It took its final try, but St. Edmund Prep finally broke through against one of Brooklyn’s elite CHSAA teams. The Eagles knocked off rival Fontbonne Hall, 15-9, at Dyker Park in CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens softball Wednesday. St. Edmund lost the previous meeting, 8-7, and had been beaten twice by Bishop Kearney. The win forces a tiebreaker game for second place Thursday at Nazareth.
“This was like a big deal for all the seniors because this was the only time we actually beat Fontbonne,” senior Samantha McCandless said.
Fontbonne (9-3) did lead early on a two-run homer by Ashley Schirripa in the first. It was all Eagles (9-3) after that. They scored five runs in the second and seven more in the fifth to open up a 12-2 lead.
“The lead definitely helped because we felt like we could definitely pull this off,” McCandless said.
Casey Sclafani led off the second with a double, McCandless singled and Jenny Russ walked to load the bases against Fontbonne starter Michelle Fioto. Emma Ferrington, who struck out six, followed with a two-run single, Russ later stole home and Cassandra Molinari and Meagan Cranston each drove in runs to make it 5-2. Janelle Garvey had an RBI triple in a three-run seventh that made it 15-6.
“We kept hitting the ball,” St. Edmund coach Rowena Motylewski said. “If they gave us any opportunities we took advantage of it.”
The same can be said for the fifth inning where the Eagles pounded out seven runs on six hits and two walks. Cranston, who was 2-for-5 with two runs scored, got things going with a single and McCandless, who was 4-for-4 with two runs, delivered an RBI single.
“She is one of those overlooked players, but she comes up in the clutch,” Motylewski said of McCandless. “Batting in that six spot she has a number of RBIs.”
Fontbonne added four runs in the bottom of the inning, in which Schirripa had an RBI double and scored three more times in the seventh, where Corine Fitzgibbons drove in a run.
St. Edmund knows the task gets harder Thursday when it will likely face Schirippa, the Bonnies’ ace, in a game to decide playoff positioning. The Eagles, who are swinging the bat well, feel confident going against her having scored seven runs in their first meeting.
“Schirripa is a good pitcher, but I think we are going to be prepared for her,” McCandless said.
But no matter what happens they know they will always have this win.
“This game, beating Fontbonne, is defintely a big game for our whole season,” McCandless said. “It shows how much we have improved.
