Lawrence falls to Lynbrook

Two teams heading in opposite directions for quite some time continued their respective paths last Saturday when Lynbrook beat Lawrence, 11-2, in a Conference ABC-V softball game at Atlantic Avenue field.

Sophomore pitcher Rebecca Tisdell scattered four hits and struck out 11, and senior Kim Hesler and sophomores Christina Malcangi and Kasey Keller drove in two runs apiece to lead the first-place Lady Owls to their 14th consecutive conference victory without a defeat. The Lady Golden Tornadoes, who slipped to 2-10, got run-scoring singles from junior Jen Rudolph and senior Neha Patel.

“Our seniors have played really well and our younger players have made a major impact,” Lynbrook coach Pete Toscano said. “The season has been a lot of fun.”

Tisdell, who didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning, led off the bottom of the third by drawing a walk against Lawrence freshman pitcher Nicole Robinson and promptly stole second. Hesler also walked and both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch. Keller then hit a shot up the middle that glanced off Robinson’s glove and went to senior shortstop Catherine Kenny, who threw Keller out as Tisdell crossed the plate with the game’s first run. Hesler then stole home for a 2-0 lead.

Lynbrook tacked on three runs in the fourth on a run-scoring single by Malcangi and a two-run single by Hesler. Two of the three runners reached base via a walk, which is something Lawrence coach Joe Supple is looking to change for the last few games.

“It’s a big jump from the Middle School team to varsity and Nicole is learning to pitch on the fly,” Supple said of Robinson, who allowed only four hits through five innings but struggled with control and issued nine walks. “We experimented with a few other girls, but she’s been the most consistent. She doesn’t have to strike people out. We’re usually a solid defensive team.

”It has been a tough year, but we’ll try to close on a good note,” he added.

Lawrence’s bats got going in the sixth. Senior Kalene Wetherell singled with one out and scored on a two-out single by Rudolph. After senior Cindy Garcia walked, Patel singled home Rudolph. During the rally, Toscano made a rare trip to the pitching circle and called the outfielders in for a brief meeting. “I think we started to lose a little focus,” Toscano said. “I wanted to settle them down and let them know we still had four or five outs to go.”

The Lady Owls broke it open in the bottom of the sixth as Tisdell, Hesler, Keller, freshman Kristy Harvey and sophomore Rosie Chmiel all crossed the plate to provide the final margin, capping an exciting week that included a huge 2-1 victory over Friends Academy in a showdown for first place.

“They’ve got the best pitcher in the conference,” said Supple, referring to Tisdell, who struck out 13 against Friends Academy and had her first career no-hitter the previous week against Elmont.