Rye’s baseball team allowed just two hits and one run in its season-opener Friday at Tappan Zee. However, that was all the offense the Dutchmen needed to win a 1-0 pitcher’s duel.
Sophomore Clayton McCarthy pitched 4 2/3 innings, with three strikeouts and two walks, before being relieved by senior Harry Ellis, who got the last four outs. McCarthy, who had a stellar freshman year on the Garnets’ 2025 section championship team, allowed the game’s lone run in the bottom of the first inning Friday.
Senior catcher Jackson Pineault recorded Rye’s only hit, a single to centerfield in the second inning. Pineault and McCarthy each walked once, but they were the Garnets’ only baserunners against senior pitcher Kaleb Hetzel, who’s committed to play baseball at Division 1 Stony Brook University next year.
The low-scoring loss is a tough start to the season for Rye, which moved up from Class A to Class AA competition this year. Next up is a trip to Orlando for games Monday through Wednesday at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports.
The Garnets also struggled out of the gates in 2025, with a 4-3 record, before a magical run began at the annual spring training trip to Disney World. Rye started a 15-game win streak in Florida, then went on to capture the section title and reach the Class A state semifinals.
Rye’s goal now will be to replicate that success in 2026, starting Monday against Ketcham. The Storm will pose a tough test after winning the Section 1 Class AAA title last season.
