Rye baseball (18-3) isn’t slowing down anytime soon, riding a 15-game win streak and punching its ticket to the Section 1 Class A tournament semifinals.
After dominating Hendrick Hudson 15-1 in Monday’s opening round, Rye held off a Pearl River rally Wednesday, winning 6-5. As league champions for the third straight year, the No. 2 seed Garnets earned the right to play both games on their home turf. They’ll also host the double-elimination semifinals, starting at noon Saturday against No. 3 seed Nanuet (17-5). It’s Rye’s first time facing the Golden Knights this season.
Wednesday’s quarterfinal game was Rye’s closest matchup since a 2-1 win over Eastchester on May 12. While the Garnets held off Pearl River in the end, their four-run lead was trimmed to just one when the Golden Knights scored three in the sixth.
“We were fortunate to beat a very talented Pearl River team,” said Rye coach Mike Bruno. “Truly a team win all around.”
Pearl River took an early lead in the first inning, earning two runs after Luis Gomez singled. Rye quickly tied it up in the bottom of the first due to two walks by Pearl River’s Drew Raspanti.
The Garnets then took the lead in the bottom of the second, thanks to a double by senior first baseman Charlie Rupp. They added to the lead in the bottom of the third when junior centerfielder Lucas London singled and junior rightfielder Harry Ellis stole home.
London led the Garnets at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Overall, Rye had eight hits to Pearl River’s four.
Senior pitcher Jack Sheridan earned the win for Rye, giving up zero earned runs over two and two-thirds innings and walking none. Freshman Clayton McCarthy started on the mound, surrendering three hits and two runs over two and one-third innings.
London and Rupp also saw hill-time, pitching 0.2 and 1.1 innings, respectively. Rupp took the mound in the top of the sixth and gave up no hits, runs or walks with two strikeouts.
The duo was critical in Rye’s win, contributing both in the field and at the plate. Some key plays, according to Bruno, included London’s “spectacular catch against the fence” and Rupp “coming in to save the game for us.”
Now, Rye turns its attention to its toughest playoff opponent yet when Nanuet comes to Disbrow Park.
“Another tough team on Saturday versus Nanuet, so we just have to keep playing good ball,” Bruno said. “The team is focused and looking forward to the challenge.”
If the Garnets advance to the section championship, they’ll face either top-seeded Panas (18-4) or No. 13 seed Eastchester (11-10-1) at SUNY Purchase. Rye went 1-0 against Panas and 1-1 against Eastchester this season, although the win over Panas was an unofficial scrimmage.
