On Saturday afternoon, the Ursuline softball team came up with a good answer to the question “Why Not Us?”—something the Koalas have been pondering aloud over the last few weeks. With a 5-3 win over top-seeded Tappan Zee in the Class A finals, Ursuline silence any doubters, capturing the program’s first Section I title in history.
Ursuline wasted little time getting started, tagging Dutchmen starter Keira Meyers for two runs in the top of the first inning on a single by Ava Papaleo and a sacrifice fly by Sofia Boncardo. That two-run cushion allowed Koala ace Emily Duhaney to take the circle with a bit a breathing room.
“It definitely helped, everyone on the team can bring something to the plate and I think that helped with our confidence,” said Duhaney. “It let us know that everyone was ready to play in a big game.”
The Koalas led throughout, buoyed by a strong performance from Duhaney, who did not allow a run until the fourth inning. She also went 3-for-4 at the plate, driving in two runs to help pad the Ursuline lead. She would buckle down in the bottom of the seventh inning, when—with the tying run at the plate—she induced a groundball back to the mound to record the final out of the game.
Offensively, Duhaney’s output was supported by terrific days from Papaleo (2-for-4, RBI), Boncardo (2-4, 2 RBIs) and shortstop Jessica Tejera (3-for-4, two doubles). Tejera said that although the Koalas’ success this year might have come as a surprise to some around Section 1, Ursuline knew from the get-go that it had what it took to vie for its first-ever section crown. In a competitive Class A landscape—which included a tough Harrison team which Ursuline beat late to advance to the finals—Tejera said that the Koalas’ familiarity with and confidence in each other was an important factor in getting the team to this point.
“We knew coming in that we had a great group of girls with a bunch of returners,” said Tejera. “Everyone came into the season wanting it and we knew this could be our year.”
Even a slow start—one which saw the Koalas lose three of its first four games—wasn’t enough to dampen that spark, as the team would go on an 18-1 stretch the rest of the way.
“We picked it up and we knew we had a chance,” said Tejera. “We felt like we could beat anyone if we played our game.”
Ursuline will receive a bye in the state tournament and will be back in action on Saturday, June 3 to take on the winner of a game between Section 9 champion Franklin D. Roosevelt and Section 4 champion Maine-Endwell.
Contact: sports@hometwn.com
