Taylor Baggs will try to lead Moore past St.. Joseph by the Sea. (Damion Reid)
CHSAA softball beat writer Joseph Staszewski breaks down the CHSAA Archdiocesan championship being played at St. Joseph by the Sea on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
St. Joseph by the Sea Vikings
Record: 17-0
Head coach: Mike Ponsiglione
Player to watch: Jackie Bonamassa
Moore Catholic Mavericks
Record: 14-3
Head coach: Kristine Knuth
Player to watch: Emily Horihan
Outlook: To say these teams are familiar is an understatement. The Staten Island rivals have already played three times this season with St. Joseph by the Sea winning each. Moore though feels it is inching closer to victory against the team ranked No. 1 in the city by The Post. Sea, the defending Archdiocesan champion, won the last two meetings by scores of just 4-1 and 3-2.
“I think we are progressing each time we play them,” Mavericks first baseman Courtney Strype said.
Her team has begun to hit their stride offensively, hitting up and down the order and scoring 32 runs in two Archdiocesan playoff games. The middle of the Mavericks order — Gina Palmeri, Strype, and Taylor Baggs — have seen their bats come to life and they are hitting with power. While scoring runs is always important, defense and pitching will be the key against Sea.
Emily Horihan, who throws an array of pitches and speeds, has been able to limit the Vikings’ attack the last two times out. She pitches to contact so the Moore defense, which can have lapses, must be strong behind her, because Sea won’t make mistakes when it is in the field. The Mavs were one of just two teams to beat the Vikings last season.
No team has done it this year. Coach Mike Ponsiglione’s team has been pushed times, but it seems the greater the adversity the bigger the response. Sea found itself trialing for only the second time this season against Preston last Sunday (Moore was the other). It responded with an 11-run inning and a 13-3 win. The Vikings are on a mission to win the CHSAA state title.
“When the other team takes the lead we know we have to step up and the team comes through,” Sea shortstop Kristina Mazzarisi said. “We knew we had to hit.”
She forms one of the best left sides of an infield in the city with third baseman Jackie Kelly, one of the squad’s top hitters. The player that makes them go is centerfielder Jackie Bonamassa. The senior can slap, bunt and create a run with her legs. She, Laura Leone, Sammi Lou Anastasio and Co. form as dangerous a lineup as you can find one through nine. Will it be enough for a third straight Archdiocesan crown?