With their backs against the wall, the Garnets rallied to go back-to-back.
Down to its final out, the Rye baseball team came through in the clutch, just as it did so often throughout the season. This time, it was senior Jackson Pineault who delivered with a championship-winning double that gave the Garnets a 5-2 victory over Mahopac on Sunday and a second straight Section 1 crown.
For the second night in a row, Rye entered the final inning with just one hit. After the first two batters struck out in the seventh, the Garnets were on the verge of elimination. But then, the team proceeded to load the bases, and senior Lucas London was hit by a pitch, tying the score at 2-2.
After two strikes and two foul balls, Pineault lined a double to centerfield, scoring London, and fellow seniors Nolan Hutson and Jamie Morris.
Sophomore Clayton McCarthy pitched well, allowing two runs in five-plus innings before being relieved by London, who got the final five outs for the win.
“The kids played great. Amazing job to come back,” said Rye coach Mike Bruno. “There’s really nothing more you can say than that.”
The Garnets (19-6) advance to the Class AA state quarterfinals, where they’ll face undefeated Section 9 champion Cornwall (23-0) at 1 p.m. Saturday in Saugerties.
To earn their return trip to state, the Garnets had to bounce back quickly from a 12-0 loss to Mahopac on Saturday. The game was called after five innings at 12:30 a.m. The teams met once again Sunday at North Rockland in a winner-take-all section championship.
“Sometimes, the pressure can get to you, but just having that group of eight seniors who are dedicated and committed from November, there’s no better group than that,” Bruno said. “Especially when we lost Saturday night, I knew that group would be ready to come to play on Sunday.”
The Wolf Pac struck first again Sunday, with a second-inning run. But this time, Rye responded, tying the score at 1-1 in the third on a double by Morris. Then the Garnets’ next hit didn’t come until the final inning.
Trailing 2-1, with just one out remaining, senior Michael Talbott reached first base on an error by Mahopac’s second baseman. The Wolf Pac unraveled from there. Hutson walked, Morris was intentionally walked, and then London was hit by a pitch, setting up Pineault for the biggest hit of the season.
Next up is Cornwall, the same opponent the football team beat during its state title run last fall. If the Garnets win Saturday, they’ll advance to Mirabito Stadium in Binghamton for the Class AA state semifinals June 12-13 against an opponent from Long Island, either Section 11 champion Hauppauge or Section 8 champion Kennedy.
