High school softball: Vestal blitzes Tappan Zee in Class A regional final
SHRUB OAK — Sure, playoff byes are nice — they are a free pass to the next round and there's added time to rest and prepare.
For Section 4 softball champion Vestal, it just made them antsy. Throw in a nearly three-hour-long bus ride to get to Lakeland High School for Saturday's Class A regional final against Section 1's Tappan Zee, and the anticipation was mounting even higher.
"We were super eager," Vestal shortstop Caitlyn Petteys said. "On the bus, we were blaring music and getting really excited. I think that's why we came out and played the way we did today, because we were so ready for the game."
Despite the long layoff, there were no signs of rust. Vestal set the tone early, pouncing on the Dutchmen to grab an early lead, before going on to win, 9-1, to punch its ticket to the NYSPHSAA Class A final four at the Moriches Sports Complex in Long Island next weekend.
"We wanted this so bad," Vestal center fielder Kendall Brady said. "Every single one of us wanted to win, and we executed. We said we were going to come out and score runs and we wanted to get ahead early."
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Vestal: Takeaways from Vestal's Section 4 title win over Maine-Endwell
Much like the Golden Bears did in their Section 4 title-crowning victory over rival Maine-Endwell last weekend, Vestal built an early 9-0 lead on its foes.
The Golden Bears scored at least once in each of the first four innings, highlighted by a Kymora Wang RBI triple to start, followed by a passed ball that allowed Wang to cross home for a 2-0 lead in the top of the first.
In the next inning, Brady and Petteys put together back-to-back home runs to fuel their team's hot start. They added one more run in the third off of a Tappan Zee error, before topping their scoring surge with a four-run outing in the top of the fourth.
Tappan Zee stranded a pair of runners in each of the first two innings, and didn't get on the board until an Eden Blanker RBI single in the bottom of the fifth.
"We went up against a very good team," Tappan Zee coach Meg Sneeden said. "They were all good hitters, they played defense well, and they had two great pitchers. For most of the game we held on, and went seven innings."
Although the Dutchmen prevented the Golden Bears from adding onto their lead in each of the last three innings, the deficit was too great for Tappan Zee to overcome.
For Vestal, it'll be its first trip back to the NYSPHSAA final four since 2003. The Golden Bears haven't won a state title, last reaching the championship game in 1995, but they hope that this is the year they get to climb the mountaintop.
"This means everything," Petteys said. "We've been working for this the whole season. We've been working hard, and winning the games that we needed to win. We beat Maine-Endwell, our rivals, got here, and then our pitchers took us the whole way."
"Everyone's been all in," Brady added. "Everyone's contributed."
As for Tappan Zee, its journey comes to a close. Despite the tears shed, the Dutchmen will look back at this year with pride.
"I just told them to keep their heads up," Sneeden said. "This was a season that coming in, with having such a young team and two brand new coaches that they weren't expecting us to go this far, and we exceeded all expectations for this season, and then some. I told them that I'm really proud of them."
Player of the game
Caitlyn Petteys, Vestal: She played a clean game defensively at shortstop and went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a home run, three runs and two RBI.
By the numbers
Vestal (15-6) — Kendall Brady went 2-for-5 with a double, home run and two RBI. Kymora Wang went 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI. Kayleigh Farro had a RBI. Faith Hicks, Erica Fitch and Kelsey Brady each had a hit. Raveena Rai pitched two shutout innings, then Reilly Storer pitched the last five innings, giving up one earned run on five hits, with four strikeouts.
Tappan Zee (17-7) — Eden Blanker went 3-for-3 with a RBI. Gianna Cilenti went 2-for-2. Jill Hennessy had a double. Keira Meyers had a hit and pitched the first three innings, giving up three earned runs on four hits and two walks, with four strikeouts. Haley Arvidson pitched the last four innings in relief, giving up four earned runs all in the fourth inning.
Quotable
"It's been such a wild ride," Sneeden said. "I am so grateful for each and every one of these girls, who have given me everything that they have each and every single day, working towards a goal of playing out there and winning. That's exactly what they did, and I know didn't happen today, but this is a season I don't think anyone's gonna forget for a really long time."
Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Softball: Vestal blitzes Tappan Zee in Class A regional final
