When Mamaroneck and Harrison squared off on Friday afternoon, it was clear from the outset that both pitchers came to Central Elementary School ready to play. In the end, however, it was Harrison who came out on top, in an evenly-matched pitcher’s duel, outlasting the Tigers in an eight-inning affair. 

Harrison plated the go-ahead when catcher Barbara Jo Coppola belted a triple to right field and came in to score on a grounder by Ava Taddeo, setting the stage for starter Gabriella Triano to retire the side in order in the bottom half of the inning.

Coppola said that she stepped up to the plate in the eighth hoping to provide some support for her battery-mate—and the rest of her team.

“I just wanted to be that player for my team and bring the energy we needed,” said Coppola. “Mamaroneck’s a good team, they’re well coached, but so are we.”

That combination of good coaching and stellar starting pitching conspired to make this one a low-scoring affair. Harrison’s Triano picked up the win, striking out 15 batters on the afternoon, but her Mamaroneck counterpart—Ariana Brito—was just as effective, striking out nine in 7.2 innings of work. 

Harrison coach Dean Marino noted that this type of game is par for the course for these two teams.”

“Mamaroneck is a good team, we always have battles with them,” said Marino. “A lot of these kids grow up playing together, so both teams always get up for these games.”

With the win, Harrison improves to 7-3 on the year, while Mamaroneck, at 6-6, finds itself in sixth place in the Class AAA standings. 

The Huskies, third in Class AA, have a week coming up with big games against teams like Ursuline and Eastchester, who is currently leading the section with a 10-1 record. 

Marino said these next few weeks should help the Huskies set the tone for a competitive playoff schedule against some of the other top teams in the area. 

“I have confidence in all my kids,” said Marino.  “I just want them to have that same confidence in themselves,”

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