On Friday, June 30, the Harrison girls 10u softball team capped off a memorable tournament run, beating Eastchester 10-4 at Volunteer Field in Thornwood to claim the Little League District 20 championship. For a group of girls that has been together for a few years, head coach Gerry Salvo explained, the title win wasn’t unexpected, but it was special nonetheless.
Last season, Harrison’s 10u team bowed out of the double elimination tournament with two straight losses, but this year, Salvo said, the team had experience on its side.
“We were very young last year, there weren’t great numbers among the older girls,” he said. “So coming in this year, we knew that we had a good chance because we had a lot of younger players that got that playing time last year, and we knew from the spring season that we had good pitching.”
Leading the Harrison staff was Katelyn Cabral, who pitched in all four of Harrison’s tournament wins this year. Behind Cabral, the squad had a number of capable arms that helped the Huskies go 4-1 over the course of the tourney outscoring their opponents by a combined 56-20.
Among Harrison’s victories was a 14-4 win over White Plains in the tourney opener, a 17-0 second-round drubbing of Eastchester and a 12-7 win over Larchmont/Mamaroneck. The team’s lone loss came against Eastchester on June 29, but Harrison was able to right the ship and win the title the very next day.
“After that loss I told the girls that we were the better team by far and that we had to come out [on June 30] loose and having fun,” Salvo said. “And we came out ready to play.”
Watching his squad hoist the District 20 banner was a huge treat, Salvo said.
“It was great because I’ve known most of these girls since kindergarten, and even if they hadn’t played on my particular team, I knew them from soccer, lacrosse or basketball,” he said. “Harrison is a small community; it’s a great community.”
With the win, Harrison’s summer season continued as they advanced to Section 3 play to take on titlists from other districts around the state. In their first round game, Harrison fell to Division 19 champ Montgomery, losing the ballgame 11-1. Harrison won its next game, beating New Rochelle 6-1 on July 11.
