John Jay Hits Clutch in 8-7 Victory Over Hen Hud

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All tied in the top of the seventh, Charlotte Bender’s humpback liner to right didn’t have the Wolf trying to hoodwink anyone in the scorebook. Off the glove, she said, “It was an error.” But either way, Jay rose up in the end, because the third baseman did what's supposed to be done with a low outside pitch.

“You stay low and try to drive it,” she said, and in came the go ahead run in an exciting, come from behind 8-7 win at Hen Hud on Friday May 16.

John Jay didn’t wait to get started either. Riley Foote walked with one out, Carys Cooper singled past the shortstop, and after Bender grounded into a force, Sophia Cheng saw two runs score on her at bat. First a wild pitch and then her line a single up the middle completed the half inning.

Onto the bottom, the Sailors stayed up. Emma Johannsen opened with a double over the head of Natalie Sacco in right, Angelina Carbone walked, and Ja'Nae Walker went deep to center for a 2-2 game.

Bella Booth opted for a sacrifice bunt, and despite the runner moving to third, Riley Foote wasn’t complaining. She got the next two batters on strikes, and the damage was contained.

Emma Barbelet happily took the tie on the mound and maintained the status quo. Two ground balls to third and a popup put the bats back in the hands of the Sailors.

On deck, Stella Krebser wasn’t bothered by Lil Tomlinson’s lead off strike out and lashed a triple to left. From there, Hen Hud went small and big. Krebser came in on her sister’s sacrifice bunt, and after Johannsen walked, Carbone went deep for another double.

4-2, Walker grounded out to short, but Jay proved up to the task. Bella Barry lined a single up the middle, Elise Templeton blooped a single over short, and Foote leveled the score off with a two run double.

Still no one out, Cooper singled to right, and after Bender lined out to third, Cheng was in the middle again. Her ground out to short put Foote on the move and was good enough for the lead on the throw to first.

Sacco’s ground out ended the threat, and the pitchers took over for the next three half innings. Two doughnuts for Barbelet and one for Foote set up the see-saw battle that began in the bottom of the fifth.

After Erin Samuelson dropped Johannsen’s foul pop, she took advantage with a walk, and Carbone followed suit with another free pass. The inning almost ended on Walker’s scorching line drive to Templeton, though.

The Wolf leaped at second for the grab and wasn’t really aware of the potential glory. “I wasn’t really thinking about a triple play,” she said. “I caught the ball, stepped on second and saw the girl off first. But I threw it in the ground.”

Unfortunately, John Jay couldn’t finish off the momentum shift. A single by Booth and a double by Barbelet put Hen Hud back in the lead by one.

Six outs to go for Hen Hud, a pair of strikeouts to start the sixth had Barbelet feeling it. Two walks followed, but the Hen Hud starter settled down and got Laney Daly to end the threat.

Foote now giving way, Maria DeGaetano didn’t leave much doubt in her relief effort. Three straight strikeouts, and John Jay had three outs to keep the game alive.

Bella's lead off pop out dwindled the odds, but Templeton wasn’t rolling the dice. “I told Riley I’m going to swing at the first fastball strike that I see, and I did that,” said the second baseman.

Up the middle for a single, and it was Foote’s turn to do the talking. “I’m always trying to hit a rising line drive,” said the two hole batter.

Deep center it was, and Templeton came all the way around to score. All tied, Cooper struck out, and Bender’s drop to right gave her team the lead.

One more, Cheng had herself a day. She singled to left, and DeGaetano took the two run spot. Not much respite, she faced Johannsen out of the box, and the battle was joined with fastball, fastball, fastball.

A few foul tips also and DeGaetano understood the error of her ways when the Hen Hud star doubled deep to right. “I probably should have switched it up,” the reliever conceded.

A pop out to first provided a pretty big sigh, but the entire park was heavy breathing when Walker launched one deep to center.

Barry excluded, she had beat on the blast. “Yeah, I knew,” said the centerfielder. “I’ve known her for years. I was expecting that.”

The same goes for the next sequence of overpowering pitches. DeGaetano blew away the last batter and made light off the high pressure game of registering saves. “I like closing games,” she said. “It’s only two innings.”

The sentiment extends to the rest of the team - especially when the stakes are down. “This team is perfect for clutch situations, and I could not be more proud,” concluded Bender.