Youthful Put Valley Exceeding Expectations on Diamond

By Tony Pinciaro

Even though PUTNAM VALLEY did not have a wealth of seniors returning for the 2018 varsity softball, the Tigers had strength and promise in numbers.

“We only had a couple of starters coming back, but with the confidence we had in the younger girls coming up, I was feeling pretty optimistic about the season,” sophomore Alex Waters said.

She was right for being positive as the Tigers sport a 14-5 record. According to Putnam Valley coach Rena Finsmith, it’s the most wins the program has had in at least six years.

Putnam Valley closed out the regular season with a 3-0 victory over Haldane, then began the Section 1 Class B Championships with a 10-1 victory over Finsmith’s alma mater and former coach, Pleasantville and coach Gina Perino.

The Tigers, seeded fifth, played at defending champion and fourth-seeded Valhalla, Monday, in a quarterfinal.

Keiko Waters, Alex’s sister, credits Finsmith with Putnam Valley improving each year and establishing itself as a sectional contender.

“She has a lot of knowledge of the game,” said Keiko Waters of Finsmith. “She is also really encouraging for us and gives us confidence when we play.”

Putnam Valley has been rolling in the second half of the season. Two weeks ago, the Tigers won five games in six days, and since then, it’s been a victory parade.

“That week is when we really hit our stride because we tied it all together offensively and defensively,” Alex Waters said.

While Putnam Valley’s success this season has been outstanding for the program, Keiko Waters realizes that this is only the beginning.

“This season has been really eye-opening to what we can become in future years and I still have two years to go,” Keiko Waters said. “This group of girls are a lot of fun to be with. I can’t wait to see where we will go in the future.”

Alex Waters concurred. “We came in feeling pretty good, didn’t have a lot of seniors this year, expected it to be a little more of a rebuilding year with only a couple of starters coming back, but we thought we’d be pretty good and we has strong confidence in the younger girls coming up.”

Emily McKenna added an exclamation point to the regular season with a two-hit shutout of Haldane, 3-0. She also struck out nine.

McKenna aided her own cause with two hits, including a triple, and two RBI. Alex Waters contributed two hits and Frankie Reyes had a run-scoring double.

The Tigers registered their second win of the season over Pleasantville, eliminating the 12^th-seeded Panthers, 10-1, on the strength of a six-run first inning.

Alex Waters doubled twice among her three hits and drove in three runs. Freshman Kathleen Gallello collected three hits and two RBI and Lauren Turner, Sabrina Cross, Sonya Garcia and Reyes each had an RBI.

McKenna scattered five hits and struck out 11.

LAKELAND, seeded third, began defense of its Section 1 Class A title with a 6-1 vicory over No. 14 John Jay-Cross River in a first-round game.

Lakeland, which has won 17 consecutive games since opening 0-4, hosted No. 6 Harrison in a quarterfinal game, Monday.

Krystal Badillo continued her strong pitching with a four-hitter and 12 strikeouts. In her last five starts, Badillo has three shutouts, allowed two runs on eight hits and rang up 59 strikeouts.

“The defense and the coaches have total confidence in Krystal being in the circle,” Lakeland co-coach Joe Chiara said. “Krystal’s preparation all year has been terrific, waiting to be called if needed in the circle.

“Krystal has been outstanding in the circle with her command by staying ahead of hitters and trusting her defense to make routine plays behind her. We were expecting Krystal to be fantastic and she has been.”

Amber Lopez provided the offense with a double, home run, two RBI and two runs scored. Freshman Hannah Matusiak added two hits and two RBI and Badillo helped herself with an RBI single.

MAHOPAC, the sixth seed, opened the Section 1 Class AA Softball Championships with a 2-0 victory over 11^th-seeded Ursuline behind a no-hitter and 16 strikeouts from freshman Shannon Becker.

Mahopac coach Amanda Gambacorta said this was the program’s first victory in the opening round of sectionals in the last seven-eight years. The Indians travelled to No. 3 Suffern for a quarterfinal game, Monday.

“I am very proud with their performance,” Gambacorta said. “These ladies are confident with each other and their energy is contagious. They consistently play solid defense and although we struggle offensively, we always dig deep for the win.

“Shannon is an incredible athlete, scholar, and young woman. Although she is only a freshman, her composure and humility is unseen even in seniors. She currently has the most strikeouts in the state and has the highest batting average of the team. My assistant coach and I could not be prouder of Shannon. She’s already improved since last year and I know the future holds great things for her.”

Kim Astrologo tripled in a run, Kailey Zecca singled twice and Becker doubled.

Even though seventh-seeded SOMERS was defeated by 10^th-seeded PANAS in a Section 1 Class A first-round game, the Tuskers took a huge step forward this season.

Somers doubled its win total from 2017, finishing 13-6 and qualifying for a second consecutive year under coach Dave Scagnelli.

“In year two we showed steady improvement in every aspect of the game,” Scagnelli said. “The players worked extremely hard to accomplish the goals they set forth at the beginning of the season, and improving from 6-14 last season to 13-6 this season shows our softball program has a bright future.”

YORKTOWN crushed Carmel, 20-0 in five innings, Erica Salveggi struck out 11 in four innings Brianna Buck and Riley Koch each hit home runs.

The second-seeded Cornhuskers hosted No. 7 White Plains in a quarterfinal, Monday.