With four wins in their first five games this year, the Harrison Huskies know a thing or two about fast starts. On April 17, the Huskies struck first against visiting Pelham, putting the Pelicans in an early hole, and riding that lead to a comfortable 5-1 victory. But with big games against rival schools on the horizon, Harrison is hoping that it doesn’t cool off any time soon.
The Huskies collected two runs in the bottom of the first inning on Monday, setting the tone for an afternoon that saw the Huskies earn their second victory of the year over their league foes. The win put Harrison at 4-0-1 on the season.
“It was huge; our goal is always to get ahead early, because that will put our pitchers at ease and help them to settle in,” Huskies’ head coach Marco DiRuocco said. “And it helps the fielders too; we want the pitchers and the fielders to be relaxed, but focused.”
Harrison starter Mike Hendler seemed to be buoyed by the early support, and turned in a complete game, two-strikeout performance, only allowing one unearned run on the afternoon. Hendler also shined at the plate, going 3-for-3 and scoring three of Harrison’s five runs.
According to DiRuocco, Hendler—along with his twin brother Matt—have both been revelations for the Huskies this year, especially with their composure on the mound. In five games this season, the Hendler-led Harrison staff has held opponents to just two runs.
“I’m not really surprised, I could see both brothers, Mike and Matt, kind of taking form last year,” DiRuocco said. “They had plenty of varsity experience coming into the year, and I could tell that they were both going to be extremely effective.”
That presence on the mound has been especially important, he added, because the Huskies still have room to improve offensively.
“We’ve been struggling a bit with our situational hitting,” the head coach said. “But our pitching and defense have really been solid.”
The Huskies will look to stay hot against rival Rye, which they will see in a two-game set starting on April 20, after press time. On Saturday, the Huskies will host the Garnets for the annual Andrew Gurgitano Memorial Game, which is played in memory of the Harrison pitcher who died in 2014. This year, the game will be held at 4 p.m. at Silver Lake Park.
“It’s just something we can do to celebrate this great young man’s life,” DiRuocco said. “So having that game is important to the program, the school and the community.”
