Softball: Reloaded Pearl River routs Clarkstown North in league opener, 12-1

PEARL RIVER - If last season was filled with uncertainty, this spring has been anything but that for Pearl River.

Last year, the young Pirates fell in the Section 1 Class A2 finals, but there was consolation in knowing that with no seniors to graduate, virtually everyone was coming back this spring.

They've reloaded and are hoping for another deep run in a competitive Class A landscape. However, now a year older and wiser, they know they can't take anything for granted.

"We have to take it game by game, pitch by pitch, inning by inning — we can't be too cocky or overconfident," said Pearl River pitcher Kiera Luckie. "We have to take each game as it comes, because anyone can beat anyone right now. It's really tough competition, so we'll have to see how it goes and take it day by day."

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So far, so good for the Pirates. They bounced back from a close loss to North Rockland and continued their solid start with a 12-1 win over Clarkstown North in their league opener.

"Our energy was really good, especially in the beginning when we were down by one run," Pearl River junior Grace Scrima said. "We all came together, especially at the bottom of the order. Usually, a lot of teams just put their best hitters in the front of the order, but I think our batting order all-around is very loaded."

Clarkstown North pounced on the Pirates and took a quick 1-0 lead, but Pearl River quickly regrouped. Scrima got Pearl River started with a home run to left field to tie it up, and the rest of the Pirates picked it up from there.

"From last year to this year, the biggest thing was working on really extending our lineup and our batting order," Pearl River coach Chris Woolgar said. "I thought last year, we relied heavily on Maeve (Woods), Liv (Turilli) and Grace (Scrima). Today especially shows that our 5-6-7-8 hitters got it going and all had two hits. Riley Moroney and Jill Donnelly got us going."

All in all, Pearl River rattled off 18 hits as a team. Moroney and Donnelly each had a RBI in the bottom of the third to give Pearl River the lead.

The Pirates scored at least two runs in each of the remaining innings after that, including a big five-run outing in the fourth that was fueled by a couple of Clarkstown North errors.

"We're a young team, we know it, and we've got to put in a little more work," Rams coach Dan Gartshore said. "We play for the playoffs. We're going to have days where things may not go our way all the time. Like any error, it's not about the error, it's about what you do after the error and how quick you collect yourself and come back from it. This game, we chalk it up to being an error, and we're going to come back hard against Nanuet."

What it means

Pearl River bounces back from its lone loss so far, a close result against Class AA North Rockland. The Pirates haven't lost a game to an in-class opponent and continue their solid start.

Clarkstown North hits another speed bump in its journey, losing its second one in three games, with the other loss being against top-ranked, Class AA Ketcham. While it wasn't the result the Rams would've liked, this is a much improved year for Clarkstown North. Last season, the Rams finished just 7-13 overall, and they're still on pace to shatter that mark this spring.

Player of the game

Kiera Luckie, Pearl River: The sophomore pitcher set the tone in the circle. After giving up two hits and a run in the opening inning, she kept the Rams off the board for the remainder of the game and gave up only two hits the rest of the way. She struck out eight batters in the winning effort, but also had two hits, including a double, and a RBI.

By the numbers

Pearl River (4-1) — Grace Scrima went 3-for-3 with a double, solo home run, and scored four runs. Liv Turilli had three hits, including two doubles and three RBI. Riley Moroney went 2-for-3 with two RBI. Jill Donnelly went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI. Brigitte Collins and Cat Arnold each had two hits. Maeve Woods and Maggie McGrane each chipped in a single.

Clarkstown North (5-2) — Campbell Barrett had a RBI single. Leanne Geiger had a double. Julia Ruzzi and Cristina Tyrie also had hits.

Quotable

"Our bond is so much stronger, and I think that when the bond is stronger, your team performs way better, especially in big games like this," Scrima said. "Performing like this is a big statement to other teams. It's very rare when you don't graduate anyone, so I think that we have something really special, and I think we can go pretty far."

Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Softball: Reloaded Pearl River routs Clarkstown North in league opener