Sports

Seventh heaven: St. Edmund rolls past Fontbonne for CHSAA Brooklyn crown

St. Edmund’s Casey Sclafani had two hits including a two-run double on Wednesday. (Damion Reid)

St. Edmund used all the ingredients of its late-season run to complete it. The Eagles went winless in their first five games and were in last place in their division. But another gem from ace Emma Ferrington and continued clutch hitting from the middle of its order put St. Edmund (7-5) in first for good.

“It took each good thing from each game and just put it into one,” senior catcher Casey Sclafani said.

The Eagles easily topped rival and second-place Fontbonne Hall, 12-2, in CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens softball Wednesday at Dyker Beach Park. It was their seventh straight win and completes quite a turned around to earn their first Brooklyn division title since 1993.

“I know that these girls have been working so hard,” St. Edmund coach Rowena Motylewski said. “I told them, ‘You took a potentially miserable season and turned it right around.’”

Pitcher Emma Ferrington wouldn’t let it end any other way. The senior was brilliant. She had Fontbonne hitters lunging forward at her changeup and behind her fastball as she danced both around the strike zone all game. Ferrington allowed two hits through the first four innings and seven total to go along with one earned run for the game. She struck out six and walked none.

“We just wanted this one so bad,” Ferrington said. “We just put all our heart into it and we got what we wanted.”

The middle of the Eagles’ order helped provide more than enough offense. Sclafani, the No. 3 hitter, heard Fontbonne coach Frank Marinello call for an intentional walk with her up with two on and two outs in the fourth inning and the Eagles already ahead 2-0. Sclafani, who had two hits and scored twice, didn’t think the Bonnies heard and lined a low ball to left-center field for a two-RBI double to make it 4-0.

“I crowded the plate,” she said. “If the first pitch was there I was going to swing.”

St. Edmund added two runs in the fifth on an RBI single by Jenny Russo and a Shelly Cranston sac fly. Cleanup hitter Janelle Garvey then hit a three-run homer to right field to extend the lead to 9-0. The Eagles took advantage of 15 walks from starter Jenna Nixon. The junior started her first game of the season in place of ace Michelle Fioto, who Marinello would only say was not able to pitch.

“Once everyone starts going well, everyone starts to get that boost of energy,” Motylewski said.

Fontbonne (6-6) got on the board in the bottom of the sixth thanks to a two-run single from Kelly O’Connell. Ferrington, who allowed very few balls out of the infield, avoided further trouble. The Eagles added three runs in the seventh before Ferrington got Victoria Silva to ground out to end the game and clinch the title. A winless start, which included three losses to teams from Queens, felt like a long time ago.

“We knew we could do it, but we weren’t,” Sclafani said. “Now we finally put everything together.”