Thursday, October 1, 2026
Lynbrook won a dozen softball games last spring but lost its last four, including a shutout defeat at the hands of Wantagh in the Nassau Class A quarterfinals.
Now, with the improved arm of sophomore Jamie Deitch leading the way, the Owls are looking to soar higher.
In six Conference 5 games, Deitch has struck out 55 batters while allowing fewer than 15 hits as Lynbrook broke out of the gate with a 5-1 record, falling only to Valley Stream Central.
Deitch was dominant again last Saturday in a 13-1 win at Lawrence, striking out 15 and allowing just one hit against a Golden Tornadoes’ lineup missing a few key pieces after producing a combined 14 runs in the first two games.
“Jamie is one of the hardest-working kids I’ve ever coached,” said Lynbrook coach Tom Frawley, who began coaching Nassau County high school softball 40 years ago. “She only pitched one game last year,” he added. “She’s off to a great start and she’s only going to get better considering how dedicated she is.”
Deitch, eighth-grade battery mate Scarlett Crane and sophomore shortstop Kamila DeJesus all homered at Lawrence and combined for 10 hits with DeJesus going 4-for-5. “It’s been a total team effort,” said Frawley, who coached the Golden Tornadoes from 2014-2020. “We’ve been pretty consistent.”
Like Deitch, Lawrence senior pitcher Addison Watson, who struck out nine, had made tremendous strides since last spring, coach Craig Mannhart said.
“Addison is one of our senior leaders along with Hailey [Brancaccio] and Kelley [Orellana],” he said. “Her command in the circle is like night and day compared to last season. She’s more confident and keeping us competitive in every game.”
Brancaccio plays first base and bats third. Orelanna moved to shortstop from second base and hits in the 2-hole. There’s also speedy center fielder Eliana Perez and left fielder Roselyn Monzon.
“We just want to compete every single game,” said Mannhart, who guided Lawrence to a 5-6-1 mark a year ago.
Lynbrook’s offense produced double digits in runs for the fifth time in as many victories. Seniors Angelia Macchia (third base) and Daniella Inserra (first base) follow DeJesus in the lineup and help set the tone.
In a 14-2 win over Freeport March 30, Macchia went 4-for-4 and scored three times. Inserra homered in a 10-3 victory over East Rockaway April 7. Another senior, outfielder Brianna Lubrano, was 3-for-3 with a pair of RBIs in a 12-0 win over Jericho March 27.
Crane is batting clean-up, followed by Deitch.
“Scarlett excelled at the Junior High level and had all the credentials to be on varsity this season,” Frawley said of Crane. “She has a lot to do with how much we’ve been scoring.”
The Owls and Golden Tornadoes meet again May 1 at Lynbrook. Up next for the Owls is Valley Stream South on the road this Friday at 4:30 p.m. Lawrence visits East Rockaway at 5 p.m.
