By TONY BELLISSIMO
That was the difference between Long Beach and Carey in each of the two games that decided the Nassau Class AA softball championship series at Mitchel Athletic Complex.
The Lady Marines claimed their third county title in four years with a 2-1 eight-inning victory in last Saturday's Game 2, which was postponed twice because of rain. They took the series opener, 1-0, on June 3, with a run in the bottom of the seventh.
"We didn't want to come back Sunday and play a third game," said senior pitcher Kelley Jansen, who was dominant throughout the county playoffs, with 56 strikeouts in four games. "We were confident," she added. "It was frustrating to have to wait so long between games, but it was worth it."
Top-seeded Long Beach got a run-scoring single by junior catcher Sydney Folk in the top of the eighth and sealed the win on a heads-up defensive play by senior Lindsay Abramson at first base. With Carey down to its last out, Brianne Catalano singled. The next batter, Melissa Deleon, beat out a slow roller to the right side of the infield for a hit as Catalano raced for third base. After Abramson fielded the throw from junior shortstop Haley Birnbaum, she fired a dart across the diamond to junior Korinne Fox, who slapped a tag on Catalano inches before she reached third to end the game.
"What a way to end it," Long Beach coach Carmine Verde said. "It was a tremendous play. Looking back at the whole game, every player made a huge play to help us win."
Third-seeded Carey finished runner-up in the county for the second year in a row. It lost in the finals to Oceanside last spring. “We played two games that could’ve went either way,” Lady Seahawks coach Anthony Turco said. “We lost to a great team, it's as simple as that."
Inclement weather dragged the series out over five days. It began June 2, but rain stopped the opening game in the middle of the second inning and it resumed the following day. More rain forced the rescheduling of Game 2 from Thursday to Friday, and then from Friday to Saturday.
To nobody’s surprise, pitching ruled. All three players who took the circle received All-County honors. Jansen gave up only three hits in the title-clinching win and fanned eight. Her counterpart, Patti Callahan, scattered four hits and struck out 11. In the series opener, Jansen allowed only one hit, walked none and struck out 15. Carey's Nicole Turato didn’t allow an earned run and struck out six.
Carey forced extra innings in Game 2 by scoring a run in the bottom of the sixth without the benefit of a hit. Long Beach, which took the lead in the fourth when junior Shannon Shamis crushed a run-scoring double to deep left, caught a break in the eighth when Birnbaum's high pop fell at the edge of the outfield grass with one out. Junior Brittany Martin followed with a single, and with two out Folk singled to score Birnbaum.
"We knew it was going to be a low-scoring series," said Verde, who has guided Long Beach to seven county championships in 22 years. "Kelley pitched great and we were able to get two clutch game-winning hits."
Fox provided the heroics in Game 1, driving in sophomore Mallorie Larson with a single off Catalano's glove at short to
win it.
Comments about this story? TBellissimo@
liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
