Big inning lifts Oceanside

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Already holding a one-run lead in the top of the fourth inning of Monday’s Nassau Conference AA-I/II softball crossover game at Calhoun, Oceanside’s bats exploded for six hits, producing five runs, to propel the Lady Sailors to their fourth win in five games, 10-3.

Junior Claire McNamara’s two-run single capped the outburst that gave the visitors a 7-1 lead. Pryscilla Perez, Veronica Miller and Ellen Derr also had run-scoring hits in an inning that saw nine batters come to the plate. The support was more than enough for sophomore pitcher Elizabeth Campo, who allowed seven hits and two walks and struck out three.

“We’ve juggled some things around because of various reasons, including an injury, but we’ve been pretty consistent,” coach Joe Supple said after Oceanside improved to 6-3 in conference games. “We didn’t hit much the past few games, but today everyone smacked the ball.”

The Lady Sailors pushed across two unearned runs in the first against Calhoun’s Nicole Imhof. Junior Paige Seitz, who capped the victory with a long two-run homer in the sixth, drove in junior Megan McNamara with a groundout to make it 2-0. Claire McNamara scored the first run on an error.

The Lady Colts answered in the bottom of the second to cut the margin in half. Joanna Marmo advanced to third base on a single and error and came around to score on Samantha Sanky’s grounder. Campo, who blanked Hicksville, 2-0, on three hits last Friday, ended the threat by striking out two batters with runners on first and second.

Neither team scored in the third, but the fourth was a different story. With one out, sophomore Taylor Eisel got Oceanside’s rally started with a single — the first of six consecutive hits. Perez tripled her home and scored on Miller’s double. Brittany Teman singled to put runners on the corner, and Derr followed with a single to left to bring home Miller for a 5-1 lead. Teman and Derr came around to score on Claire McNamara’s single.

Calhoun scored twice in the bottom of the inning, on a solo homer off the bat of freshman Jordan Walley, and Jessica McLaughlin’s RBI single, to get within 7-3, but Campo allowed just one runner over the last three innings.

“Liz is pitching well,” said Supple, who expects Seitz to return to the circle soon and give the Lady Sailors two solid options. “She’s throwing strikes and getting better every game. The infield defense behind her has been great.”

Three-year starting center fielder Megan McNamara has assumed catching responsibilities with sophomore Grace Bandini sidelined by a broken hand suffered last week in a loss to Syosset. “We’re hoping to have Grace back for the last two conference games,” said Supple, referring to matchups with MacArthur on April 30 and East Meadow on May 2. “Megan is a natural behind the plate. It’s the position she plays for her travel team.”

The Lady Sailors are idle until April 26 when they travel to Massapequa for a 1 p.m. start.