Rye’s softball team wasn’t content just making the playoffs. After the Garnets secured their spot in the postseason, they continued winning games to make a late jump up the standings.
Rye beat Clarkstown North 7-6 Saturday for a fourth win in the final five games. The team’s 5-3 record in May is a vast improvement after a 2-9 start, catapulting the team from outside the playoff bubble to the No. 13 seed and safely in.
Junior Penelope Gilmore went 3-for-3 with two runs scored against Clarkstown North, the team directly ahead of Rye in the standings. Sophomore Sophiah Collins and eighth-grader Gigi Gilmore both had multi-hit games as well.
The Garnets scored all their runs in the first four innings, taking a 3-2 lead after the first, then adding one run in the second and third. A Penelope Gilmore double and a Collins single drove in fourth-inning runs, giving Rye a 7-3 lead.
Clarkstown North scored three runs in the sixth to make it a one-score game.
Gigi Gilmore, who pitched the first five-plus innings to earn the win, was relieved by her sister for the final four outs.
Rye’s playoff opponent and start time for next week’s playoff opener will be revealed Monday, with the first game likely Thursday or Friday.
