In a back-and-forth game between two of the top teams in Section 1 Class AA, Rye beat Mahopac 6-5 on Saturday.
The evenly matched opponents both scored once in the fourth inning and four runs in the fifth. The difference was a solo home run by Jamie Morris in the first inning.
The Garnet first baseman was one of eight seniors honored for Senior Day before the first pitch. Not long after, he drove another pitch over the center field wall for a 1-0 lead.
“Most of our seniors have been in the program for a while, and most of them have been on the team since sophomore year,” said Rye coach Mike Bruno.
Junior Luke Ontaneda drove in senior Lucas London to give Rye a 2-1 lead in the fourth. Mahopac (9-4) surged ahead, 5-2, in the fifth, but Rye (11-5) reclaimed the lead for good in the bottom of the inning.
“The boys are resilient,” Bruno said. “We got some really big hits. Luke Ontaneda had a big RBI single to give us the lead. We had some really, really good at-bats.”
The first eight Garnet batters reached base in the fifth, beginning with back-to-back singles by seniors Michael Talbott and Nolan Hutson. Senior Jackson Pineault and junior Ben Fineberg also singled in consecutive at-bats, then senior Harry Ellis was hit by a pitch. Ontaneda drove in the winning run with a line drive to center field.
Senior Michael Bubeck picked up the win, pitching five-plus innings with three strikeouts and just one earned run. London got the last four outs to finish off Rye’s third straight victory.
It was the Garnets’ fourth comeback win of the year, and their first to come by one run since a 5-4 walkoff against Clarkstown North on April 20.
Three regular-season games remain for the Garnets: Tuesday against Eastchester (7-6), then a two-game series Thursday and Saturday against Harrison (4-12).
“We’ve just got to keep grinding out games,” Bruno said, “and hopefully, by the end of the year, we’re on the right side of the standings.”
