Rowena Motylewski hopes this is the start of something.
The St. Edmund softball coach watched her team, which came into the season looking like one of the favorites in CHSAA Brooklyn, lose its first five game. The Eagles though will now try to gain momentum going into the second half of the season following a 6-1 win over rival and host Bishop Kearney in CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens softball Wednesday.
“To have it be a decisive win and a substantial win [was important],” Motylewski said. “We didn’t win squeaking by in the bottom of the seventh inning. Hopefully this will propel us forward and keep us moving in the right direction.”
St. Edmund (1-5) got major production from the middle of its lineup. A Veronica Cupo two-run double in the second inning, scoring Cassandra Molinari and Casey Sclafani, got things going before Kearney (2-6) scratched out a run in the bottom of the fourth to make it 2-1.
Then Janelle Garvey got hot. In the top of the fifth, the Eagles scored a run on a throwing error by Kearney starter Tiffany Irerra. Garvey, who was 3-for-4, brought home Sclafani with a double and connected on a two-run homer over the right-center field fence in the seventh to extend the lead to 6-1. Molinari was 2-for-3 with a double and two stolen bases. Emma Ferrington allowed seven hits, struck out three and walked three for St. Edmund.
“This is what the whole team needed and especially those who had been struggling to hit the ball well,” Motylewski said.
Archbishop Molloy 3, Christ the King 1: Jackie Perillo was 2-for-3 with three RBIs for Archbishop Molloy (6-0) in CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens. She drove home Maria Palmeri, who had doubled, in the fourth to tie the score at 1. Perillo then added a two-run double in the bottom of the sixth to give the Stanners the lead for good. Palmeri allowed one run on four hits, struck out seven and walked four. She got a groundout to end the game with CK runners on first and second and two outs. Christ the King is 3-2.
St. Francis Prep 12, Mary Louis 6: The Terriers scored eight runs in the bottom of second inning, highlighted by a Danielle Cervasio two-run single and an RBI single from Alex Sobrino. St. Francis Prep (5-2) added three more runs in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a double by Sobrino that brought in two and an RBI single from Katie Derby to extend the lead to 11-1. TMLA (4-4) would score five times in the top of the fifth with help from St. Francis Prep. Nicole Lomangino came on in relief of Derby, who allowed six hits and struck out five, with two outs. Stephanie Barbarow was 1-for-2 with a double and two RBIs for Mary Louis.
Washed away: Fontbonne Hall’s game with St. John’s Prep was called with the Bonnies leading 6-2 in the fourth inning. No makeup date has been set. St. Joseph Hill’s contest with St. John Villa halted because of rain and will be made up Monday at 4 p.m.
