In its first league game of the season Wednesday, the Rye softball team fell to rival Harrison 14-2.
The Garnets were chasing from the start, going down 2-0 in the bottom of the first. Harrison’s Alexia Cozzali scored after tagging up, and another run scored on an infield error.
Rye got back within one run in the top of the third inning when sophomore Caroline Joyce drove in Jill DeSanto to make it 2-1. Senior Ava Cross doubled to score junior Charlotte Dinger for Rye’s other run in the fourth inning, but Harrison’s offense was too much to overcome.
The Huskies scored seven runs in the bottom of the third and another five in the fourth to put the game away.
“Tough loss against a good team,” said Rye coach Alex Tejera. “We made a few too many mistakes and they took advantage of them.”
Rye put up six hits in total, compared to Harrison’s nine. Cross went 2-for-2, with other Rye hits coming from Joyce, Dinger, Clara Meszkat, and Reese McGill.
Joyce took the loss for Rye, allowing nine runs (five earned) on six hits, four walks, and one strikeout over three innings. The Garnets had five errors over the five innings played, serving as a key factor to Harrison’s dominant offensive performance.
“We need to be a little more consistent with our fielding,” said Tejera of improvements he’d like to see as the season progresses. “And continue to play hard.”
Rye lost 12-0 Thursday at Nanuet, the team’s last game before heading to Orlando next week for four scrimmages at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports complex. The Garnets (0-4) are scheduled to face Byram Hills on April 14 and 15, and Dobbs Ferry on April 16 and 17.
