Nothing about Wednesday’s game surprised Brenda Lee. Not when her Port Richmond softball team came back to tie the score against Susan Wagner in the third inning and certainly not when the Red Raiders were attempting to rally yet again in the fifth.
Fighting back has been second nature to her girls. They came back to win their last two games and have excelled in wacky, back-and-forth contests.
“We’ve been doing it all year long,” Lee said.
The undefeated Red Raiders were cut short Wednesday though. After junior pitcher Caitlin Shields scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-3 Wagner with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning at West Shore Little League, umpires called the PSAL Staten Island A game due to rain. There has been no timetable set yet for a postponement.
Wagner (7-1) got off to a quick start in the first inning when leadoff hitter Danielle Locke scored on an error. The Falcons added another run in the second on a ringing RBI double by freshman Halle Siegel.
Like it did against Newtown and New Dorp, Port Richmond (7-0) fired right back against Wagner starter Taylor Sarcone. The Red Raiders scratched out a pair of runs in the third, one coming on an RBI fielder’s choice by senior Ashley Wentworth, to tie the score at 2-2.
With the sky looking ominous and the sound of thunder in the distance, Sarcone smacked a two-run double in the fifth that put the Falcons up 4-2. Shields got out of the inning without any more damage and tripled in the fifth with one out before scoring on the wild pitch.
That has been nothing new for Shields, the team’s No. 2 hitter, who came into the game batting .652 with a home run, 14 RBIs and 17 runs scored in seven games. In the circle, she is 5-0 with two saves and a 2.83 ERA. In the first five innings Wednesday, she went 2-for-2 with two runs scored and a walk.
“She’s been hitting very well,” Lee said. “When we need a long ball, she can give us the long ball. When we need a bunt, she can give us a bunt.”
Hitting has been better for Port Richmond this year, like it has for many teams with the pitching rubber moved from 40 feet to 43 feet from the plate. And with Shields, the Red Raiders are confident they will be in every game.
The Red Raiders are currently ranked No. 4 in the PSAL and No. 9 in NYC by The Post. Port Richmond has already beaten Francis Lewis (No. 8 in PSAL) in a non-league game and a win against Wagner (No. 3 in PSAL, No. 6 in NYC) would solidify its standing as one of the best teams in the city.
Everyone will just have to wait to see the outcome. Until then, Port Richmond will meet Tottenville in yet another big game Friday.
“We haven’t played Tottenville yet, we had not played Wagner yet,” Lee said. “This week will give us a little better idea of where we stand.”
