Softball: Hen Hud Sailors Top Panas Panthers

Hendrick Hudson (3-3) was able to get off to a quick start against its crosstown rival Walter Panas (5-3) and never looked back as the Sailors jumped out to a 7-0 lead after two innings in a 11-5 triumph against the visiting Panthers on Tuesday.

“I always say to my team, the team that scores first usually wins the game,” Hen Hud coach Kurt Thomas said. “That’s one of our goals every game is to score first and put the pressure on. If we get that lead, that nice little cushion, especially with a great offensive lineup like Panas has, it makes a big difference. It made us relax, the pressure was off us a little bit. I thought that was huge to get off to that lead in the beginning.”

Starting Hen Hud’s rally in the bottom of the first was a one-out walk by left fielder Jesse Pelaccio. Winning pitcher Julie Gaspar then got on base when she earned a two-out free pass.

Pelaccio scored on a single by shortstop Cassidy Boyle with Gaspar and Boyle coming home on a double by catcher Megan Jahoda.

Hen Hud continued to add to its lead in the second when right fielder Amanda Bell led off with a single. A one-out triple by third baseman Katie Ross drove in Bell.

Pelaccio followed with a walk before a sacrifice fly to right field by center fielder Rachel Buckner knocked in Ross. Gaspar later walked and came home, along with Pelaccio, on a single by Boyle that put Hen Hud up 7-0.

“The only positive I can take out of today’s game is that we didn’t quit,” Panas coach John Augusta said. “You can’t give a team like this a big lead, you can’t be down 7-0 after the first two innings, you can’t do it. Myself, coach (Dale) Chappelle, we have to figure out how we are going to get the team better prepared to play. It’s on me, it’s my fault. We have to do a better job of that.”

Panas showed that it wasn't about to lie down against its crosstown rival as it scored two runs in its half of the third. An RBI double by pitcher Jessica Cavalieri brought in third baseman Rachel Cusick with a single by first baseman Molly Roche driving in Cavalieri.

But Hen Hud retaliated with three more runs in the fourth, which came home on a single by Buckner, a triple by Gaspar and a sacrifice fly by Boyle, who had four RBI. That put Hen Hud up 10-2.

The Sailors were never threatened after that though Panas did put up a three-spot in the fifth which Hen Hud answered with a single run in the sixth.

“I tell them all the time, every game there is only one person hitting," Thomas said. He told the girls, "If all of us hit at the right time at the same time, we are going to be unbeatable’,” Thomas said. “Today, everybody came together and was hitting. It’s really hard to beat us when all of our girls our swinging a nice bat.”

Swinging a nice bat for Panas was Roche, who went 3 for 4 with two RBI.

“Her work ethic is unmatched,” Augusta said. “She is a 10th grader, she works harder than any 10th grader or whatever grade you want to say that I have ever seen. She wants to be good and she works her tail off to be good. She puts quality at-bats together. She also pitches for us, she is a big part of our team.”