PINE PLAINS — A senior day celebration is already emotional enough. Pine Plains softball decided to make it just a bit more exhilarating.
Coming back from deficits in each of the sixth and seventh innings, the Bombers ultimately scratched out a 7-6 walk-off victory over New Paltz on Friday afternoon to stay undefeated and move to 4-0 on the year. Displaying a fight until the end, a two-out rally ultimately led to an Addy Farinaccio two-run single to bring in the game-winning run.
“With this group, that’s the first instance where you don’t know how they’re going to respond with getting down and how pressure gets to them,” Pine Plains coach Les Funk said. “Some teams fold and some find a way to get it done.
“Both teams battled, especially with it being in the early season. I’m proud of how our girls came back, but that’s a quality team over there as well.”
Farinaccio went 2-4 at the plate on the day, scoring and driving in two runs. Talia Durant and Eliza Baden also recorded two hits apiece with Durant’s three-run home run in the sixth helping to spark the comeback. Peyton Burton tallied a hit and a run scored as well.
More shocking than the comeback victory itself was that it was the first time Pine Plains had seemingly been under any pressure at all up to this point in the season. The two-time reigning Section 9 Class C champions had been utterly unstoppable in their first three games, not allowing a single run.
In that span, the Bombers had outscored opponents 41-0 and had allowed just one single hit all season so far. With that context, the 15 hits and six runs given up to New Paltz (4-2) in this one was a wild deviation. With a difficult schedule upcoming and aspirations for yet another section title, a game like this is something the program almost needed to play through.
“It’s one thing telling the girls that, but now to have gone through it, that’s what they needed.” Funk said, discussing the importance of getting tested on the field.
The battle and the fight only added to the excitement of senior day. With a postgame feast and celebration already prepared just a few yards off the field, it was a memorable one for those going through the final ride of their career as Bombers.
“Our seniors have been huge. Some of them, Abbey [Mayes] and Eliza [Baden] have been starting players since ninth grade, they’ve been in it and they know,” Funk said, mentioning two of the five seniors on the team and how important they’ve become to the program and its success. “We’ve got a couple of eighth graders, the one made a mistake out there but it’s what the senior say to her to lead … they’ve been that way their whole career.”
On the other side, New Paltz was guided by Madison Braren’s 3-4 day with an RBI. Holly Radulski, Anna Maiale and Ella Gates each finished with two hits apiece while Bella Morales tallied a hit and two RBIs in the loss.
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Pine Plains completes comeback over New Paltz with wild walk-off win
Reporting by Eric Decker, Poughkeepsie Journal / Poughkeepsie Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
