An early deficit did little to dampen Harrison’s spirit on Monday, as the Huskies overcame a slow start to edge Tappan Zee 3-2 on a seventh-inning walk-off double by Anthony Engongoro. For host Harrison, the game was an important one for several reasons, not the least of which being it may give the Huskies a spark as they look ahead to the bulk of their in-league schedule.
Harrison found itself in a quick hole against the Dutchmen, as a few defensive miscues helped the visitors scratch out a 2-0 lead against the Engongoro, who got the start on the mound for the Huskies. But the right-hander locked after the first few innings as Harrison did not allow a run over the final five frames, something the senior chalks up to a never-surrender mentality.
“We’ve struggled to get runs this season, but I trust all my guys, they trust me, so it’s all about trust,” he said. “This is a brotherhood and every time we go out there, we know we’re going to do our best to win a game.”
They did just that, plating two runs in the sixth inning to tie the game—with Jared Summer driving in the team’s first run and later scoring on a single by Alexander Schwartz.
Engongoro would get the game-winner with two outs in the seventh to help the Huskies improve to 5-2 on the year.
“I wasn’t looking to do too much there, just get a pitch and hit it,” said Engongoro. “I feel like I can handle big moments and that was a big moment.”
Head coach Marco DiRuocco said that everything about Monday’s game—from the slow start to the wild finish—should be a learning experience for the Huskies.
“We were coming off a bad comeback loss to Pleasantville, we came out flat in the early part of the game and we didn’t have much energy,” he said. “But I think they see that baseball is a game of inches, a game of momentum, and when we started to get a little momentum, you saw that confidence level rise.”
The Huskies will have some stiff tests coming up, with a pair of games against league foe Pelham, which entered the week boasting a perfect 4-0 record.
“We know they’re a good team and we have to be ready for them,” said Engongoro. “So getting a win like this one was huge and we just have to build on it.”
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