By Patrick McCormack
St. Francis Prep picked up right where it left off.
Rain forced the Terriers to play rival Archbishop Molloy on back-to-back days last week. Their rally in the first meeting between the teams fell short as the Stanners took the game, but SFP used it as a positive for the next time they squared off.
“When we left it off yesterday it was just a matter of we came back in the game,” SFP Coach Anne Marie Rich said, “We were finally hitting, the defense was coming together, so it was just a matter of tomorrow is a new day and let’s see what we can do.”
The Terriers did more than enough to even the score in the battle of the top softball teams in CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens. St. Francis Prep beat Molloy 9-0 on April 24 at Cunningham Park after Molloy took the first meeting a day earlier 8-7.
Prep exploded for four runs in the top of the second to jump out to an early 4-0 led in the second affair. The rally was started by a solo home run to center field by catcher and Rhode Island-commit Kelly Lucil off of the Stanners’ Columbia-bound windmiller Alexandra Yule. Taylor Russo chipped in a two-RBI single.
The Stanners (3-1) tried to respond to the Terriers’ big inning in the bottom of the frame. Molloy put runners on second and third with one out. SFP starter Katie Siano got Molloy center fielder Amanda Zeni to ground into a 5-3-2 double play to end the inning. The double play after the big top half of the inning from Prep took away Molloy’s momentum.
“She [Lucil] hit that home run, I feel like we all went down,” said Molloy catcher Victoria Brown, who went 2 for 3. “When we go behind it is hard for us to come back as a team. I don’t know why, it is just the way we are.”
St. Francis Prep (3-1) made it 6-0 in the top of the fifth inning on a two-run home run from Alyssa Seiss. The run support was more than enough for Siano, who was able to control the Molloy offense.
“It puts less pressure on me,” she said. “It just makes the game more fun.”
Siano allowed no runs, on seven hits, struck out four and didn’t walk a batter. Big performance like that are ones she often gives the Terriers.
“Katie’s performance was awesome,” Rich said. “She’s been very clutch. She’s very consistent. She’s smart. She did everything we expected her to do and more.”
The Terriers added two runs in the sixth and another in the seventh to add to their lead. They had three players with two RBIs and showed that even though they came up short the day before they were able to find their game and get the victory the next day.
“Yesterday was very upsetting, but we didn’t let it upset us,” Seiss said. “I am proud of our team”.
