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Ursuline rallies past Eastchester
Patrick Tewey
Ursuline has done it a few times this year, but none were as sweet as the comeback the Koalas pulled off in the Class A quarterfinals to defeat Eastchester 10-9 on Tuesday afternoon.
The best part about it? They had to do it twice.
“These girls have been doing it all year; I don’t think they even realize that we are close to losing sometimes,” joked Ursuline coach John Pirone. “This group is so resilient; we fell behind but never gave up. Eastchester played well, we played well; it really was just a great game.”
The Koalas trailed 8-3 in the fifth but staged a dramatic five-run rally, capped off with Joie Luiso’s two RBI single to tie the game. Eastchester battled in the top of the sixth and took the lead again when Danielle Cacciola drove in Anna Crowley.
However, Luiso would play hero again, making a spectacular grab in right field to keep the lead at one. Pirone says that Luiso’s catch was one of three that saved the game for Ursuline.
In the sixth, Lauren Filardi would take over the hero role. Filardi, who went 3-for-4 with five RBIs in the game, stepped up to the plate and hit a triple to drive in the tying and game-winning runs with one swing.
Starting pitcher Elayna Mitrakos finished it off in the seventh to notch the complete game and seal the win.
Luiso was 3-for-3 from the plate, while Brittany Mitchell went 2-for-3 with three runs scored. Essence Savinon was 1-for-2 with two runs scored and Liz O’Toole and Jamie Carfora each drove in a run.
For Eastchester, Crowley went 2-for-3 with two RBIs while Francesca Chiodi was 3-for-4 with two RBIs of her own. Ashley Petrone also drove in two runs and Tori Milano went 2-for-4 with two doubles.
Ursuline advances to face No. 7 seed Brewster in the Class A semifinals on Thursday. Pirone knows that anything can happen in the playoffs, but is also confident in his team.
“We’ll practice tomorrow, look at the game stuff and then go do our thing,” Pirone said. “We always like to keep it simple; if we pitch, hit and catch the ball, we think we can win.”
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