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John Jay ousts No. 1 Yonkers
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YONKERS, N.Y. — It didn’t feel like much of an upset. And the John Jay-Cross River players certainly weren’t about to call it one, either.
Nothing against Yonkers High School. But John Jay just isn’t your typical No. 16 seed.
The Indians sure proved that on Friday, blowing out top-seeded Yonkers 17-3 in the opening round of the Section 1 Class A tournament at Fleming Field. John Jay rallied for four runs in the third before exploding for nine runs in the fifth to waltz into the quarterfinals.
“We had a tough finish to the season,” John Jay senior Jimmy O’Reilly said. “But we felt we could come out here and win this game.”
O’Reilly headlined an Indians offense that piled up 12 hits and had eight different players drive in runs. O’Reilly and Brian Gleason had two hits and four RBI in the victory.
John Jay stumbled down the stretch, dropping seven of its final eight games. The lone win was a 9-8 victory over Fox Lane in the final weekend of the regular season.
The postseason has given John Jay new life and they’ve certainly taken advantage. They crushed Nyack 14-0 in Wednesday’s outbracket round, setting up Friday’s date with top-seeded and 18-win Yonkers.
John Jay grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the first before the Bulldogs scored three in the bottom of the inning on a bases-loaded double by Kyle Dailey. It was a 3-2 game into the third when the Indians reclaimed the lead. They never looked back.
Robert Malara went 2 for 3 with a triple, an RBI and three runs scored. Evan O’Connor had two hits, two runs and an RBI for John Jay, which will face No. 9 Byram Hills in Saturday’s quarterfinal.
O’Connor pitched five innings, striking out eight and allowing three runs on six hits for the win.
Reach Kevin Devaney Jr. at kdevaney@cablevision.com
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