Valhalla Softball Dynasty Stopped by Rye Neck
of a ground ball in Saturday’s Class B title game.
By Monica D’Ippolito – A rematch of last year’s Class B sectional final pitted top-seeded Valhalla against second-seeded Rye Neck on Saturday morning at North Rockland High School. The Vikings overwhelmed the Panthers in their one meeting during the regular season, but couldn’t get enough offense stirring this time to claim their seventh consecutive championship.
“I think they knew it’s two of the best programs going at it and they had nothing to lose,” Valhalla coach John Hayes said about the victorious Panthers after their surprisingly one-sided 8-2 win. “They played a little bit more relaxed. They put the bat on the ball on us and the pressure was more on us than on them.”
Valhalla struggled offensively against Rye Neck ace Diana King, collecting only five hits in the game. But the Vikings managed to get on the board in the first inning by taking advantage of Panther miscues.
After Brandi Coon led off with a walk, Jenna Saldi followed with a hard bouncer to second base, which the Panthers’ Olivia Dunne couldn’t handle, allowing Coon to get to third base and Saldi to second. Two batters later, King threw a wild pitch, enabling Coon to score from third with the game’s first run.
King made up for her error by blasting a deep shot over the fence in center field in the top of the third inning, tying the game at 1-1. An RBI hit to shallow center by Sam Yannuzzi gave Rye Neck the lead for good.
Defense was a little shaky for the Vikings, who committed numerous errors with overthrows and some miscommunication in the field. Eventually, Rye Neck took advantage.
“Most definitely, we cracked at the end,” Hayes said. “We were not sharp on defense and that led to them in situations. We held on early, but they got the big hit when we gave them a few outs, and you can’t give a team four outs. They’ll hurt you.”
Most of the damage came in the top of the fifth inning, which started with King’s leadoff single. After a bunt moved her over to second base, Dunne hit a hard grounder toward the right side of the infield. Kristin Colabatistto made a nice diving stop, preventing any runs from scoring.
But it didn’t make a difference, as Yanzuzzi came through again with runners in scoring position, hitting a blooper toward center field, scoring King. The Panthers tacked on three more runs before the inning ended, extending their lead to 6-1.
Valhalla got its second and final run in the bottom of the sixth inning as Saldi knocked the first pitch she saw for a double all the way to the center-field fence and pitcher Sydni Holtz helped her own cause by belting the first pitch from King over the left fielder’s head for a double, scoring Saldi and cutting the deficit to 6-2.
Unfortunately for the Vikings, it was all the damage they could do as King retired the next three batters to end the inning.
“Honestly, putting the ball in play hard,” Hayes said was the difference between the regular-season matchup and Saturday’s game. “In the opening round (and) in the beginning of the season, that is what we did. We did not do that today. We didn’t really challenge the defense. We got a couple hits in there late, but it was just a little too little, too late.”
Rye Neck added two more runs in the top of the seventh and were soon jumping up and down on the field in celebration after dethroning Valhalla as Section 1 champs.
“I mean, they came out ready to play,” said Coon, a senior captain, after the game. “They hit today and they’re a great team. They deserve it. They work hard.”
The loss puts a dent in a Viking dynasty that has won multiple championships, many of them earned with contributions from this year’s senior class of Coon, Holtz, Colabatistto and Amanda Dolan, all of whom helped establish a winning legacy before playing their last game for the maroon and white.
“They’ve been here four or five years,” said Hayes. “Losing them is just the toughest part. And, again, they’ve carried on a great tradition and, I don’t know, losing them will be tough. But we’ll not rebuild, but try to reload.”
Coon, who led the Vikings on Saturday by reaching base three times and scoring a run, leaves behind a program that will remain a part of her for a long time.
“Honestly, the best part about this team is how close everyone was,” Coon said. “It’s not the game that you’re going to remember, but it’s the memories that you made. And I can honestly say I’ve left with friends that I’ll be with for the rest of my life.”
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