Mepham searching for first win

Mepham's first six softball games have had a little bit of everything, including dramatic comebacks and late-game drama. What the Lady Pirates (0-6 overall, 0-5 Conference AA-I) still lack, however, is a victory. They dropped a one-run game for the third time already, a 7-6 decision to Syosset last Monday.

The Lady Braves jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning and fought off another Mepham rally. "We've lost 4-2, 2-1 and 7-6 in nine innings," coach Mike Muscara said prior to last Monday's game. "We're just not hitting right now."

In Mepham's first 7-6 loss, to Farmingdale on April 8, the team battled back from a 4-0 deficit and actually forged ahead of the Dalers, 6-5, in a game that ultimately went two extra innings. "That's a game where an extra hit or one less error could have won it," Muscara said.

Junior Victoria Gunnels, in her first season as the No. 1 starter in the circle, flashed signs of her potential in a 2-1 loss to top-seeded Carey on April 6. She allowed just two walks and has a solid collection of pitches in her arsenal to keep hitters off-balance. "She pitched well," Muscara said. "Her walks were down and that's one of the keys [to her success]."

Freshman Nicole Castaldo was called up to start the Farmingdale game, as the Lady Pirates were scheduled to play four games in a row before getting rained out last Friday, but will see the bulk of her action in the outfield as an injury replacement for Kaitlyn Bazarewski, who was lost for the year with a thumb injury.

The lineup received a boost with the return of junior second baseman Shannon McLean, an All-Conference performer last season, from an early injury. Injecting her bat into the middle of the order is a major plus given the Lady Pirates struggles at the plate.

Sophomore Claudia Law returns behind the plate, but it was her work in front of it that gave Mepham some late hope in the loss to the top-seeded Lady Seahawks. She blasted a solo home run in the seventh to cut Carey's two-run lead in half. The right side of the infield is anchored by a pair of returnees in junior shortstop Kristan Taylor and sophomore third baseman Casey Thomas.

The upcoming schedule features a pair of home crossover games, the first against district-rival Kennedy on Friday at 4:30 p.m. That's followed up with a battle against Baldwin on Saturday at 10:30 a.m., which represents the Lady Pirates fourth game in four days.

"In some of the [earlier] games if we got timely hitting we could have [as many as three wins]," Muscara said. "If we get our offense going I think we'll be [okay]."