Tamarac opens season with 7-2 win over Mechanicville
TROY, NY » Tamarac jumped out to an early lead against Mechanicville on Monday afternoon, in the first game of their season.
“It feels good to get back out and play with everyone from school,” said Moira Collins, a Tamarac sophomore.
Tamarac’s 7-2 victory on Monday was jumpstarted by a fourrun first inning, as Collins was then able to hold down the Red Raiders’ bats.
To start the game, Abby Becker reached on a dropped third strike and Jess Heinrichs walked. Then, Gianna Bucciero reached on an error, as Becker scored on the play. Up 1-0, Abby Buckley came up big with a two-run triple, giving the Bengals a 3-0 lead. Jenny Wilson drove in Buckley on a RBI groundout, capping off the scoring in the first inning.
In the second inning, Heinrichs drove in Sidney Phillips giving Tamarac a 5-0 lead.
The Red Raiders got on the board in the fourth inning when Chloe Robert drove in Jazzy Desautels on a base hit to centerfield. The Bengals answered back in the bottom half when Bucciero knocked in Becker on a base hit to left.
Meanwhile inside the circle, Collins was laserfocused. The sophomore pitcher threw a complete game seven innings, allowing two runs - one earned - on eight hits and three walks. While she got into some jams, she used the strikeout to get out of them, racking up eleven Ks on the day.
In the top of the fifth, Bella Fuschino scored on passed ball for Mechanicville’s second run. Tamarac scored their final run in the bottom of the sixth, when Bucciero drove in Becker.
“This was an awesome first win and great to have the girls back out on the field. We’ve gone so long without playing, so having our first game at home was exciting and it was great to finally see some softball,” said Tamarac coach Jessica March. “We have a long ways to go, but we’re working on getting better everyday, keep developing our skills and looking forward to a good season.”
Becker, Bucciero and Buckley each collected two hits for Tamarac, while Bucciero and Buckley each had two RBIs. Patty Snyder went three-for-four for Mechanicville, with a double, and Briana Blake went two-for-two.
Robert also threw a complete game for Mechanicville. Of Tamarac’s seven runs, only two were credited as earned runs. Robert struck out four and walked three, as Tamarac collected nine hits.
“We all hit well as a team and everyone did their jobs in the field,” Collins said. “We lost a lot of seniors last year, so I’m proud of how we all have come together since this group hasn’t really played together before. It was a good first game for us to see what we could do. I want to see us get better everyday as a team, but overall I want to see us win sectionals this season.” FINAL: TAMARAC 7, MECHANICVILLE 2 Tamarac High School Troy, NY MECHANICVILLE 0-0-0-1-1-0-0 — 2-8-2 TAMARAC 4-1-0-1-0-1-X — 7-9-2 WP: Collins; LP: Robert 2B: Snyder 3B: Buckley