May 11.

“I’d like to see the veterans lead the team and show the younger girls where they need to be,” the coach said. “These are the girls we have been counting on and we need to see them turn it on for these last few games.”