The Construction players remember the second round well – and not in a good way. Last year, the Red Hawks were the favorites and a chic pick to make a deep run in the playoffs.
Then they got upset by Francis Lewis.
“It was a little bit of a statement game,” coach Marco Migliaccio said of being back in the second round. “Some of the upperclassmen really took this personal.”
No. 3 Construction scored six runs in the first inning and didn’t look back in a 10-0, six-inning win over No. 14 LaGuardia in the PSAL Class A playoffs Monday in Bergen Beach. The Red Hawks had to move their game from Smokey Oval Park nearby their school in Queens to Brooklyn due to poor field conditions after all the rain that has hit the area in the past week.
Miglaccio said he would rather play No. 6 Clinton in the quarterfinals Tuesday back at Smokey Oval, but the game will probably be played at Bergen Beach again. This will be Construction’s first final eight since moving up to the ‘A’ league last spring.
“I like the dirt; I don’t like the turf,” Miglaccio said. “I think I’m a little more worried about it tomorrow.”
Against LaGuardia (10-6), Red Hawks freshman ace Britney Rodriguez threw a no-hitter with three walks and 10 strikeouts. She has not given up a hit in 11 playoff innings thus far. Amanda Garcia went 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored and Ashley Burke was 1-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored.
“We came out really strong,” Migliaccio said. “We came out on fire today. … This whole year sometimes they play down to their competition. They realized they had to cut the crap out.”
He doesn’t expect any of it Tuesday. Clinton ace Tayna Pena plays for Migliaccio’s RichHaven Ravens travel program over the summer and knows many of the girls on Construction well. The coach doesn’t think that means his team will have the upper hand. Pena plays shortstop over the summer and doesn’t pitch much for the Ravens.
“Some of my catchers caught her, so that’s a small advantage,” Migliaccio said. “But she’s a great ball player all around, She can hit, she can field, she can pitch. She can do everything.”
Everything except beat his high-school team, the coach hopes.