Dominating Pitching Guides Huskies To Victory

The Harrison Huskies led from start to finish and cruised to a 4-0 victory over the Rye Neck Panthers in a non-league softball matchup Friday at Harrison High School.

Using a few bunts and some mistakes by the Rye Neck defense, the Huskies jumped out to a 1-0 first inning lead and that would be enough for starting pitcher Ashley Marino, who struck out 13 in route to a complete game shutout. The Huskies ace gave up only one hit and didn't allow a ball to leave the infield until the final inning.

"I felt strong, I mean, I've been pitching ever since I was eight so it should come easy now," Ashley Marino said with a chuckle.

Despite being overmatched at the plate for most of the game, Rye Neck did manage to keep the game close. Pitcher Jesse Caluini settled down after yielding a run in the first inning, shutting out Harrison in the second and third innings.

"We don't play them a lot, we never see them, so you're never sure what you're going to get from the pitcher," said Harrison Head Coach Dean Marino. "I think she did a good job keeping them in the game."

But the bats woke up for Harrison in the fourth. Back-to-back doubles by Jenna Webb and Gigi LoDolce stretched the lead to 2-0. Then, in the fifth inning, second baseman Ally Brabant doubled to left center, stole third and then used her speed to score on ground ball to the pitcher.

In the sixth, Diana Minischi smacked an RBI double down the first base line to extend the lead to 4-0. The four runs were more than enough for Ashley Marino, who sat the Panthers down in order in the seventh to close out the game.

Although Harrison did put the ball in play throughout the game, they had to chip away to score runs, something that surprised coach Dean Marino.

"I thought we were going to score more, we left a few runners on base, but you can't not be happy," he said.

The game was a positive starting point for the Huskies, who will now look toward next week, when they will take on Pelham and league rival John Jay Cross River.

"With us, here in Harrison, I don't care what the score is or what we beat people by," said Dean Marino. "We played good, timely hitting, good pitching, good defense, that got us to the championship game last year, it's the clutch hitting that gets you to the finals."