Cheryl Lopez says she shakes her head sometimes at the things her Tottenville teammate, Victoria McFarland, can do on the field. McFarland says she’s not sure how many times she’s hit the ball over the fence at Tottenville – perhaps because there have been far too many to count.
The Albany-bound senior center fielder did it again Tuesday. She crushed a Cheyenne Tatesure pitch deep into left, the ball still rising on a line when it smacked off a tree branch above the fence. The blast went for a three-run home run and gave Tottenville the cushion it needed to beat James Madison, 7-2, in a rematch of last year’s PSAL Class A city championship game. The Knights had broken the Pirates’ streak of six straight titles.
“It was such a relief,” said Lopez, the sophomore pitcher who gave up two runs on nine hits in seven innings. “It took a lot of pressure off. They had to get quite a few runs to catch up with us. Vicky’s hit basically set the stage for us.”
That’s really what McFarland has been doing this season for Tottenville as well as the last three. She started from Day One as a freshman and hasn’t let up since, helping the Pirates to a pair of PSAL Class A city titles. This year she’s hitting .727 with three home runs and 25 RBIs in 11 league games and on Tuesday against Madison, McFarland was 3-for-3 with five RBIs and two runs scored.
“You know you’re gonna get pumped,” she said of meeting the rival Knights. “We know we’re gonna see them again, probably in the championship or playoffs maybe. You definitely get pumped up to play them. You get excited.”
McFarland, who also helped lead Tottenville to its first-ever PSAL Class A girls basketball semifinals appearance in March, made an uncharacteristic baserunning error in the third inning Tuesday. She expected a Jillian Regan liner to fall in left field, but Danielle Mulle made the play after bobbling it. McFarland, who was already rounding home, was doubled off second when Mulle threw the ball in.
Tottenville coach Cathy Morano took her to task – something she rarely has to do with one of the city’s best players. Of course, the star slugger made up those runs two innings later when she crushed the three-run homer.
“She made a big mistake on the bases so she kind of had to make up for that,” Morano said. “We should have had a few more runs in there.”
McFarland, who Morano says is probably the best center fielder she’s had, jumped all over the first pitch from Tatesure, Madison’s freshman No. 2 starter, and hit it out. She’s a free swinger, walking just seven times the last two years combined.
“I try not to think when I’m up,” said McFarland, who has a 94 average in the classroom. “It just happens. First pitch, some people like to take, but I like being aggressive when I’m up at bat.”
It’s hard to argue with her incredible success.