Rye softball’s late-season surge came to an end Friday in the opening round of the Section 1 Class AA playoffs.
The Garnets scored the first two runs of the game, and trailed by one in the fifth inning, before falling 17-7 at Yorktown.
That Rye got to the postseason at all was an accomplishment, with wins in four of the last five regular-season games. But the slow start to the season meant the 14th-seeded Garnets (7-14) had to open the playoffs against the section’s No. 3 seed.
The Huskers (15-6) won 14 games in a 17-game stretch before losing their final two regular-season games, then had a slow start against the Garnets on Friday. Junior Penelope Gilmore led the game off with a single, and five of Rye’s first six batters reached base.
Sophomore Sophiah Collins got to first on a dropped third strike, then junior Caroline Joyce singled to drive in Gilmore. With the bases loaded, junior Clara Meszkat drew a walk to make it 2-0.
Rye’s lead was short-lived, as Yorktown’s first four batters got on base from walks or errors. The Huskers scored four runs in the first, then added three in the second to make it 7-2.
The Garnets put together a two-out rally in the fifth, when Gilmore doubled, junior Reese McGill reached base on an error, and Collins singled, each driving in one run. Joyce grounded into a fielder’s choice, cutting the deficit to 7-6.
Despite finishing the game with 10 hits, Rye couldn’t keep pace with Yorktown’s bats. The Huskers scored seven runs in the fifth, plus three more in the sixth to win by double digits.
It should be noted none of the players mentioned above are seniors, which means Rye will return a talented core, including eighth-grader Gigi Gilmore, the starting pitcher for Friday’s playoff game. The Garnets will enter next season with playoff expectations once again.
