As this year’s baseball playoffs have shown, no high seed is safe from an early exit. It is a message that the Harrison Huskies have apparently taken to heart. Throughout the first two rounds this week, the No. 10 seed in Class A has eliminated No. 6 Eastchester and No. 2 Hendrick Hudson to earn a spot in the semifinals.
“The way we look at it is that our seed is just a number,” Harrison coach Marco DiRuocco said. “We didn’t put pressure on ourselves coming in, we just felt that we had to play our game, and go with our game plan, which is really all about executing on pitching and defense.”
On Tuesday, that reliance on pitching and defense was evident as the Huskies, backed by ace Mike Hendler, scored a 2-1 upset win over the Sailors.
Hendler allowed two hits in the first inning—leading to the Sailors’ only run of the game—and then clamped down, allowing just one more for the rest of the game.
“[Hendler] is a bulldog, he doesn’t allow himself to get rattled,” DiRuocco said. “After that first inning, he was lights out.”
Will Marriott and Mike Arlotta both had RBIs to put the Huskies on top for good.
According to DiRuocco, Harrison’s penchant for playing close games during the regular season has paid huge dividends.
“We had about five one-run losses during the regular season, and while those stung, you get the benefit of the experience of playing in a tight game,” he said. “And I think we’re mentally tougher because of that and we learned how to battle and play from behind.”
In those games, he added, it’s important to force the other team to make mistakes.
“It’s all about just putting the ball in play,” he said. “Especially in the playoffs, you have to make them earn every single out.”
The Huskies will have a quick turnaround as they get ready for a semifinal showdown with No. 14 Nyack on May 24, after press time. Like the Huskies, the Indians have also been something of a Cinderella team, winning an outbracket game before dropping No. 3 seed Rye in the first round and beating top-seeded Beacon 7-4 in the quarterfinals.
“I just told the guys, ‘Don’t change a thing,’” DiRuocco said. “We just have to make sure we play within ourselves and do the little things that will help us win.”
