Fox Lane falls to Mahopac in rematch of title game

Fox Lane's Jackson Carroll applies a tag to a sliding Mahopac runner. JIM MACLEAN PHOTO

By JIM MACLEAN

It was a rematch between the two teams in the Section 1 Class AA baseball championship game last spring as Fox Lane hosted Mahopac on the diamond on April 9, and this time around it would not be a happy ending for the Foxes.

Last year Fox Lane defeated Mahopac to win the championship and the Foxes advanced all the way to the state championship game. However, there are a lot of new faces in the Fox Lane lineup with just one returning starter, while Mahopac returned a lot of veterans anxious for some revenge.

Mahopac got it with a dominant performance from pitcher Nick Masciarelli on the mound and at the plate, crushing the Foxes by a score of 13-0 in five innings. It was another example of what the Foxes have faced all season with a bullseye on their back as the defending champions. Everyone is fired up for a chance to beat the champs as the Foxes fell to 0-5 overall to start the season.

The good news is that Fox Lane has faced four of the top teams in Section 1 and it is early in the season with plenty of time to heat up for a strong finish into the playoffs. The bad news has been the results as the Foxes have struggled, on the mound and especially at the plate scoring just five runs overall in the five losses and only two runs in the last four games.

After a trip to Florida over spring break to get ready for the season, Fox Lane returned home and suffered a 6-1 loss on the road at Clarkstown North. Then the Foxes hosted Mahopac and were shut out 13-0. The next day on Friday, April 10, the Foxes hosted Clarkstown North and suffered another shutout loss by the score of 4-0. Fox Lane then faced Arlington on April 14, at Dutchess Stadium and suffered a 4-1 setback to the Admirals. The Foxes broke their scoreless streak with a run in the fourth inning, but Jackson Carroll recorded the only hit of the game for Fox Lane. Carroll hurled five strong innings on the mound allowing just two earned runs, but that was enough for the Admirals to wrap up the victory.

Against Mahopac, the host Foxes fell behind in the first inning 1-0, but escaped a bases loaded jam to keep it close.

However, that was all the support Masciarelli needed on the mound as he allowed just one hit by Carroll as he shut out the Foxes. Masciarelli also helped his cause at the plate, drilling a two-run homer over the left field fence to make it 3-0, and that started a seven-run rally for Mahopac in the third inning to make it 8-0, with five more runs scored in the fifth to make the final 13-0.

The next day hosting Clarkstown North the Foxes once again struggled at the plate. The Foxes got three hits as C.J. Simone had a triple and Spencer Grayson and Carroll each had a hit, but they were unable to score as the Rams wrapped up the shut out victory.

In all five losses, Fox Lane has faced a top team with their top hurlers on the mound. Arlington is now 6-1, Horace Greeley is 7-1, Mahopac is 5-2, and CN is 4-2. That tough schedule pays off to get ready for the playoffs, but the Foxes have to turn it around this week as they were set to host Carmel on Thursday, April 16, and then travel to Eastchester the next day.