On May 2, the Huskies and Garnets squared off in a softball rivalry game at Harrison High School. And although the two teams traded zeros early in the contest, it was the home team that broke through first, riding timely hitting and a tremendous pitching performance from Tamara Day to a 5-0 win.
Through three innings, Day and Rye’s Shelby Gadaleta tossed scoreless frames, but with two outs in the fourth, Harrison’s Sam Scoli put the Huskies on the board with a mammoth two-run homer to left.
According to Harrison coach Dean Marino, the Scoli blast was yet another indication that the sophomore slugger is starting to round into form.
“She is learning how to play at the varsity level, she has great talent, great ability,” Marino said. “Her decision-making is getting better, and against a pitcher like that, who isn’t going to walk anyone, you have to wait for a pitch that you can drive.”
Harrison added three more runs in the fifth inning, as Lindsay McConway drove in two and Day helped her own cause with an RBI single.
It was all the run support she would need, as Day finished with a complete game shutout, notching 14 strikeouts in the win. With fellow hurler Sydney Braiotta on the shelf for the time being, the sophomore hurler has stepped up and turned in a handful of solid performances that have helped the Huskies win three of their last four contests.
“If [Day] pitches like she did last night, we don’t have to do a whole lot to win games,” Marino said. “She’s been on a roll lately, she’s gotten more consistent, and we know that the ball is going to be in her hands.”
The Garnets will look to bounce back from the loss with a game against Fox Lane on May 3, after press time, while the Huskies will look to continue their winning ways down the stretch, as they play seven games from now until the end of the regular season on May 15.
For Harrison, the key will be limiting errors and getting the bats hot as the playoffs approach.
“We always say it’s more important how you play at the end of the season than you do at the beginning,” Marino said. “In baseball or softball, you can win or lose any game, but if we work on what we can control, if we can keep the errors down and get four or five girls going at the plate, we are going to be very tough.”
