A promising season for Rye Neck came to an end on May 27, as the Panthers fell 11-0 to Valhalla in the Class B title game. Despite Saturday’s surprisingly one-sided defeat, the Panthers’ depth and talented returnees should allow them to once again compete for a sectional title in 2018.
The Vikings and Panthers squared off once during the regular season, with Valhalla edging their finals opponent 3-2, but the eventual Class B champ had turned on the jets during their playoff run, outscoring their opponents 22-0 in three postseason games.
They wasted little time getting on the board against the home team on Saturday, plating three runs against Rye Neck ace Olivia Dunn in the first inning and scoring three more in the second on a tape-measure home run by first baseman Gianna Bencivengo.
Dunn, who was battling through a strained muscle, exited the game just one pitch into the fourth inning, swapping places with Panther first baseman Alicia Rodriguez who allowed five runs in the final four innings.
According to head coach Joan Spedafino, losing the services of an ace pitcher against a team like Valhalla can often spell the end for even the most competitive ball club.
“I don’t know when it happened, maybe the first few pitches of the day, but as the game went on you could see it really started to affect her,” Spedafino said. “[Catcher] Sam [Yannuzzi] said she was hitting her spots, and she was, but they can hit really well, and fielding-wise, we had a couple of mistakes that prolonged innings.”
Valhalla’s defense, on the other hand, was sharp, backing hurler Jillian Caldarola’s bid for a third-straight postseason shutout.
“[Caldarola] wasn’t overpowering, speed-wise, but she did an excellent job, she’s very accurate,” Spedafino said. “But we swung at some bad pitches, which was unfortunate because we had been hitting extremely well.”
With the win, the Vikings will move on to the state regional semifinals, where they will play the Section IX champion on Thursday, June 1, at Middletown High School, after press time. The Panthers, on the other hand, will have to simply wait until next year.
But Spedafino believes that her team will have enough talent coming back in 2018 to build on this year’s 20-3 record. The Panthers will graduate a few experienced seniors, including right fielder Mary Cintron, but they have a wealth of contributors eager to come back and earn another shot at the Vikings.
Chief among the Rye Neck returners will be Dunn and batterymate Sam Yannuzzi, who have become one of the best tandems in Section I and will continue to provide a boost for the club, both offensively and in the field.
This season, Dunn notched both her 400th strikeout and her 100th hit, while Yannuzzi collected her 100th hit and RBI.
“We told the team that this last game was not an indication of how well we played this year,” Spedafino said. “All of the things we accomplished this year were really amazing and everybody on the team contributed to that.”
