IN-Tech mercy-rules rival RKA

on the softball field to kick-off

spring sports season

By Jason Eisenberg

March 24, 2011 -- There was certainly no shortage of story lines

when the IN-Tech Academy and Riverdale/Kingsbridge

Academy softball teams stepped onto the diamond Tuesday

afternoon to open the local spring sports schedule. 

For both the IN-Tech Lady Panthers and RKA Lady Tigers,

the first day of the 2011 season was essentially the start of a

brand new era. After two immensely successful seasons at the

“B” level, IN-Tech was promoted to the PSAL’s version of the big leagues and is immediately being considered a contender within the Bronx “A” Division. Leading the Lady Panthers on this challenging journey will be first-year head coach Meghan McGourty, who takes over for Claudio Barbieri after his impressive three-year stint in the dugout earned him a head coaching job at Lehman College. 

On the other hand, RKA is already coming off two straight strong years at the “A” level, including a share of the division crown and a trip to the city quarterfinals last season. However, the Lady Tigers must now try to keep this success going without their two biggest stars, after losing both Nelyssa Rosario and Jane Witkowski to graduation.

Then, there is the one key member of the RKA softball program that actually views 2011 as the final chapter in a decade-long run filled with countless memories and accomplishments. Following this season, longtime head coach Bob Finz will step down from his position of leading the team that he personally created ten years ago and he is certainly hoping to go out on a high note. 

While these subplots will continue to play out over the course of the next two-plus months, the big news for now was what happened on the field when these two local schools met in a softball game for the first time ever. After two hours and just five innings, it was the “A” rookies of IN-Tech that walked away with a surprising 11-1, mercy rule-shortened victory over their counterparts from RKA.

“It was a great first game and we are obviously setting the bar high right away,” said Coach McGourty. “This is a big rivalry for the kids and they have worked hard to get to the ‘A’ league, but now they have to stay focused on doing this consistently day in and day out. Luckily, I have a great group of girls and they know this is just one day, so I can count on them to practice hard and always want to keep getting better.”  

The Lady Panthers -- and specifically senior starting pitcher Yariel Acevedo -- did not waste much time before showing the promotion was well-deserved and they are worthy of the “A” level. Acevedo struck out a pair of batters and allowed only a single by RKA sophomore second baseman Courtney Segal in a scoreless top of the first. Then, IN-Tech’s offense went to work and -- with a few lucky breaks along the way -- managed to put four runs on the board in the bottom of the frame.

It appeared as if RKA would escape the first inning unscathed when Segal made a nice catch on a line drive to initiate a double play. However, Lady Tigers junior pitcher Zanovia Pierce walked IN-Tech’s Xiomara German and Nathasha Quiroz, as well as allowed an infield single to Heidy Cabral, and suddenly the bases were loaded. The next IN-Tech batter, sophomore first baseman Kimberly Rodriguez, hit a hard grounder toward the pitcher’s mound, but an errant throw allowed all three runners to come around and score. Senior Arlene Adames capped off the two-out rally with an RBI single that dropped in the shallow outfield and scored Rodriguez to give the Lady Panthers a 4-0 lead.

Acevedo continued her strong work on the mound and did not allow a single RKA player to reach base over the next two frames, while on offense, the Lady Panthers increased their advantage by scoring one run in each of the second and third innings. Finally, with two outs in the fourth, RKA was able to erase the zero on its scoresheet. Pierce reached base on a walk and then junior catcher Rosa Le smashed an RBI single to left-field that scored pinch-runner Lea Cohen. Unfortunately, it would be the last hit -- and only run -- of the day for RKA.

IN-Tech immediately got the run back in the bottom of the frame and Acevedo struck out two more Lady Tigers during a hitless top of the fifth. Going in to the bottom of the fifth with a 7-1 lead, IN-Tech was looking to add another insurance run or two, but instead the Lady Panthers ended the game prematurely. Anyi Russo and Chayne Dauo both reached base on infield singles, before Pierce walked three consecutive IN-Tech batters to force in a pair of runs. Then, clean-up hitter Cabral crushed a laser to deep right-field for a two-run double that wrapped up the contest and sealed an opening day victory for the Lady Panthers.

“Today we took advantage of walks and errors, but I know I have a team where any one of 17 kids can get a hit when we need them to,” said Coach McGourty. “The real credit, though, goes to Yariel’s pitching. She is our workhorse, our team leader, and when she throws like this, we feel like we can compete in any game.”  

On the contrary, this was not the way that Coach Finz envisioned RKA beginning the new season, as arguably his top three hitters -- Erica Wilczek, Pierce and Jennifer Lorenzo -- went a combined 0-for-6, with one walk and three strikeouts. Yet, he still remains completely confident that the Lady Tigers will quickly bounce back from this loss.

“I hope this game will teach the girls something, but it is probably best if they really just get it out of their heads right away,” said Finz. “I definitely still think we have enough offense and that this was just one day where we could not hit the ball at all. Also, I know Zanovia is going to be better, today her control was just not there and the mistakes from that bad first inning seemed to throw her off. But as I keep saying, it is a really competitive division this year and I would not be surprised if a lot of teams finish close together with 6-7 or 7-6 type records.”       

Three Stars of the Game

#1 - Yariel Acevedo, IN-Tech - Senior pitcher was dominant; allowed just one run, two hits and two walks in five innings, while striking out six to pick up the win.

#2 - Heidy Cabral, IN-Tech - Junior catcher had two hits, including the two-run double that ended the game in the fifth; led all players with four RBIs, to go along with one run scored and a stolen base.

#3 - Kimberly Rodriguez, IN-Tech - Sophomore first baseman got the onslaught started by clearing the bases with a three-run infield hit in the first inning.

RKA Report Card

Offense: C-

The Lady Tigers might have lost most of their power, but this team still has more than enough talent to put up runs. With Wilczek and Pierce leading the way, you have to believe that this kind of two-hit performance will be an aberration over the course of the season.

Defense: D

In this case, the “D” stands for Disastrous Defense. Eight of IN-Tech’s 11 hits did not leave the infield, but on this day, just about every ball that was put in play became an adventure for the RKA defense. The one notable exception was Segal, who made a couple of nice catches while playing second base.

Pitching: C+

Pierce has too much talent for there to be any real concern after just one game, but the fact is the junior pitcher had issues with her accuracy and control throughout the contest. While Pierce was not really hit hard -- only three hits left the infield -- eight walks and one hit batter compared to just a single strikeout is not going to result in many wins.

IN-Tech Report Card

Offense: B+

IN-Tech appears to be a team that has hitting up and down its entire lineup. However, on this day, the Lady Panthers did not rely on power for most of their hits and runs. Instead, they used patience at the plate, smart and aggressive base-running, as well as consistent hustle to beat out infield singles.

Defense: A-

While the outfield had a very quiet day, IN-Tech’s infielders were almost flawless. The Lady Panthers looked to be in midseason form the way they threw the ball around the diamond, easily playing ground balls, grabbing line drives and fielding bunt attempts.

Pitching: A

It might be just one day, but Acevedo certainly made a point of immediately proving that she can handle “A” level hitters and she was clearly the most valuable player in the game. Between her tricky fastballs and the movement on her off-speed pitches, the senior limited a talented RKA lineup to just a pair of hits in five innings.