The wait,…
By Anthony Bosco
The St. Francis Prep Terriers had to endure two postponements and the threat of a third before finally locking horns with the Bishop Kearney Tigers for the Brooklyn/Queens Diocesan softball championship Tuesday evening at Queens College.
The wait, however was worth it. Under a sometimes threatening sky, sophomore pitcher Kristen McEvitt hurled a two-hitter, striking out five as the Terriers cruised to a 4-0 win.
McEvitt’s dominance was “typical,” according to head coach Ann Marie Rich.
“She’s got great control,” Rich said. “With the layoff and all I didn’t know what to expect when they got out there. But they’ve been working hard trying to keep sharp and on target.”
Prep set the tone in the first inning. After McEvitt, who gave up a lead-off walk, set down the Tigers in the first, Marissa Evangelista led off the bottom of the inning with a double over the outstretched glove of right-fielder Caitlin Morch.
Walks by Michele Gutierrez and McEvitt loaded the bases with two out, setting up Kristen Scanlon’s single past diving third baseman Tami Sorrentino to bring home Evangelista. Gutierrez was picked off at third to end the inning, but Prep had the lead.
“It was very important,” Rich said. “You know coming in what kind of a team they are. I wanted to get on them early and that’s what we did.”
The Terriers almost added to their lead in the third when Gutierrez and Marina Ysaac both smacked one-out singles, advancing to second and third on a wild pitch. But Kearney starter Jen Pampanio fanned Christina Aracena and McEvitt to end the inning.
The game remained a one-run affair until the bottom of the fifth, when Theresa O’Doherty drew a lead-off walk and Evangelista singled to center, prompting the removal of Pampanio for Anne Roccasalva, who walked Gutierrez to load the bases with nobody out.
A wild pitch brought home O’Doherty and, after Ysaac struck out, another wild pitch scored Evangelista. Aracena then singled to right-center to score Gutierrez, making the score 4-0.
McEvitt seemed to tire in the sixth, when she hit Jennifer Safi, gave up a single to Jenna Cangiano and walked Sorrentino to load the bases with two out. But the sophomore buckled down and induced Kathleen O’Neill to pop out on a 3-1 pitch.
As the game headed into the bottom of the sixth, rain began to fall and thunder could be heard in the distance. The Terriers quickly went in order and, in the top of the seventh, Kearney went 1-2-3 to end the game and give St. Francis its championship at long last.
“With the weather these past couple of days we didn’t know what was going to happen,” Rich said. “We had no clue.”
The rain, however, stayed away just long enough.
Prep raised its mark to 17-2 overall and 13-0 in league play. The victory propels the team into a showdown with Moore Catholic Thursday for the state championship at Queens College at 5 p.m.
Reach Sports Editor Anthony Bosco by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 130.
