Pearl River's McCarthy Blanks TZ Again

Pearl River sophomore pitcher Mandy McCarthy took a very different route form her first game against Tappan Zee this season, but the result was the same Friday night at South Orangetown Little League's Bailey's Field in Orangeburg.

McCarthy shut Tappan Zee out again, this time escaping a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the fourth, to lead Pearl River to a 3-0 victory.

"It's great to get out of a situation like that," McCarthy said. "It shows our team's toughness."

"We got the bases loaded," Tappan Zee Head Coach Gene Kousoulas said. "We just didn't finish the job. One or two hits there, it's a tie game at least.

"Facing Mandy all the time is not the easiest thing. It doesn't matter what the score is, what the situation. She's got a job to do and she just goes out there and does it."

McCarthy threw a no-hitter when the Pirates beat the Dutchmen, 1-0, April 21 at home. Friday night under the lights at Bailey's Field, McCarthy gave up four hits, two of them bunt singles, but struck out 11 in the shutout.

"She hit her spots," Pearl River Head Coach Mike Carlacci said. "She threw great. She has really been great all year. A game like this against a very good team, it would be easy for her to struggle here or there. But if she trusts her defense and hits her spots, we're going to do well."

She also showed she could pitch through adversity. Trying to protect a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth, Regina Argenzio and Dee Sinanaj opened the frame with consecutive bunt singles. Then Kelly Connolly was given first base on a hit by pitch call that Carlacci disputed to load the bases with none out.

"You've got to roll with the punches," McCarthy said. "You've got to go with what they give you. We definitely did that. The whole team stepped up and we kept them from crossing the plate."

Tappan Zee tried a squeeze bunt by Amanda Carroll, but McCarthy fielded it and tossed to catcher Deirdre O'Malley in time for the first out.

"She reacted perfectly to that," said Pearl River senior left fielder Nicole Leote. "She's so tough. She's so strong. She doesn't flip out. She's amazing."

McCarthy did not allow another ball in play, striking out Kaitlin Quirk and Danielle Papalumbros to end the threat.

"You can't teach that," Carlacci said. "She obviously has it. She's going to bear down. She's a competitor. She will battle the whole game. She came through with a great game again. We don't expect any different."

Tappan Zee's sophomore pitcher, Paulina Gutkin, also started strong. She struck out eight and gave up three runs on eight hits in the game. 

"Paulina threw great," Kousoulas said. "She is battling through some injuries, but she wanted to be out there. I'm proud of her."  

With the game still scoreless, Pirates jumped on error to spark a three-run fourth inning. Senior Kristyn Neroda's soft liner to left bounced out of the glove of left fielder Chrissie Ryan to give Pearl River a runner on second base. After McCarthy bunted her to third, Leote singled up the middle to bring Neroda in with the game's first run.

"The first one is always the hardest," Leote said. "I knew when Kristyn was on third and I was up, I had to do something to get her in."

"You knew it was going to be tight, so getting the lead was very important," Carlacci said. "That kind of got the ball rolling that inning."

Tappan Zee missed a chance to retire the next better, O'Malley, by dropping a pop-up in foul territory. On the next pitch, O'Malley drove an RBI double down the left field line to score Leote. Hartigan followed with a triple to deep left to bring in courtesy runner Katherine Gilbride and give the Pirates a 3-0 lead.

"When you face a tough pitcher like that, it’s going to be a hit here or a hit there," Carlacci said. "I always think that’s one of our advantages. We can hurt you from anywhere in the lineup. We hit some hard balls. We earned those runs."

"They got the timely hits they needed," Kousoulas said.

Hartigan also singled in the sixth and made some key plays at third.

"She is just an all-around player," Carlacci said. "We always talk about her defense, how she is such an incredible defensive player. But she’s fast. She can hit for power. She can hit in the clutch. Last time (against Tappan Zee), she got the only hit in the bottom of the seventh to beat them. She can bunt. She can do everything."

Pearl River improved to 18-0 with two regular-season games remaining. The Pirates will play one of the top teams in Class AA, Clarkstown South, on the road 11 a.m. Sunday, then play their senior recognition day game 4:30 p.m. Monday at home against Nyack.

Tappan Zee fell to 14-5 on the season with the loss.

Softball
Pearl River 3, Tappan Zee 0
Pearl River   000 300 0 -- 3 8 0
Tappan Zee  000 000 0 -- 0 4 3
WP: Mandy McCarthy; LP: Paulina Gutkin
2B: PR -- Deirdre O'Malley
3B: PR -- Amanda Hartigan