John Jay has no mercy on Byram Hills

On Friday May 22, John Jay faced Byram Hills in round one of the sectionals, and starter Julia Gieras admitted to being a little nervous. The feeling didn't last, though. "That went away as soon as I hit the circle," said the freshman, and the visitors could definitely attest.

Gieras pitched three flawless innings and propelled her team to a 12-0 combined no hitter.

A ground ball back at her and two strikeouts didn't hurt her mood either. "I really enjoyed myself," the pitcher assured.

The bats, on the other hand, were a little slow to catch up. The Wolves went in order in the first and quickly put their young teammate back on the docket.

Top of the second, the only difference was a matter of altitude. Two more strikeouts went in the books and a fly ball recorded the third out.

Elise Templeton with the catch in center, the offense accepted the wake up call. Picking up first, Riley Foote walked, and one base proved good enough to set the table for Bella Barry.

The left fielder tripled in the first run, and Maria DeGaetano's grounder to second drove in run number two. A foul out by McKenna Foote appeared to contain the damage but the Bobcats were just beginning their short day. An infield hit by Gieras kept the inning alive, and after Laney Daly walked, Templeton singled in two more.

4-0 into the third, Gieras got even more comfortable. A walk aside, she struck out the side, and the abbreviated stint didn't bother her in the least. "I'm good for the next game," she said.

In the present remained Carys Cooper and she singled up the middle to lead off the bottom of the fourth. Unfortunately, Riley Foote’s ground ball to short caught Cooper’s pinch runner at third. No problem, Barry’s walk returned a runner to scoring position, and DeGaetano singled to right to add one more to the tally.

Into the circle DeGaetano entered and the story was the same. A ground out, a fly out and a strikeout moved the game to the bottom of the fourth, where Daly went small ball.

The senior’s bunt up the first base line ended up in right field, and the shortstop finally put on the brakes at third. An out later, Charlotte Bender would do the same. She launched a triple to center and scored on a wild pitch to bring the score to 7-0.

DeGaetano kept it there in the fifth, and five runs were definitely not out of reach. This especially with Barry putting in the work. “I’ve been in a slump and been practicing in the cages,” said Barry. “I felt really comfortable and was really seeing the ball.”

A sharp single to left started the inning and a missed cutoff put the game ball winner at second. DeGaetano then hit a carbon copy bloop to right, and McKenna Foote followed with a double.

Three runs to go, John Jay lost nothing by keeping the ball in the infield. On the ground, Clare Doherty, Daly, Natalie Sacco and Bender kept all the runners moving, and with runners on second and third, Riley Sacco followed suit with a grounder to short. “Charlotte did a great job distracting the fielders,” said Sacco.

The throw went back to second, and the mercy run scored. “It was really special getting a moment on the field like that,” said Sacco.

Of course, the games will inevitably get harder, and Barry feels the team is ready due a series of walk off losses. “It has helped us understand real competition and put us in the mindset of what softball is like in the postseason,” she concluded.