Nanuet Rallies Late to Beat Pearl River Softball

This article was written by Adam Littman

In their first 12 innings facing Pearl River starting pitcher Mandy McCarthy this season, the Nanuet Knights softball team scored no runs, but they turned that around in the final two innings of Tuesday’s game at Nanuet. 

McCarthy was shutting out Nanuet again until the Knights scored one in the sixth and four in the seventh for a come-from-behind, 5-4 win against the Pirates. 

“I’ve been here six years and this is the first time we’ve beat them,” said Nanuet Head Coach Tony Toronto. “I’m shaking.”

McCarthy was cruising much of the game for the Pirates (11-5-1). In the bottom of the first, Nanuet’s Laura Marinello reached on a bunt single and McCarthy then retired the next 11 batters until Rebecca Richards singled with two outs in the bottom of the fourth. 

The Knights (10-6) offense didn’t really get going until the sixth, though. With one out, Marinello reached on an error and advanced to second on a single up the middle by Janine Mackey. Both runners moved up on a passed ball and Marinello scored on an RBI groundout by Danielle DiModugno. 

Nanuet started quickly in the bottom of the seventh while trailing 4-1. Alana Prosapio led off with a single up the middle, Christina Maher walked on four pitches and Carley Davin blooped a single to shallow left field between the left fielder and shortstop to load the bases with none out. 

Jamie Iseman battled, fouling off three pitches with two strikes before hitting a slow roller about midway between home plate and the pitcher’s mound. McCarthy fielded the ball and threw home at roughly the same time Prosapio slid in safely, but threw it a bit toward the first base side of home. The ball got away from catcher Deirdre O'Malley, which allowed Maher to score and the runners to advance to second and third. 

“That one blooper on our part opened the floodgates,” said Pearl River Head Coach Carisa Gaylardo. “We didn’t attack the ball well on that play or on the blooper to left earlier in that inning, and it changed the whole momentum of the game.”

Toronto then called sophomore Alana Vezza off the bench to pinch hit. 

“I felt she was due,” he said. “She’s been struggling a bit lately, but she’s been making good contact. We’ve seen her at practice hit it back to the fences, and we needed a deep fly ball, so I called her up.”

Vezza didn’t hit a sac fly, but instead fouled off five two-strike pitches and worked a walk to re-load the bases. 

McCarthy bounced back by striking out Marinello. The next batter, Mackey, rocketed a line drive that looked like it was heading up the middle, but McCarthy reached up, knocked down the ball and threw home for the force out. With the bases loaded and two out, DiModugno singled up the middle to tie the game, but a good throw home by Pearl River center fielder Jules Madigan caused Toronto to hold the runner at third, keeping the bases loaded. 

A pitch got away from McCarthy on the next at-bat and hit Richards to give Nanuet the walk-off win. 

Toronto also praised his defense and starting pitcher Rebecca Ferro, who gave up four runs over the first two innings and shut down Pearl River in the final five innings of the game. 

Sam Alicandri led off the game for the Pirates with a single and came around to score on a double by Erin Woods. An error drove in Woods and Katherine Gilbride came around to score on a sacrifice by O’Malley. 

In the second, Alexa Candelario scored on a single by Woods to give the Pirates their fourth run. 

“We left eight runners on base,” Gaylardo said. “You can’t do that. We have to practice timely hitting. We’re going to have out pitchers throw live to our batters and practice hitting in different situations.”