Softball: Tuckahoe repeats as Section 1 Class C champion with win over Haldane

GARNERVILLE - After getting a taste of Section 1 Class C championship glory, the Tigers were determined to climb back on top once again.

Despite only having one senior on this year's roster, the Tigers had plenty of younger players who started in big roles and earned lots of playing time over the last couple of years, so there were many eager for a title repeat.

Once the opportunity came, Tuckahoe didn't miss. It defeated second-seeded Haldane, 13-1, to recapture the Section 1 Class C championship at the Haverstraw Sports Complex at Garnerville on Thursday.

"This means a lot, repeating from last year," Tuckahoe's lone senior Daniella Morgan said. "We came in, we had a good mindset. We knew we had to lockdown our defense, have a clean game and that's what we did.

"I'm the only senior, I love these girls so much. They're all my underclassmen, and it's been a lot of fun."

After falling behind 1-0 after the first inning, the Tigers scored at least two runs in each of the next few innings, including a nine-run burst in the bottom of the third where they pulled away and put the game out of reach.

Tuckahoe got contributions from all areas of its lineup. Eight different players recorded at least one hit, and five of them had multiple RBIs in the winning effort. Meanwhile, pitcher Katie Attwood helped her team repeat with her performance in the circle.

"All year, we really try to take it one inning at a time and try to win the inning," Tuckahoe coach John D'Arco said. "We don't want to get too overwhelmed, so we really take it like it's seven mini-games. (Haldane) won the first inning, they did a good job, and from then on, we just played good defense and got the bats going."

Tuckahoe is now excited for its chance to make a name for itself at the state level, starting its climb with the regional rounds.

After playing in the Morabito Tournament and facing a bunch more teams in bigger classifications throughout the regular season, the Tigers feel ready for whatever challenges lie ahead.

"We catered our schedule to play tougher teams, and playing in the Morabito Tournament helped us," D'Arco said. "We were looking big picture-wise to get that experience for these girls. They've been playing really well all year, and I keep saying I don't think they realize how good they could be.

"Defense wins championships. I think we'll hit the ball OK and put the bat on the ball, but at the end of the day, it's going to come down to how we play defense against these other teams. If we can play as close to flawless as possible, I think we can play with almost anybody at the Class C level."

As for Haldane, while it wasn't the ending it wanted, this season marked a significant return to not only the finals, but varsity softball in general.

The Blue Devils had their own team for the first time since 2019, when they were also previously crowned section champs. They spent the last couple of years merged with Putnam Valley, but it was a big year for the program to have a revival.

"It sucks that it ended the way it did, but I know how hard everyone worked," Haldane junior Callie Sniffen said. "Coaches put in hours on the field or at home. Our pitcher, Allegra Clementson, I see her on the field every day. Any day we don't have practice, we work together and have captain's practices. As a team, we connected great. We started young, but we built it up and got here, which is pretty impressive.

"We saw the strength we have, and I think everyone saw it too. We're coming back next year, and I love wearing this Haldane jersey. I love this school and how we connected this year, and I know it's only going to get better from here."

What it means

Tuckahoe repeats as Section 1 Class C champion and is headed back to the NYSPHSAA tournament. The Tigers will face the Section 11 champion in the Class C state regional semifinals at North Rockland High School on Wednesday at 4 p.m.

Player of the game

Katie Attwood, Tuckahoe: She delivered at the plate and in the circle. Attwood gave up just one run on two hits, while striking out eight batters and walking none over five innings. She also added a hit, two runs, and two RBIs.

By the numbers

No. 1 Tuckahoe (17-5): Cayleigh Handel went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs. Tiana Fret went 1-for-3 with three RBIs. Olivia Rocco went 1-for-2 with a double and two RBIs. Gianna Galati also had a double and two RBIs. Bianca Pian went 1-for- 2 with a double, one RBI and two runs. Daniella Morgan went 1-for-3 with a run scored. Jillian Tai also had a hit, while Molly Attwood scored two runs.

No. 2 Haldane (8-11): Callie Sniffen went 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored. Sophia Taylor also had a hit. Allegra Clementson had a RBI.

They said it

"Our bond is what makes us special. We have a lot of fun on this team. We work hard and this is the outcome." -Tuckahoe senior Daniella Morgan

"All of our hard work paid off with this game, so it feels really nice. It feels really great, this time is special because we're young, so we're going to keep getting better as the years go on." -Tuckahoe pitcher Katie Attwood

"There's a lot to grow on from this. Tuckahoe is a really good team, hat's off to them. We knew we had to play perfect softball to be successful, and we certainly didn't do that today, so that's where we are. It was a special year, we started off well, had some ups and downs, but to have a varsity season in the first place and compete at the varsity level was pretty awesome. We knew we were going to have this day come at some point, because we were working really hard to build it back up when my daughter and I moved into the community a few years ago. ... Lots to build on, definitely, but we have a long way to go still." - Haldane coach Jeff Sniffen, whose Blue Devils made their revival season with a young team that featured many middle schoolers and underclassmen

Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Softball: Tuckahoe repeats as Section 1 Class C champ, defeats Haldane