Lady Rocks back in win column

For East Rockaway, the first go around with Conference ABC-III softball foes was a little disappointing. After winning the conference opener, a 13-4 decision over Garden City, the Lady Rocks dropped four straight. 

East Rockaway (8-4 overall, 2-4 in conference games) hopes to have things turned in the right direction after a 7-4 home win over South Side last Saturday morning. Senior Lindsey Dinowitz hit a two-run double with two outs in the bottom of the third inning to give the Lady Rocks a 3-2 lead. Jessica Deptulski was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer, and threw out a pair of runners on the base paths from behind the plate.

Lady Rocks coach Joe Lores is happy with what his team has done at the plate, but knows the defense has to improve. “We knew coming into the season that we’d be pretty good offensively,” Lores said. “We’re hitting the ball very well, and the pitching is consistent. We have to shore things up on defense, and cut down on the free passes.”

Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the third, the Lady Rocks took a lead they would never relinquish. With Cara Camerada (2-for-4, three runs scored) on third base and Deptulski on first, Dinowitz doubled to right to give East Rockaway its first lead of the game. Junior Jessica Cerasoli followed with a single to give the Lady Rocks a 4-2 lead.

East Rockaway took a commanding lead in the fourth when it embarked on a two-out rally. Senior Kerrianne Vulpis and Camerada hit back-to-back singles to set the stage for Deptulski. The junior catcher hit a blast to right field to clear the bases for her third home run of the year. Deptulski leads the team with 17 RBI.

Junior pitcher Gianna Ciluffo bent a little, but didn’t break. Ciluffo had some trouble finding the plate at times, but was able to bear down and get the big outs when she needed to. The Lady Cyclones brought the tying run to the plate in the top of the seventh, but Ciluffo, who improved to 7-4, fanned South Side’s hard-hitting Lia Stamile to end the game.

Ciluffo’s solid play hasn’t been limited to the circle. Batting in the clean-up slot, Ciluffo is batting .425 with a pair of homers. Camerada has been outstanding at the plate. The senior third baseman is hitting .435 with five triples, three home runs, and 21 runs scored. 

Lores hopes the team will continue to improve. “We’re hitting for average and hitting for power, but I’d like us to get better at things like bunting and slapping,” Lores said. “We work on small-ball techniques, but we haven’t utilized them a lot. Our pitching keeps us in the games, but we have to make the plays when the ball is put in play. Improving our defense is imperative if we expect to be successful.”

The Lady Rocks host Division on May 2 at 4:30 p.m.