Saturday was a long night for the Rye baseball team.
Starting more than three hours late due to extra-inning games before them, the first pitch for the Garnets came around 10:30 p.m. Once the game began, things went from bad to worse.
Mahopac scored seven runs in the first two innings of a 12-0 win over the top-seeded Garnets. All-state senior pitcher Nick Masciarelli struck out 15 batters, and Rye had just two base runners before the five-inning game ended at 12:30 a.m.
The good news is, Rye entered the game unbeaten in postseason play, which means it gets a second chance to win the double-elimination bracket. If the Garnets can bounce back against the No. 2 Wolf Pac at 7 p.m. Sunday, they’ll claim the Class AA section crown a year after winning the section’s Class A title. It will take a drastic turnaround, less than 24 hours after Rye recorded one hit.
As one-sided as Saturday’s outcome was, there’s still some reason to believe it was just an aberration. For starters, they won’t have to face Masciarelli again.
Rye entered the game on a nine-game win streak, and also beat Mahopac 6-5 in the regular-season meeting on May 2. The Garnets outscored their first three playoff opponents by a combined margin of 13-3, which is how they earned the right to a mulligan in the section championship. Now, they need to make the most of the opportunity, just as they have all season.
