Molloy gets the ball rolling

In search of its third consecutive 40-plus win season, defending East Coast Conference softball champion Molloy is starting to hit stride after dropping five of its first seven games.

The Lady Lions put together what coach Susan Cassidy-Lyke hopes is the first of numerous winning streaks in 2012, sweeping doubleheaders from American International, Le Moyne, Bridgeport, and Queens for eight in a row to run their record to 10-5, including a perfect 4-0 mark in ECC action.

“I wasn’t disappointed with how we started the season,” Cassidy-Lyke said. “The ball is rolling now, and we need to keep it rolling.”

Molloy returned all but two position players from last year’s 42-14 team, including the pitching tandem of juniors Megan Butterworth and Kelley Jansen. Butterworth went 23-9 with a 1.28 ERA and 284 strikeouts in 213 innings, while Jansen, a former standout at Long Beach High School, went 17-4 with 200 strikeouts in 140 innings. “They’re alternating games,” said Cassidy-Lyke, who added Jansen’s off to her best collegiate start (five wins, including a no-hitter, 1.11 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 51 innings) and showing more confidence and intensity.

If the pitchers continue to keep the Lady Lions in every game, living up to preseason hype as the No. 1 seed in the ECC will be well within their grasp. “Expectations are higher, but we just want to go out and practice and play the way we know how,” Cassidy-Lyke said.

Only the starters behind the plate and at second base needed to be replaced, and the coach said she’s “very pleased” with the performances of senior Josette Cavallaro (catcher) and freshman Brenda Lee (second base.) Cavallaro, who hit .262 and drove in 31 runs last season, hadn’t caught since she played at North Babylon High School but brings knowledge of the game and a quick release to a key position. “She’s calling great games,” Cassidy-Lyke said. Lee is flashing a solid glove at second and struck out only once in her first 39 at-bats.

The offense is spearheaded by junior center fielder Jeana Frey in the leadoff spot, and senior Carla Campagna (first base), junior Haley Calderwood (third base), and sophomore Nicolette Sinagra (shortstop) in the heart of the order.

Frey led the team in batting a year ago with a .482 average, scored 58 runs and swiped 12. “She’s our table-setter,” Cassidy-Lyke said. “She makes things happen.”

Campagna, the reigning ECC Player of the Year, and Calderwood each swatted 11 homers in 2011. Campagna, a four-year starter, drove in a team-high 61 runs and batted .389, while Calderwood batted .354 with 52 RBIs. “They both hit for power and average,” Cassidy-Lyke said.

Sinagra’s hot start — she was batting .435 with four homers and 11 RBIs after 15 games — comes as no surprise to the coach. “She had a nice first year, and having that experience under her belt helps,” Cassidy-Lyke said. “She’s our most consistent hitter so far and playing great in the field.”

Contributing in the outfield with Frey are senior Megan Hutnick, junior Lauren Alexander, and freshman Brianne Catalano. The latter starred at Carey High School.

After not playing a home game since April of 2009, the Lady Lions are enjoying the local confines of Skelos Sports Complex this season. Cassidy-Lyke expects the road to the ECC title to be difficult, with C.W. Post and Dowling being two of the bigger obstacles, but has a lot to like.

“We’ve discussed some goals,” she said. “We want to play for the ECC championship and win it, and have a better showing in Regionals.”