New York Rise cap off their first regular season with a shutout victory over the Chattanooga Steam
Nick Mongiovi
Hofstra University Reporter
The New York Rise ended the regular season on a high note as they beat the Chattanooga Steam 4-0 on Sunday, July 21. This game three victory earned the Rise a series victory, which is something they haven’t accomplished since the opening series of the year when they swept the Florida Vibe on Wednesday, July 3.
The New York Rise began game three exactly how they began game two, but the result was different. With two outs in the first, Makena Smith worked a walk to extend the inning. Alex Honnold entered the left-handed batters box and clobbered a home run over the wall in right field, which gave the team a 2-0 lead.
New York Rise head coach Rodney “Crash” McCray talked about how the team can build off of a team win and make some noise in the Association of Fastpitch Professionals (AFP) Championship Cup Tournament.
“We’re good, going into the playoffs on a positive note”
“We’re good, going into the playoffs on a positive note,” said McCray. “The chemistry is there, we have about a day and a half off, so we’ll be ready to go.”
The Rise tacked on two more runs in the third inning, as Smith ledoff with a walk. Honnold laid down a bunt and beat the throw from the third baseman to set up runners on first and second with nobody out. Sami Williams followed that up by moving both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt.
With one out in the inning, Carolina Wang grounded out to the shortstop, but it was a productive out as Smith came around to score from third. With runners on first and third and two outs, Kayla Wedl smoked a single up the middle, scoring Honnold from third to cap off the two-run inning and give the Rise a commanding 4-0 lead.
“We only had four hits but they were timely hits,” McCray said. “I’m looking forward to going to Tennessee. If we catch the ball, we’ll be in the game. It’s as simple as that.”
Courtney Wyche got the nod from Crash in this one, as she tossed four scoreless innings. Wyche allowed three hits and issued three walks, but fanned five in the win. Jailyn Ford relieved Wyche at the start of the fifth inning as she pitched three no-hit innings and surrendered just one walk while striking out three.
“We’ve been struggling in the first inning, but Courtney did a good job.”
“It [the performance from Wyche and Ford] was good,” McCray said. “We’ve been struggling in the first inning, but Courtney did a good job. She has had trouble getting out of the first inning but today she was lights out. We had a few walks though, but other than that it was good.”
This team has proven all season long that they can hang with all three teams in the league; Chattanooga Steam, Oklahoma Spark and the Florida Vibe. Coach McCray said that the key to success and winning another championship is going to be the “pitching,” but if this team’s top-four batters struggle at the plate, it’s going to be a short tournament for the Rise.
The New York Rise head to Chattanooga, TN as they look to repeat as AFP Champions. The Rise won the Inagural Scenic City Pro Cup on June 22, but they’ll look to add another Championship Cup to their trophy case.
Game one of the tournament for the Rise will be on Thursday, July 25 against the Florida Vibe. The New York Rise are (4-2) against the Vibe this season. First pitch will be at 4:30 p.m.
