John Jay Softball Wins First Round of Sectionals

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An 11-8 season record earned John Jay a 7th seed in the section one tournament, and a home game in the first round on Thursday May 16. Roosevelt making the trip north, the visitors put runners on the corners before barely getting off the bus. So Maria DeGataeno just stayed centered in the circle. “I had confidence that we could get out of it,” said the freshman. But I was all it actually took, and from there, the Wolves were well on their way.

DeGataeno struck out the side, and the rest was easy in a 13-0 victory.

Still, the bats eased into it in the first inning. Laney Daley singled to center with one out, Bella Barry got an infield hit, and Carys Cooper’s bloop to right field wasn’t handled. The bases loaded, Elise Templeton lifted one to right too, and another drop brought in the first run.

Run two came in without the benefit of a hit either. Julia Neumann’s grounder to third brought in Barry, and DeGataeno had a 2-0 lead to work with. Very much obliged, the starter went one, two three with a pop up, a ground out and a strikeout.

So the offensive returned the favor. Natalie Sacco walked, stole second and third and DeGataeno knocked her teammate in with a ground out to second. The bases cleared, Riley Foote reset the table all by herself. She tripled to center and Daly singled in the run.

A 4-0 lead, DeGataeno’s return to the circle didn’t have her there long. She got the first two batters on strikes, and Riley Foote gobbled up a grounder to second.

Nine in a row for DeGataeno, Ciara Gao was unable to match up again. This even though the Wolves clean up hitter was left a little off balance by the Shark starter. “With slower pitchers, I have trouble getting my hands out,” said Cooper.

So another bloop to right, the third baseman took the drop anyway, and she was soon coming around. Cooper stole second, went to third on a sacrifice fly and scored on Neumann’s ground out to short.

Five runs up, DeGataeno got into a little jam. Fortunately, Roosevelt didn’t put their best foot forward after a pair of singles had runners on the corners. With one out, the ball got past Templeton, and Lynn Castillo broke from third. She also hesitated and got hung up between third and home. No pause in reply, the John Jay catcher fired to third, and Cooper put on the tag.

The threat ended, the bats began to bang in the bottom of the fourth. After Maggie Lawton led off with an infield single, Daly rocked a triple to the fence, and in addressing the change up in speed, Cooper’s double was just business as usual. “I work to make adjustments with each at bat,” she said.

Now 9-0, DeGataeno put up two more scoreless innings, and John Jay had mercy on their minds in the bottom of the sixth. Four singles in a row made it 11-0, and Cooper’s game ending triple had Coach Steve DelMoro in awe. “She uses the whole field, she’s aggressive at the plate and is always looking to do damage,” said DelMoro.

On to second seeded Pearl River, DelMoro isn’t worried about the bracket. “If we play our game, we know we can play with anybody,” he concluded.

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