Baldwin focused on big picture

While wins haven’t been easy to come by for a young and scrappy Baldwin softball team, coach Tom Llewellyn has the Lady Bruins pointed in the right direction and is optimistic for a big finish.

“We’re focusing on the process and not trying to dwell on any loss,” Llewellyn said after a home defeat to defending Nassau Class AA champion East Meadow on April 17. “We’re looking at where we’ve come since the beginning of the season, and when we get to the playoffs we want to be playing at a level where we can compete with any team in the county.

“The girls come to practice every day ready to work,” he added. “Never once have they held their heads down. They understand where they are right now and what they need to do to get over that peak.”

Baldwin (4-8) has dropped six straight, with four of the losses coming by three runs or fewer. It lost back-to-back one-run games against MacArthur and Massapequa. “We were beating MacArthur and Massapequa in the last inning,” Llewellyn said. “Anytime you lose a close game, it’s tough. We can be dangerous. We hit home runs, steal bases and play defense. If we keep getting better and put everything together, we can advance far.”

The team’s youth is served in the heart of the lineup, where a freshman (Montia Moon) and eighth-grader (Alex Burns) hit in the No. 3 and 4 spots, respectively. Both came up big April 1 when the Lady Bruins overcame an early five-run deficit to beat Syosset, 8-7. Moon got the rally started with a two-run homer, and Burns gave them a 7-6 lead in the fifth with a two-run shot. After the Lady Braves tied it, junior Jade Aponte won it for Baldwin with a walk-off blast in the seventh. “Syosset beat every team in our conference except us,” Llewellyn said. “Zurek [Danielle] is a quality pitcher. It was a great comeback win.”

Junior Melanie Sadowski’s emergence in the circle has been a pleasant surprise, Llewellyn said, and allowed senior Jessica Pulis to spearhead the outfield in center. “Melanie is locating her pitches very well,” he said. “She’s doing a nice job. Jess is probably one of the best outfielders in the county, so she makes our defense that much stronger.”

After playing crossover games with each of the five Conference AA-I schools, Baldwin gets back to AA-II action this Friday with a trip to Calhoun for a 4:30 p.m. start. The Lady Bruins will attempt to avenge a 14-6 loss in the first meeting. “I’m eager to get back to playing our conference, to see how far we’ve come. We want to keep moving forward and keep having fun.”