Promising start for Lady Rocks

With a youthful roster consisting of eight sophomores, two seniors, one junior and one freshman, East Rockaway finds itself in the thick of the race for the Conference ABC-V softball title.

The Lady Rocks rolled past Elmont last Saturday, 19-7, for their sixth win in eight conference games. Sophomore Lindsey Dinowitz drove in four runs and scored four runs, senior Alli Pacheco homered and knocked in five runs, and freshman Jessica Deptulski homered and scored three times.

“We need to improve on a few things, like cutting down on walks and being more consistent defensively, but considering how young we are, we’re doing great,” East Rockaway coach Joe Lores said.

Lores has incorporated a pitcher by committee approach, with junior Stephanie Loughran and sophomores Becky Italiano and Katie Seifert all getting work in the circle. Loughran is 3-1, including a no-hitter, Italiano upped her record to 2-1 by beating Elmont, and Seifert is 1-0 with one save.

“They’ve all had success,” said Lores, who has used two pitchers in all but two games. “Hitters tend to hit better the second time through the lineup, but we’ve been able to give most teams a different look by switching pitchers. We also don’t have to worry about overworking anyone.”

Loughran made history April 5 when she no-hit Cold Spring Harbor in a 10-0 victory. Her older sister, Heather, now pitching in college at Plattsburgh, had four no-hitters and a perfect game while at East Rockaway. “It’s a great accomplishment for Stephanie,” Lores said. “She had 10 strikeouts and got out of a bases-loaded jam with no outs in the sixth.”

Loughran is also leading the Lady Rocks with a .450 batting average and ranks second behind Dinowitz (13) in RBI’s with 12.

When they’re not pitching, Loughran, Italiano and Seifert bolster the team in other areas. Loughran has spent time at shortstop, third base and the outfield, Italiano can work behind the plate or in the outfield, and Seifert is another outfield option.