Eastchester junior Sophia Tiso came through in the clutch on April 18, smacking a two-strike, two-out offering from Mamaroneck’s Gianna Magrino into right field to break a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the sixth inning and propel the Eagles to a 4-2 win over the previously unbeaten Tigers. At 6-1 on the season, Tiso and her Eastchester teammates are flying high thus far, and wins like the one they scored on Monday are helping to build some momentum as the second half approaches.
Heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, the Eagles, who struggled to break out against Mamaroneck’s promising freshman hurler, gathered together for a brief meeting. According to Eastchester coach Chris Walpole, the message was a simple one: somebody was going to have to come up with the big hit.
“We had left a lot of people on base early on, so we talked about it in the huddle, we knew that someone had to step up,” Walpole said. “Today, it was Sophia who came through.”
With two outs and a runner on second, Tiso slapped the ball through the right side of the infield to plate the go-ahead run.
“I had two strikes on me so I knew I had to put the ball in play,” Tiso said. “[Magrino] was throwing pretty good, but I just had to pull the ball to get the run in.”
The Eagles would tack on another run to head into the top of the seventh inning with a two-run lead, which was all they needed. Pitcher Jess Becchetti, who allowed just five hits on the day, was able to close the door and nail down the Eagles’ sixth win of the season.
“This is a great Mamaroneck team,” Tiso said. “But with the way Jess was pitching, we knew there was no way they were going to score in the seventh.”
Mamaroneck came into Monday’s game sporting an unblemished record and seemed to grab control early after first baseman Jess Fiacco hit a first-inning drive to right field that was initially ruled to be a solo home run. But after Walpole went out to argue the call, the umpires held a quick conference and determined the ball had travelled under the fence and ruled the hit a ground rule double. Becchetti buckled down afterwards and left Fiacco stranded on the bases.
“You never know [if they are going to overturn the call], it depends on what umpire you have and if he’s willing to bend,” Walpole said. “I didn’t have a good angle on it, but our fans out there beyond the fence really helped us out with that.”
Mamaroneck will look to rebound from its first loss of the year with a tough league game against New Rochelle on April 19, while the young Eagles, who have defied expectations with a 6-1 start, aim to continue their winning ways against Rye on April 20, after press time.
“We’re the underdogs this year,” Tiso said. “We’re a very young team, but we are playing with a lot of confidence.”
