Magic runs out for John Jay softballers with 3-1 loss in title game

John Jay coach Theresa Swertfager-Assumma lets the umpire know the correct call as Elise Templeton slides in safe at third. JIM MACLEAN PHOTOS

By JIM MACLEAN 

So close, but in sports and life it’s true, the higher you reach, the harder the fall. You could see that disappointment on the faces of the John Jay girls varsity softball team as the girls accepted their Section 1 finalist plaque on Sunday, May 31, on the turf field at North Rockland High School.

John Jay seniors (l to r) Laney Daly, Maggie Lawton, Bella Barry and Claire Doherty accept their sectional finalist plaque.

It was not the trophy the Wolves were hoping to take home as they watched Pearl River celebrate with the Section 1 Class B softball championship trophy and plaque after the Pirates held on for a 3-1 victory over John Jay in the title game.

John Jay was the No. 5 seed in the tournament, advancing to the finals with a thrilling 7-2 victory over No. 1 seed Somers in the semifinals on May 28, but the Wolves ran out of magic in the finals as No. 2 seed Pearl River held on to claim the crown.

Pearl River advances to the state tournament with a 21-3 record, while John Jay finished at 18-6 overall. A disappointing ending to a great season for a team with a new coach and only four seniors in Bella Barry, Laney Daly, Claire Doherty and Maggie Lawton as those four accepted the plaque on behalf of their teammates.

A sacrifice fly by catcher Carys Cooper gave the Wolves a 1-0 first inning lead.

“This was the first time we’ve been to the sectional finals in a very long time at John Jay and it was an amazing feeling to get here and play on this field at such a competitive level,” said senior shortstop Laney Daly, a four-year starter for the Wolves. “We hustled in the Somers game and our energy got us here. This team, this season has been the best, a whole new coaching staff, it brought us all closer together. This team is my family, I’ve been with some of these girls for four years on this team, they are my sisters and I’m going to miss everyone, we had an amazing season.”

John Jay got off to a good start in the championship game as Elise Templeton led off with a single, stole second, advanced to third on a sacrifice, and came home on a sac fly by Carys Cooper to give the Wolves a 1-0 lead.

Pearl River answered right back in the bottom of the first, as the Pirates managed to score three runs on a single, two infield hits and a pair of errors by the Wolves, before freshman pitcher Julia Gieras was able to end the inning with a strikeout.

That would prove to be all the runs scored in the game for both sides Gieras settled in and went the distance, recording nine strikeouts for the Wolves.

However, Pearl River answered with a freshman pitcher of its own as Ashlyn Ryan went the distance for the Pirates and only allowed four hits by the Wolves to record the win.

Riley Foote connects for a fourth inning double.

John Jay tried to answer right back in the top of the second as McKenna Foote drilled a double, but the Wolves could not bring her home. Riley Foote drilled a double in the fourth inning, but she was stranded at second.

Down to their final three outs in the top of the seventh, John Jay tried to rally as Riley led off with a single. However, Pearl River centerfielder Taylor Donnelly came up with two diving catches to take away hits and crush any hopes of a rally by the Wolves.

“They won off of errors and we’ve got to play clean and work on that for next year,” said John Jay coach Theresa Swertfager-Assumma, in her first year at the helm at her alma mater. “Julia pitched a great game, she was amazing, but we need to make the plays. We’re losing four seniors, but we have a lot coming back. We’re going to work hard in the offseason and hopefully that trophy can be ours next year. We’re happy with the season, but we’re ready for more and we’ll get back at it.”

Freshman Julia Gieras pitched well in the loss to Pearl River.

To get to the finals, John Jay came out strong and took control at Somers in the semifinals against the top-seeded Tuskers. After falling to the Tuskers twice during the regular season, the last time by a score of 1-0, the Wolves knew they had to strike early and wasted no time in the first inning as Templeton and Charlotte Bender got on base and Riley Foote came through with a two-run single. Maria DeGaetano then scored Riley to make it 3-0.

“Somers is a really good team and that first inning was huge, we just wanted to jump out and get those first runs,” explained Riley Foote. “We really wanted to win this one and everyone played well and it was an awesome game for us.”

Somers answered with a run in the bottom of the first and made it 3-2 with a run in the fourth, but John Jay made it 4-2 in the fifth as Cooper singled and McKenna Foote delivered an RBI single. The Wolves put it away in the top of the seventh as Bender had an RBI single and McKenna Foote had another RBI single to make the final score 7-2.