Softball: Fox Lane falls 3-2 in an extra innings thriller at Harrison High

Sofia Valente makes the throw from second for the Foxes. Rob DiAntonio photos

Sofia Rodriguez delivers from the mound for Fox Lane.

Gabriela Naar connects for a hit in playoff win at Yorktown.

By JIM MACLEAN

It was so close, so intense with so much pressure, a chance to advance to the Section 1 Class AA semifinals on the line, Fox Lane battled into extra innings on the road against the No. 2 seed.

Fox Lane had pulled off an upset in the first round of the playoffs with a one-run victory at Yorktown, and now the No. 10-seeded Foxes were locked in a scoreless tie heading into extra innings on the road at No. 2 seed Harrison on May 24.

Harrison survived with a 3-2 win in 10 innings, but it was an exciting finish to a great season overall for Fox Lane as the Foxes finished the year at 13-6 overall.

“What a great game it was, this was the game we were waiting for all year,” Fox Lane coach ToniAnn Licata said of the game at Harrison. “The girls played flawlessly, coming together, communicating, they made every play and worked together as a team. They supported each other through all 10 innings. An incredible game, and win or lose we were very proud to end the season that way.”

It was Sofia Rodriguez once again getting the job done on the mound for the Foxes as she struck out 12 and the two teams battled into extra inning at 0-0. She got a lot of help from her defense as Jordana Kerwar robbed a home run in center field and she also threw out a runner at home in the ninth inning.

Fox Lane broke through with a run in the ninth inning as Nora Antonaccio led off with a base hit and Samantha Saldutti drove her in for a 1-0 lead, but Harrison was able to tie it up once again heading into the 10th inning at 1-1. In the top of the 10th, Fox Lane had a pair of sacrifice bunts to score Helena Hudson to give the Foxes a 2-1 lead, but the Huskies rallied again with two runs for the win.

To get to the quarterfinals, Fox Lane went on the road to Yorktown and pulled out a 2-1 win over the No. 7-seed Huskers. Rodriguez did the job on the mound with 10 strikeouts, and she also helped herself at the plate going 2-4 and scoring a run. Gabriela Naar had an RBI single to drive in one run, while Kerwar, Avery Genovese, Saldutti and Antonaccio each had a hit.

It was an impressive performance under pressure for the Foxes against two tough teams in the playoffs, especially for such a young team with just one senior on the roster. Senior captain Naar has been on the varsity with Licata for four seasons and he will be tough to replace according to Licata.

“Gaby was an incredible player and leader this year,” Licata said of her senior captain. “She worked her butt off to motivate everyone and to keep the team together.”

It was an impressive season overall, and Licata is excited about the future with Rodriguez returning on the mound and the entire roster back except for Naar.

“I am so excited to have everyone back next year and maybe a few more,” Licata said of the bright future. “If we can play the way we played in the last two games and not get so tied up into putting so much pressure on ourselves, I think we will be a real problem for a lot of teams next year.”