Fieldston’s rough week continued with a loss to division rival Poly Prep.
The Eagles 3-1 Ivy League softball defeat last Saturday was supposed to be held on the two-time defending NYSAISAA champion’s home turf in the Bronx. Instead Fieldston’s grass field was deemed unplayable. Instead the Eagles were still the home team, but at Poly’s field in Bay Ridge.
“Obviously it’s a factor,” Fieldston ace Temma Levis said. “Poly is the farthest field from Fieldston and because of that we only had 40 minutes to prepare, opposed to our usual hour and 10 minutes during weekend home games. We’re just not as comfortable here. We definitely want out home field back.”
On top of the field troubles, Fieldston lost a heartbreaker to Poly Prep and left eight runners on base.
Levis was dominating through the first three innings and pitched a relatively incident free game. Poly did break through with three runs on three hits and an error in the fourth inning. The 3-0 lead was more then enough for Blue Devils’ ace Ava O’Mara, who struck out eight. She ran into trouble in the sixth and seventh innings, but Fielston (6-1, 2-1) was unable to capitalize.
In the sixth Fieldston loaded the bases with one out. Poly (5-0, 3-0) and O’Mara got out of it on a wild pitch that resulted in the runner getting tagged out at home and on an amazing play by second baseman Sarah Healy. With two outs and the bases loaded, a grounder got past Nova Stoller at first, but Healy was backing up the play and raced to first to beat the runner to the bag.
O’Mara again loaded the bases in the seventh. This time she did allow one run before her teammates stellar defense got her out of another jam. A blooper was hit over second base with two outs in the inning, as the runner on third was charging home Coor reached back and threw a strike to home to get the runner out and end the game.
Being the two-time defending state champions, Fieldston knows it is everyone’s biggest game and have a target on its backs.
“We come into every game knowing that.” Fieldston head coach Stefanie Godziewski said. “We hope that we can come into every game motivated to play.”
Fieldston will have another shot at taking down Poly this weekend. It is an opportunity it is anxiously waiting for.
“I’m confident we can come out next Saturday and beat them,” Levis said.
