John Jay Comes Together for Brooke D'Aleo Memorial Game

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On Wednesday May 7, John Jay faced North Salem in the Brooke D'Aleo Memorial Game, and beforehand, Coach Steve DelMoro gave voice to the Never Give Up -T-shirts that both teams wore. “She fought, she fought and she fought again,” he said. But her tenacity wasn’t the only thing that the softball player left behind.

She was a great teammate, who always wanted to be a good person, according to DelMoro, and as if following suit, the teams played a competitive, inspired game that ended in a 4-3 John Jay victory.

In the circle, Riley Foote began the game by negating a one out walk with her reflexes. Sophia Aqeel smoked one up the middle, Foote made the backhand snare and doubled up Cora Kennedy at first.

A one out single by the John Jay starter didn’t look bad either. That’s until Foote was thrown out stealing, and the failed larceny wasn’t done hurting. Carys Cooper went deep with a triple to center and was stranded when Charlotte Bender grounded out.

Onto the second, Foote had mixed results - except on the scoreboard. Around two walks, the sophomore struck out the side, and John Jay was ready to threaten again. Bella Barry singled up the middle and eventually ended up on third after a passed ball and Sophia Cheng’s ground out.

No run across, John Jay didn’t lose a step in the field. Foote opened with a strike out and a ground ball to first had both Erin Samuelson and Elise Templeton in on the play. Samuelson deflected the grounder, Templeton was alertly on the ball and won the race to first.

A fly ball to Barry ended the top of the third and the bottom put John Jay on a merry-go-round. Templeton reached on a one out bunt base hit and on one pitch stole two bases. A move that bewildered the bench and had Templeton pointing to DelMoro as she secured the bag.

The freshman was basically referencing the coaches directive to keep going if third is open. “She didn’t realize the second baseman still had the ball,” DelMoro pointed out the problem.

Templeton concurred. “It was bad,” she admitted.

Even so, her initial instincts proved correct. She won the race on the throw over, but either way, Cooper put aside the merits of the case.

The sophomore lined a single up the middle, and now it was the catcher’s turn to have DelMoro in her head. “We always talk about getting a good read on balls in the dirt,” he said, and the steal of second turned into run number two with a pair of throwing errors.

North Salem wasn’t done with the generosity either. After Bender walked, three wild pitches opened up a 3-0 lead for the Wolves.

So as this game demanded North Salem didn’t give in. Kat Ocdenaria singled with one out, Avery Shoenberg reached on Laney Daly’s throwing error, and Anna Brewster went to the opposite field to get the Tigers on the board.

Daly didn’t let the miscue get in her head, though. The shortstop led off with a single, stole second and reached third on Cheng’s grounder.

A ground ball would get the run back, and Natalie Sacco understood that she had to pull the ball for the RBI. Only thing, her strength is taking the pitch to the opposite field, but the right fielder knows how to compensate. “Keep my hands in, then I know I can get the barrel out,” she explained. “It doesn’t matter where it’s pitched.”

She followed through and the resulting grounder added another. Insurance that John Jay would need.

The fifth began with a Marissa Ferrara one out single, and the game continued with more amusement park material. Cooper’s pickoff attempt went into right field and Aqeel made the catcher pay.

She singled to center to cut the lead in half and then a wild pitch played havoc. Cooper was unable to locate. So Aqeel kept going, which looked like a pretty bad decision. Instead, Bender missed her catcher’s throw and another run was in.

Still one out to go with a runner on, the jam had Foote staying on point. “I just try to focus on me and Carys and throwing the ball,” said Foote. “It’s as simple as that.”

She got the desired result - even if it came with a little drama. Chloe Cioce’s lift to center initially fooled Barry into a back step. But she got her bearings and raced in for the running catch.

No more insurance forthcoming, DelMoro wasn’t worried about putting his Foote down in the suddenly close game. “Her back is against the ball,” he said,“that’s when Riley is at her best.”

After a lead off single in the sixth, Foote retired the side on a grounder and two strikeouts. Three outs to go, Maria DeGaetano issued a carbon copy to end a game that was more than a game, according to Brooke’s dad. Having a focus on not just winning, Frank D'Aleo concluded, “It feels good to see the community come together and the team pull together.”