Sports

Kirby, Garnets best Eagles

On Thursday, April 21, Rye and Eastchester’s aces squared off in one of the most anticipated matchups of the 2016 season, as George Kirby and the Garnets took on Greg Satriale and the Eagles at Disbrow Park in Rye.

Despite the pedigree of the hurlers, it was Rye’s bats that carried the day, as the Garnets rode a late surge to a 6-4 win.

George Kirby throws a pitch against Eastchester on Thursday, April 21. Kirby struck out 10 batters in 6.1 innings of work to pick up the win over the Eagles. Photo/George Kirby
George Kirby throws a pitch against Eastchester on Thursday, April 21. Kirby struck out 10 batters in 6.1 innings of work to pick up the win over the Eagles. Photo/George Kirby

With the score knotted at three and one out in the bottom of the fifth inning, Rye catcher Chase Pratt launched a monstrous two-run homer to right field to put his team up 5-3. According to Pratt, who also faced Satriale in the final inning of a 13-5 Eastchester win on Wednesday, April 20, the key to breaking through against the Binghamton-bound right-hander was simply not overthinking the situation. As a result, he was able to deposit a letter-high fastball into the woods beyond the right field fence.

“Satriale is a great pitcher but we knew we could hit him,” Pratt said. “Before the pitch, they called time, and I went over to my coach and asked him what to look for up there and he just said, ‘Clear your head.’”

Pratt’s blast chased Satriale from the game, and the Eastchester senior finished with a line of four earned runs, five hits and seven strikeouts in 4.1 innings of work against the Garnets.

Satriale’s counterpart, Kirby, struck out 10 in 6.1 innings of work, allowing seven hits and three earned runs before giving way to Joe Zulli, who nailed down the save.

Although most in attendance expected the game to turn into a pitcher’s duel, good at-bats by both teams, combined with a tight strike zone meant both starters had to work much harder than usual.

“I knew it was going to be that way on the first pitch of the game,” Pratt said. “That first pitch, I didn’t even frame it, it was right down the middle and [the umpire] called it a ball.”

Kirby agreed with Pratt’s assessment and said that he was forced to change his game plan early in the first inning.

“I just tried to stay cool,” the 6-foot-4 righty said. “He wasn’t calling much in the zone, so I just had to get them swinging and trust my teammates out in the field.”

With the win, Rye improved to 7-2 on the year, while the Eagles fell to 5-3. Eastchester will be back in action against Harrison on Saturday, April 30, after press time, while the Garnets will look to parlay their win over Eastchester into better offensive performances in the future.

“We made a few too many errors today, but our biggest struggle all year has been the bats,” Pratt said. “Satriale, in my mind, is the second-best pitcher in the section behind George, so to be able to get a win off him, our confidence is through the roof.”