Freshman pitcher Molly Violetti reached the 100th strikeout of her varsity career, senior Maddie Ferraro delivered a clutch two-run inning and the Cornwall Dragons clinched a Section 9 playoff berth with a 15-6 victory over the Washingtonville Wizards on Thursday.

The win improved Cornwall to 9-6. Washingtonville fell to 2-15 after losing its seventh straight.
The Dragons trailed 2-0 after the first inning before erupting for seven runs in the second on their way to the lopsided final.

“We were playing as a team, which is huge,” Cornwall head coach Kelsey Hand said. “Not one person can win or lose a game for us. Playing with all 12 girls throughout all seven innings is kind of our team motto, and they’ve been doing that.”

Violetti, who joined the program as an eighth grader last season, recorded her milestone strikeout in the second inning. The freshman has quickly established herself as one of the area’s top young arms.

“I’m really excited and it’s a huge accomplishment,” Violetti said. “I think this team has lots of potential to do well — and we are now, but even in the future. I’m confident knowing I have my defense behind me, and it helps me stay composed while pitching.”

The Wizards drew first blood in the first inning, taking advantage of two Cornwall infield errors on ground balls. Washingtonville used its team speed to set up a bases-loaded situation, and when an infield throw sailed over the catcher’s head, two runs scored to give the Wizards an early 2-0 lead.

Cornwall’s offense answered in the second. Kayla Slattery started the rally with a ground ball single past second base, and Violetti followed with a walk. Senior captain Abbey Crow, playing her final home game, executed a bunt that moved the runners and set the stage for Ferraro.

With the bases loaded and her team trailing by two runs, Ferraro grounded a ball through the infield to score Slattery and cut the deficit to one. The momentum continued when a pitch sailed past the catcher, allowing Violetti to score from third and tie the game.

Cornwall then took the lead and never looked back. Katelyn Greene followed with a ground ball that loaded the bases again, and another wild pitch allowed Ferraro to score and give the Dragons a 3-2 edge. Violet Pruitt then hit a triple past third base that scored Greene, and when the Wizards’ outfield struggled to field the ball, Pruitt scored as well to push the lead to 5-2. Allyson Fanning capped the inning with a two-RBI hit, and Cornwall held a 7-2 advantage heading into the third.

“We’ve been talking a lot about going into the batter’s box with confidence,” Hand said. “They’ve had hits their whole life and know what to do. It’s just going in there with that mentality of ‘I can do this’ rather than being nervous or scared.”

Washingtonville pitcher Vienna Conklin kept the game interesting with a long drive in the third that scored two runs, cutting the deficit to 7-4. But Cornwall’s defense, led by Crow and Ferraro, limited the damage. Ferraro made an athletic sliding catch, and Crow recorded a putout to end the inning.

The Dragons added to their lead in the fourth when Kathryn Breheny reached on a dropped fly ball, advanced to third and eventually scored on a wild pitch to make it 8-4.

Cornwall broke the game open in the fifth, sending multiple batters to the plate and pushing across seven more runs to take a 15-4 lead. Emma Hartwig hit a single to score Slattery, Ellie McCormick hit a run-scoring single and scored on a Breheny single, and Alana Hayes drove in a run of her own. Several additional Cornwall base runners scored on a combination of wild pitches and defensive miscues.

Washingtonville scored twice in the sixth off relief pitcher Hartwig to make the final score 15-6. But the margin of the contest could not diminish what the evening meant for the Dragon seniors.
Crow made her presence felt throughout the night. The senior captain made a sharp catch-and-tag to erase a Wizard runner attempting to steal second base in the second inning. Later, in the sixth with the outcome already decided, Crow dove twice in the infield to field ground balls — the second dive coming after she needed a few minutes to recover from the first.

“It just shows that I’m willing to literally put my body on the line for my teammates and do anything for them,” Crow said. “I felt privileged to lead these girls as I see so much potential in this team in these next few years. My teammates and coaches have helped me become a leader and showed me what true friendship and camaraderie mean.”

Ferraro matched Crow’s effort with her own clutch performance. She drew praise from her coach for stepping up with the game on the line.

“I’m impressed but not surprised,” Ferraro said. “I knew we had this game and it was important for us to make sections. I just knew we would come back.”

Hand credited the team’s collective mindset for carrying them through the early deficit and into the postseason.

“They’ve done a really good job of knowing that if they make a mistake or if they don’t get that hit, there is somebody next to them in the lineup that will get the job done just as well as they can,” Hand said. “Letting their egos go and playing for the team.”

Among the defensive highlights for Washingtonville was an over-the-shoulder catch by outfielder Madelyn Krogslund, who made a running, off-balance play to retire a Cornwall batter and drew applause from the home crowd.

Hartwig and Lillian Wood contributed in relief for Cornwall, with Wood recording a catch-and-throw on the run to help close out the game.