South Side meeting new challenge

South Side’s reward for an 8-2 conference record in 2011 was to jump two levels to Conference ABC-III. Adjusting to stronger pitching, and opponents more adept at using small-ball tactics like bunting, slapping, and walk-up hitting has been a challenge, but the Lady Cyclones have adjusted well.

Despite a 7-4 road loss to East Rockaway last Saturday morning, South Side is a respectable 3-6 overall, 2-4 in conference play. East Rockaway’s Jess Deptulski was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer, and senior Cara Camerada had three hits to lead the Lady Rocks. The Lady Cyclones brought the tying run to the plate in the top of the seventh inning, but the comeback attempt was thwarted.

South Side coach Shannon McEntee is pleased with her team’s progress. “Moving up two conferences is a big change, but we’re handling it well,” McEntee said. “We’re up for the challenge. The biggest differences are the pitching and being prepared for all of the different strategies that teams use. We’re looking forward to the second half of the season.”

A key reason for South Side’s smooth transition into a tougher conference is the pitching of Samantha Maselli. In the conference opener against Oyster Bay, Maselli struck out 12 batters to lead the Lady Cyclones to a 6-5 victory. She’s also getting the job done at the plate from the leadoff spot.

Maselli doesn’t rely on blowing people away in the circle. The sophomore right-hander mixes in four or five different pitches, and has a knack for picking up a hitter’s weakness. In a 1-0 loss to first place Division, Maselli nearly matched junior Taylor Rosenthal pitch-for-pitch.

The other half of the young battery is Lia Stamile. The freshman catcher, who is emerging as a leader behind the plate, has a solid bat in the middle of the order. Stamile homered in a non-league win over Lynbrook on opening day.

South Side also has a young middle infield with sophomore Brittany Baez at second base and freshman Allison DeNicola at short. With senior Jane Dragovich at third base and senior Alex Garibaldi across the diamond at first, the Lady Cyclones have a promising infield.

After suffering back-to-back shutout losses to Jericho and Valley Stream South, South Side had an impressive 10-2 win over Garden City. Senior Lauren Joyce and Baez both hit home runs in the game, while Stamile went 3-for-4 with a pair of triples.

Freshman Nicole King has played just about every position for South Side. With a small roster, the varsity and junior varsity programs have a total of just 21 players; McIntee is fortunate to have players willing to play multiple positions. “We have a lot of girls who are playing out of position out of need,” McEntee said. “We don’t have a deep team, so it’s important to have that flexibility.”

The Lady Cyclones host Garden City this Friday at 4:15 p.m.