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Sports

Walk-Off Single Lifts Rye Over Harrison

The Harrison Huskies and Rye Garnets traveled to Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex to face off in a regular season game with a spring training feel. Rye won in walk off fashion 2-1.

Kevin Turco smacked a bases loaded single in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Rye Garnets a hard-fought 2 - 1 victory over the Harrison Huskies in an intense early season pitcher's dual at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fl.

Runs were at a premium all afternoon, but Harrison had an opportunity to blow the game open in the fourth inning. Senior Michael Jacobson led off the inning by breaking up Willis Robbins' no-hit bid with a line drive double down the left field line. Michael Chiarella followed the double with a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt, moving Jacobson to third with just one out. Robbins threw the first pitch to the next batter in the dirt and Jacobson scored on the wild pitch. Harrison went on to load the bases, but Robbins was able to escape the inning without giving up another run.

“I told them one run is not going to cut it," said Harrison Head Coach Marco Diruocco. “Especially against a team like Rye, the way they hit they ball, the way they play, one run is not going to cut it. We need to score more runs and that is the bottom line.”

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Rye had trouble breaking through against Harrison starter Michael Forgione, but in the fifth inning the Garnets were able to put a run on the board. Leo Matthews started the inning with an infield single and was sacrificed to second. Andrew Hudson pinch ran and scored on a single by Matthew DeGraw.

After Hudson scored Rye was able to load the bases with just one out. But Jake Meyerson lined out to second base, setting up a key play early in the game. Rye's Kevin Turco grounded to Jacobson, Harrison's shortstop, who fielded the ball cleanly but made a throw that was offline to first base. Harrison first baseman Max Bruckner made a great play by just catching the ball, then was able to get the runner out with a swipe tag.

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The field umpire originally called the runner safe but after deliberating with the umpire at home plate Turco was called out, much to the dismay of the Rye team.

“I definitely thought our player got in there,” said Rye Head Coach Mike Bruno. “It's bases loaded and he was looking at the plate but they made the call and you have to respect that.”

“I have no idea if he touched me or not,” said Turco. “I’m guessing the umps made the right call because they have the best view so you have to go by what they say.”

With the game tied going into the bottom of the seventh, Rye was able to get to Husky reliever Jordan Talibon. After a leadoff walk, Harrison made a pitching change and the next batter was hit by a pitch.

With no outs the two runners were sacrificed over by Derek Totten. Harrison then elected to walk the next batter intentionally to load the bases and pitch to Turco, the Rye captain. Turco lined a hard ground ball past the drawn in Husky infield and into right field for a walk-off single.

“I think it was a changeup,” said Turco, “so I just tried to sit back and take it the other way and it found a hole, I was lucky. It’s tough to go down 0-2, but you just have to keep fighting.”

Harrison’s Michael Forgione pitched five innings for the no decision and gave up seven hits, one walk and a run. The pitcher of record for the Huskies was Jordan Talibon, who pitched the sixth inning and to a batter in the seventh, he yielded only two walks but took the loss.

Rye starter Willis Robbins lasted six innings, striking out four, allowing five hits and a run. The winning pitcher for the Garnets was Ryan Crawford, who struck out the side in the top of the seventh.

Both teams will remain in Florida for the rest of the week to enjoy some more baseball and maybe even some Disney Magic.

“It's great being down here,” said Diruocco, the Husky coach. “We love coming down to Florida and we really get a lot out of the experience.”

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