Going into the bottom of the seventh inning with a five-run deficit against Pleasantville April 10, Rye High might have given up, but they rallied for four runs instead, coming within one base hit of winning the game. They lost 8-7.

By Melanie Cane

Going into the bottom of the seventh inning with a five-run deficit against Pleasantville April 10, Rye High might have given up, but they rallied for four runs instead, coming within one base hit of winning the game. They lost 8-7.

The Garnets scored their first two runs in the bottom of the first. Kiera Nemsick, the leadoff hitter, got on base with a single, beating out a grounder past the second baseman. She stole second and Megan Montalto moved her to third on a ground ball out to short. Emily Antinozzi hit an infield single and then stole second. Amanda Yannett walked and Lauren Dempsey hit a long single to centerfield, allowing two runners to score. 

Pleasantville scored on a solo home run in the top of the second and Rye answered in the bottom of the inning on Nemsick’s RBI to right field. 

The Garnets had a 3-1 lead going into the top of the third, but things broke down with Pleasantville rallying for six runs. Their runs came through a combination of walks, big hits, and rushed throws. Rye’s batters made good contact in the bottom of the third, but the Panthers’ fielders answered the call, denying them scoring opportunities. 

In the top of the fourth, Pleasantville tacked on another run on a solo home run. They threatened to score more, but Rye ended the inning with a beautiful double play.

The Garnets were unable to climb out of their 8-3 hole until the bottom of the last inning when they rallied for four runs. Nemsick led off with a bunt single. Montalto walked and Antinozzi singled to load the bases. Yannett singled home two runs to make it 8-5. Dempsey flew out to center for the first out. Ali Cardino singled home another run and Katherine Brown, who was pinch hitting, got an infield single to load the bases. Kaitlyn Pryor drove in a run with a ground out to make it 8-7. 

Sadly, the Garnets stranded the tying and winning runs on second and third. 

Coach Alex Tejera said, “It was a tough loss, but they did an awesome job of coming back and I was very proud of them.” 

Rye took their comeback mentality into the Nyack tournament the following day, winning both their games and bringing home the first first-place trophy. They beat Briarcliff in the first game 11-6 after being down 5-0. In the second game, the Garnets came back from an 8-0 hole to top Nyack 14-9. 

On April 14, the Garnets lost to the Huskies at Harrison, 9-5, and are now 2-3.