Softball: Pearl River set the tone early in first round win
PEARL RIVER — When you are a young team, you look to set the tone early.
In Thursday's Section 1 Class A first-round game, the fifth-seeded Pearl River Pirates did just that in their 9-0 win over No. 12 Brewster.
At Pearl River, starter and ace Kiera Luckie took control of the game right from the start and got the top of Brewster's lineup to go down swinging.
"I felt really confident knowing that my team had my back," Luckie said. "I'm really proud of the way everyone played. It feels good as a pitcher to know that the people behind you have your back. And if you let up a hit, it's not the end of the world because they'll get you out of it."
Then in the bottom of the first inning, Luckie led off the game with a single. That led to the Pirates getting the lead that they never relinquished.
Pearl River was to put up a four spot in the bottom of the first inning on RBI from Cat Arnold, Bella Caparrelli, Ella McHugh and Kayla Damon.
"Every win for us is a building block for the next game," Pirates coach Chris Woolgar said. "One of our many goals this season was to make the playoffs and get a home game, and win a playoff game. I think for a younger team, not sure what to expect, but our leaders ‒ our juniors and one senior, I thought set the tone early for us."
The Pirates got a welcomed edition back in their lineup with the return of senior third baseman Grace Scrima. In her return to the lineup, in her first two at-bats, she had a single and a two-run home run to dead center field.
"In the middle of the season we had this guest speaker named Jim Guerci, who's a sports psychologist," Scrima said. "He talked about 'you're the only one stopping yourself' and he taught us this thing if you touch your heart and say 'calm and confident', you know you'll get out of your head. It helps to get the evil person off of your shoulder. I did that at the plate. I was looking for singles (in that second AB) and the ball just carried."
Guerci was a former teacher at Pearl River who's now a sports psychologist and life coach.
The Pirates now look to take the calm confidence into the next round. They'll get to play another playoff game at Pearl River.
"There's nothing like playing a home game," Luckie said. "The energy is high. We're excited to have a home game. I'm excited to be on the mound."
What it means
Pearl River advances to the Section 1 Class A quarterfinals on Saturday. They will host No. 20 Mahopac. The time of the game is still to be determined. After winning their outbracket game, the Indians come in after upsetting fourth-seeded Hen Hud.
Player of the game
Kiera Luckie, Pearl River: Why not? The junior pitcher set the tone in the circle and took the win tossing a six-hitter with no walks and striking out 10. Offensively, she was 2 for 3 with a walk, a double and scored two runs.
By the numbers
Pearl River (14-5): Cat Arnold went 3 for 4 with two doubles and an RBI. Ella McHugh went 3 for 4 with an RBI. Heather Collins had a double and an RBI. Bella Caparrelli and Kayla Damon each had an RBI.
Brewster (12-9): Ava Medina went 2 for 3 with a double and a triple. Lola LaLuna and Issie Boissonnault both went 2 for 3 in the game.
They said it
"I didn't know what to expect coming into the season," Luckie said. "Knowing we had a lot of people graduate last year and a young team this year. I'm really proud of how we worked the whole season to get to this position and be able to have a win like this. I didn't know what seed we'd be or if we'd even qualify so to have a playoff win is really special."
Follow Debbie Schechter on Twitter at @LoHud_Debbie & @LoHudSoftball. Follow on Instagram @scrubsgeek1318 & @lohudsoftball.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Softball: Kiera Luckie and the bats set the tone in playoff win
