By TONY BELLISSIMO
Jessica Frumer, pinch-running for catcher Mary Potamousis, scored from third base on Lauren Kaufman's pop-up that fell with no out in the bottom of the sixth inning for the game-winning run.
The Lady Marines (17-9 overall), who defeated Valley Stream Central in three games to win the Nassau Class A crown, advance to meet Liverpool this Saturday in a New York State semifinal at 9 a.m. at Mitchel, with the winner advancing to the championship game at 1:30 p.m.
It's a dream come true, said junior pitcher Gia Brugueras, who got Smithtown cleanup batter Candice Sheridan to ground into a fielder's choice to end the game. We really wanted it.
The Bulls, who pulled off four playoff upsets, including a win over eight-time defending Suffolk champion Bay Shore to reach the LI final, had at least one hit off Brugueras in every inning but stranded eight runners.
It was an intense game and an intense last inning, said Brugueras, who scattered nine hits but walked none and struck out three.
Smithtown had runners on first and second with one out in the top of the seventh, but Lauren Lebowitz snagged Jaclyn Churilla's foul pop near first base for the second out, and Christine Morovich handled Sheridan's grounder at third and raced to the bag to force out Courtney Turchan to clinch the championship.
There's an intangible inside each of every one of these girls that allows them to keep fighting, Coach Carmine Verde said. Our school mascot is the Bulldog, and this team has that inner strength that it takes to get over the top. I couldn't be more proud.
Leading 2-1 in the sixth, the Lady Marines needed a little bit of luck to keep the Bulls from taking the lead. Smithtown loaded the bases with no out, but Brugueras retired Katie Ratner on an infield fly rule and also cut down Churilla at the plate as she attempted to advance on the play. Though Alison Seman's RBI single made it 2-2, Long Beach was fortunate to escape the inning with only one run allowed.
We've been in every different situation you can think of this season, so there isn't a game where we should ever panic, Verde said. Gia kept her cool and made a big defensive play, and that kept us from falling behind. That was huge.
Long Beach never trailed, though Smithtown pitcher Stephanie Vanek was impressive. She allowed five hits and one walk while striking out seven, and got out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the fourth by striking out the side.
She was one of the best pitchers we faced all season, junior shortstop Jessica Henck said. It was frustrating when we didn't score after loading the bases, but we hung tough.
Krista Yulfo single-handedly made it 1-0 in the second when she reached on a bunt single with two out, stole second, went to third on an error and scored on a wild pitch.
Then after the Bulls answered with a run in the third, freshman Casey Fee followed Yulfo's example to make it 2-1 in the bottom of the inning. Fee singled with two out and stole second on the first pitch to Tara Parrington. Two pitches later, Fee was caught between second and third. As Smithtown's catcher, Sheridan, fired to second in a pick-off attempt, Fee broke for third. Sheridan's throw sailed into centerfield and Fee came all the way around to score.
We had a game plan to be very aggressive on the bases if we had the right kids out there, Verde said. That's exactly what happened and we took advantage of a couple of their mistakes.
The Lady Marines were 1-4 on April 16. A little more than six weeks and 16 victories later, they're Nassau and Long Island champions. This Saturday, they'll try to add one more piece of hardware
Said Fee, We're really happy, but we're not satisfied.
