DeChiaro, Cohoes cycle to win
Senior hits for the cycle as Tigers advance to B quarterfinals
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. » It was quite a day for Cohoes’ Isabelle DeChiaro in the circle and at the plate.
The senior struck out 11 in seven innings of onerun ball and hit for the cycle — 5-for-5 with a single, two doubles, a triple and a homerun with twelve total bases Thursday at Plattsburgh State.
Cohoes coach Frank Ryan said the 12-1 Class B state first round victory over Saranac was a team win.
“They all contributed today,” Ryan said. “Some of the kids who weren’t hitting like we expected, really stepped up today and got their hits, which is going to give us confidence for Ogdensburg.”
Cohoes returns to the North Country Saturday for a 2 p.m. state quarterfinal game against Ogdensburg at SUNY Potsdam.
DeChiaro said that she had a clear mindset on the mound.
“On the mound, I am thinking outs,” DeChiaro said. “Just get three outs and if they get a hit or get on, it is just get the next one. I know my defense is behind me no matter what, if someone gets on we are turning two. My defense is really strong right now.”
DeChiaro dominated from the first inning, just missing on a home run to lead off.
She said the scouting report helped the Tigers know what was coming.
“We got a scouting report on Saranac and we talked to a lot of teams on what they were about,” DeChiaro said. “We were pretty prepared. We prepared during today during practice, we prepared yesterday and I think the whole team came in feeling confident. That boosted us to the win.”
Cohoes started fast getting three runs in the top of the first inning. DeChiaro hitting a ball off the top of the fence then Lily Sencer bunted safely. DeChiaro
moved to third and scored after Saranac threw the ball around. Haleigh Burgess then hit a double to get Sencer across the plate and crossed the plate as well after a passed ball to make it 3-0.
DeChiaro added another double in the second inning, getting another run and putting the Tigers ahead 4-0.
Cohoes kept up the scoring in the fourth inning. Once again, DeChiaro was involved. The senior hit an RBI triple then scored on a double. A two base error led to Sencer scoring and a 7-0 lead.
Saranac managed to get one back in the fourth after an error by the right fielder allowed Sydney Adolfo to reach base and an RBI single from Samantha Wells ensured Saranac avoided the shutout.
Cohoes didn’t let up in the fifth, sixth or seventh, getting two more RBIs from DeChiaro and Aja Kerr in the fifth, one from Adriana Devoe in the sixth and two more from DeChiaro in the seventh, after a home run to complete the cycle.
DeChiaro said it was big for her to have such a successful season in her last year of high school,
“It is huge because we have never been here,” DeChiaro said. “We wanted to show that we should be here and we showed that with the win we had today.”
Ryan said that DeChiaro was huge for the team and has been a leader for the Tigers.
“She was unbelievable,” Ryan said. “The last four or five games, her and Lily (Sencer) have carried the team and really just instilled it into everyone else on the team, the importance. We are going to go as far as those two take us.”
DeChiaro said the team will go into the next game with the same mindset they had today.
“We got to get the ball in play, keep hitting the ball like we have and the defense needs to have no errors,” DeChiaro said.
Ryan said the Tigers need to continue playing strong baseball.
“We need to play hard,” Ryan said. “I went to see them yesterday, I watched them up in Potsdam, I scouted them and they are a good team. They put the ball in play and we are going to have to play good defense and it will be another challenge for us. We have to work hard (Friday) in practice.