Coming into Monday afternoon’s matchup against Ursuline, the Harrison Huskies knew they’d have to be nearly perfect if they hoped to record a win over the Koalas. In the end, it was Harrison’s disciplined approaches at the plate—and a gutsy pitching performance from Gabriella Triano—that made the difference, as the Huskies edged the Koalas in an 8-7 nail-biter.
Harrison jumped out to a 3-0 lead by the third inning, capitalizing on effective small-ball, aggressive base-running, and a few defensive miscues. Huskies coach Dean Marino admitted that against a pitcher like Ursuline’s Emily Duhaney, his team understood it needed to scratch out runs however it could.
“We know Emily, she’s great at moving the ball around the zone, so it’s definitely tough to put good swings on it,” said Marino. “We put pressure on the defense, and that worked to our advantage.”
The Koalas managed to get on the board in the fourth inning and scored three more in the sixth, but each time Ursuline crossed the plate, the Huskies were able to answer in their turn at at bat. Barbara Jo Coppola and her sister Kelly provided a main spark for Harrison, with Barbara Joe collecting two hits and scoring three runs and Kelly smacking a double and driving in three. Heading into the seventh inning, the Huskies held an 8-4 lead over the visitors, something Marino said speaks to the tenacity of his squad.
“This is probably one of the toughest teams I’ve ever had, mentally,” said Marino. “They know the game’s not over until there are zero outs to go, so they keep battling.
That toughness came in handy on Monday, as Ursuline rallied again in the final inning, cutting the deficit to one run after a majestic homer by Ava Papaleo.
Harrison hurler Gabriella Triano shook off the mammoth blast, however, retiring the final two batters to nail down the win. Marino credited Triano, a sophomore, for her poise in the circle.
“I’m proud of [Gabriella] for a lot of reasons, but mostly because she has ice in her veins,” said Harrison coach Dean Marino. “She could give up a home run, she could strike out a batter, you would never be able to tell from her demeanor.”
With the win, the Huskies improved to 3-1 on the year, something Marino said is especially impressive given the nature of opponents that Harrison has faced. The club’s lone loss came on April 5 to Tappan Zee, an undefeated team that has outscored their foes 49-1 at this point.
“If you look at our schedule, we haven’t scheduled anyone that isn’t any good,” said Marino. “Every year we know we’re going to go to the playoffs, so it’s about playing the toughest teams we can during the regular season.”
Contact: sports@hometwn.com
