By BOB CHAVEZ
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — There was chatter that the Section V Class AAA final might be a bit of a mismatch. That maybe it won’t last longer than five innings. And maybe a bracket with just four teams is a weakened field.
But don’t tell that to the softball players from Rush-Henrietta or the Greece Storm. Because during Saturday’s Class AAA championship game at Monroe Community College, there was plenty of fun, tension and drama.
But once the winning run crossed the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning, it was Rush-Henrietta having all the fun because the tension and drama were finally put to rest.
It was eighth-grader Kyla Piedici’s single that brought home Katelyn Militello for the 7-6 victory, capping a two-run rally after Greece took a 6-5 lead in the top half of the inning.
“It felt amazing,” Piedici said of her game-winning single to left-center field. “I didn’t have a lot of confidence in myself, especially after missing that first bunt. But I took a deep breath and I put it behind me.”
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But how did it feel coming off your bat and did you know it was a hit?
“The pitch was right down the middle and then I saw the center fielder creeping in, so I knew it was good.”
While Piedici focused on making sure she got to first base safely, senior Militello also had focus. And it was singular.
“I’m getting home,” she said with a laugh. “I saw Janelle (Staples) dive for it and I just said I’m going as fast as I can. I didn’t want to play another inning.”
It was quite an ending to a game that made no such promises in the first inning. Greece, the No. 4 seed in a four-team bracket with a record of 8-14 coming into the game, went down in order to start the game. No. 2 Rush-Henrietta (14-8) opened with a single and three consecutive walks to take a 1-0 lead.
And even though R-H scored just one run, the contrast in confidence appeared to favor the Royal Comets. But Greece quickly changed that with a run in the top of the second when senior catcher Hannah Keane tripled, then scored on an error.
R-H added two more in the second on a series that included a bunt, a wild pitch, an error, a walk and two singles. So when Greece went down in order to end the third inning, the 3-1 lead for R-H was ripe for extending.
But the Royal Comets couldn’t make anything happen in the third, so the Storm did. Staples and Juliana Bates singled and Ashlyn Bebout and Keane doubled as part of a four-run inning to give Greece a 5-3 lead.
For each punch R-H seemed to land, Greece answered.
“That’s why we couldn’t stop,” R-H senior Elizabeth Gleghorn said. “We had to keep answering back.”
Militello figured the Royal Comets were in for a game like this.
“Greece is so scrappy,” she said. “They came together … I figured it would be a tough game.”
In the fourth, R-H scored twice when Audrey Gleghorn reached by error then stole second and Kadyn Hartel, the tournament MVP, singled. Gleghorn scored and Hartel came home on Liz Rinella’s single to make it a 5-5 game.
But again, Greece responded, albeit a bit delayed. The Storm loaded the bases in the fifth but that two-out threat ended with a strikeout. In the top of the seventh, No. 7 batter Maddie Ewanow reached on an infield single, advanced on a fielder’s choice then took third on a wild pitch. She scored on Janalyse Rivera’s single before the inning ended and the Storm was three outs from its first Section V title as a combined program.
All the Royal Comets needed for their second title in three seasons was one run to extend the game and two to win it. But remember what Militello said about not playing another inning?
R-H had the meat of its order coming to the plate, and it delivered. Liz Gleghorn ripped a first-pitch double to left field and scored with an impressive slide at home to avoid the tag on a Rinella single. But Rinella was retired on a fielder’s choice from Militello. That left Militello on base for Piedici and the game-winner.
“They played awesome and it’s all about them,” R-H coach Lynn Rotola said of her players.
Greece coach Allen Kubitz was trying to find a balance between the disappointment of losing and the pride of the Storm determination.
“Tough loss,” he said. “They’re resilient. We had a lot of ups and downs this year, but they really enjoy the game. I told the girls we belong here and I’m so proud of them.”
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