CROSS RIVER, N.Y. - After jumping out to a 3–0 lead in the first inning of the Section One semifinals, the Wolves found themselves in trouble in the bottom of the fifth at Somers. With runners on second and third and nobody out in a one-run game, Julia Gieras suddenly faced a high-pressure situation in the circle. The freshman couldn’t rely on past experience on such a big stage—but her battery mate saw something different.
“She carried herself great, like she’s been here before,” said Carys Cooper. Gieras worked out of the jam and helped preserve a 7–2 victory over the top seed.
The game began with far less drama. Elise Templeton chopped a grounder to third for what looked like the first out, but a high throw from Keira Griggs allowed the leadoff runner to reach second.
A ball in the dirt moved Templeton to third, and although Charlotte Bender struck out swinging, Somers appeared to be regrouping. Instead, the ball got past Brooke Olivier, allowing Templeton to score and Bender to reach first.
Emily Boyle tried to settle things down, but a strikeout of Cooper included a wild pitch, giving John Jay another runner in scoring position. Riley Foote followed with a single up the middle to make it 2–0, and an errant throw home allowed another runner to advance 60 feet away. Marie DeGaetano then grounded out to short to bring in the third run.
That brought Gieras to the forefront.
“Prior to the game, she was a little nervous,” said Cooper. “That’s expected.”
The starter responded with back-to-back ground balls. One was cleanly handled by Gieras herself; the other took a high hop and resulted in an infield single when McKenna Foote couldn’t complete the play at third. The runner advanced to second on a groundout and then to third on another.
With one out needed to escape the jam, Gieras got a pop-up to short, but it carried and dropped when Laney Daly was unable to make the catch.
Maggie Lawton secured the next out with a liner to right, and John Jay threatened again before Boyle regained control. Two strikeouts and a groundout sent Gieras back to work.
She responded again. A flyout to Templeton in center and two ground balls handled by Bender ended the inning, returning the ball to Boyle’s hands. A quick three-up, three-down frame followed, with two grounders and a strikeout continuing Somers’ momentum.
In the bottom half, Gieras worked through early pressure as a pair of leadoff hits created another threat. She struck out Gianna Peanamanda and Cole, and McKenna Foote handled another grounder at third to end the inning.
Boyle kept rolling as well, aided by a diving stop from Alyssa Pirraglia at second, retiring the side with two flyouts and a groundout.
Somers, however, refused to fade. Keira Griggs doubled deep into left, stole third, and Kaleigh Conti delivered a single up the middle to cut the deficit to 3–2.
Gieras responded again, striking out Olivier and getting Pirraglia on a comebacker to the circle.
Into the fifth, John Jay still had no answer for Boyle, who set down the side in order. But Somers created chaos again when Julia Peanamanda reached on a ball that got past a drawn-in Daly and stole second. Gianna Peanamanda then reached on an error at third.
With pressure mounting, Gieras induced a comebacker from Cole, holding the runner at third while recording the out at first. Fitts struck out swinging, and Pirraglia grounded out to second to end the threat.
Somers coach Theresa Swertfager summed up the approach simply: “She trains for this every day. I believe in her. I believe in the pitch I give her and that she’s going to give me that pitch.”
No time to relax, John Jay opened the sixth with immediate pressure. Cooper and Riley Foote singled, and DeGaetano moved the runners over with a groundout. McKenna Foote then delivered a clutch RBI grounder to make it 4–2.
Gieras responded with two strikeouts and a groundout to end the inning.
John Jay wasn’t finished. Templeton reached on an error and moved to second on an overthrow, but Bender delivered an RBI single to extend the lead.
Cooper followed with a single off Boyle, and DeGaetano’s slow roller forced an errant throw, allowing another run to score. McKenna Foote added a single up the middle to close out the scoring.
With three outs remaining, Swertfager kept things simple.
“We have a lot of depth, and if we need to go with someone else, we go with someone else,” she said. “It’s whoever is working and whoever is getting the outs.”
Gieras remained the answer. She struck out Pirraglia to open the final frame, then induced a sharp liner back to the circle. McKenna Foote made the final play, sealing the win.
“I felt it hit my glove,” Foote said. “I looked down, I saw it was in my glove. Amazing.”
She handled the final out, and Cooper summed up the moment: “I’m so proud of us.”
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