Rye’s baseball team was down to its final out, trailing by a run in the bottom of the seventh, when senior catcher Jackson Pineault hit a two-run, walk-off home run to give the Garnets a 5-4 win Monday against Clarkstown North.
Senior Jamie Morris reached base on an error by the Rams’ first baseman, then Pineault ended the game on a deep drive to right field, extending the Garnets’ win streak to eight games.
Rye (8-2) got the scoring started early, when senior leadoff hitter Nolan Hutson tripled to centerfield in the first inning. Morris, the No. 2 batter, drove him in with a double to make it 1-0.
Clarkstown North (5-5-1) evened the score in the third, then took a 2-1 lead in the fifth. Hutson again provided a spark with a leadoff double, and junior Luke Ontaneda tied the game on a ground-ball single into right field.
After the Rams took a 4-2 lead in the sixth, junior Ben Fineberg doubled for Rye, then advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on a sac fly by junior Michael Bubeck, cutting the deficit to one run.
In the bottom of the seventh, Rye had a pop out and a strikeout, with Morris getting on base in between. Before facing Pineault, the Rams’ pitcher attempted to end the game with a pick off at first, but Morris got back to first base safely. Pineault sent the first pitch he saw over the fence, and the Garnet bench rushed the field in celebration.
Senior Lucas London earned the win, pitching two scoreless innings in relief of sophomore Clayton McCarthy, who had three strikeouts and two earned runs in five innings.
The two teams meet again at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, this time at Clarkstown North.
Video by Archibald Martin
