CROSS RIVER, N.Y. - Ten days ago, John Jay was one strike away from victory and ready to celebrate at Yorktown High School. Instead, the Wolves were walked off by a two-run homer and went home disappointed.
“It was obviously frustrating,” said Charlotte Bender, but the second baseman still had every reason to keep the faith.
“This team bounces back fast,” she said — and the last three opponents can attest to that.
Mahopac and Fox Lane fell first, and on Thursday, May 7, Croton-Harmon suffered the worst of it in a 12-0 blowout at AP Farms Field.
Maria DeGaetano set the tone immediately. After inducing a flyout to center, the starter overpowered the next two batters with strikeouts.
Then the Wolves’ offense stormed to life.
Elise Templeton walked, stole second and scored on Carys Cooper’s one-out infield hit to third.
John Jay was just getting started. Riley Foote was hit by a pitch, Bella Barry walked, and McKenna Foote kept the rally in the family with a two-run single. After DeGaetano reached on an error at shortstop, Clare Doherty capped the six-run first inning with a double.
DeGaetano never let up in the circle. Aside from an infield single, the junior retired the next three batters on two popups and a called third strike.
The Wolves kept rolling in the bottom of the second. Cooper reached on a hard ground ball up the middle, and pinch runner Kristin Zabrocki promptly stole second.
Foote followed with a line-drive single and aggressively rounded the bases. After Zabrocki was caught in a rundown between third and home, the ball was knocked loose, allowing the seventh run to score. In the ensuing chaos, Foote alertly raced home as well.
Suddenly, John Jay led 8-0, and Croton-Harmon found little relief when DeGaetano returned to the circle. Two more strikeouts and a popup set the stage for three additional John Jay runs in the third inning.
Needing one more run to invoke the mercy rule, the Wolves got it in the fifth when Laney Daley drove in the final run after being hit by a pitch. DeGaetano closed out the victory by striking out four of the final six batters.
With eight games remaining, Bender hopes the momentum continues.
“I hope to see more hits, great teamwork, a great dugout mentality and more winning,” she said.
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