Thursday, October 1, 2026
Strong pitching and defense, along with some timely run production has Long Beach off to a perfect start to the softball season. The Lady Marines entered spring break with a record of 4-0, including three wins against Conference AA-I rivals.
“It’s the formula we like to use,” coach Carmine Verde said. “The girls wanted to come out of the gate fast and they’re doing a good job. Our pitching and defense have carried us the last three games, and everyone in the lineup is contributing.”
In its last action before vacation, Long Beach pulled out a 4-2 victory at Mepham on April 2 thanks to a three-run sixth inning. Kelsey McLaughlin, who drove in the game’s first run in the first on a long sacrifice fly, singled and scored in the sixth, and Brianna Rivera and Jamie Morgenstern both followed with RBIs to back the pitching of junior Ashley Martin.
Martin scattered five hits and one walk and struck out eight in the complete-game win. Mepham scored its only run in the fourth on a close play at the plate when Claudia Law jarred the ball loose. “Everything arrived at the same time,” Verde said of the play. “Rivera made a great throw home to Annie [Winerip], but there was a collision and the ball was jarred loose.”
Losing pitcher Tonimarie Valeriano struck out 12 for the Lady Pirates, who threatened in the sixth with the tying runs on base before Martin ended the threat with a grounder back to the circle. “It was a pitcher’s duel,” Verde said. “Valeriano was painting the corner all day and getting strikeouts, and Ashley had another strong game.”
Martin was coming off a tremendous effort in a 4-1 win over Carey on March 30. She allowed no earned runs, and yielded three hits and walked two while striking out 11. Her run support came in the third, fourth and fifth innings. “Ashley’s throwing well,” Verde said. “We’re going to look to get her bat back in the lineup soon, too.”
Long Beach got on the board in the bottom of the third when Alison DiLello singled and scored, and led 2-0 in the fourth after Morgerstern’s sac fly plated Heather Weinstein. Winerip provided insurance in the fifth, driving home McLaughlin and Julianna Zaharias with a double.
The conference opener played two days earlier saw the Lady Marines battle back from three one-run deficits to defeat Oceanside, 7-4. A five-run fifth inning outburst, highlighted by Winerip’s two-run single and Weinstein’s two-run triple, provided the difference. Martin was touched for eight hits but fanned 11. Caitlin McNamara, a freshman, scored all four Oceanside runs.
“We’re pleased with how we’ve started, but we’re not satisfied,” Verde said. “Our next two conference games are against the top two seeds, so we’ve got some big tests coming up.”
Long Beach, which opened the season with a 16-5 non-conference win at Baldwin behind Kelsey Larson’s five RBIs, faces MacArthur this week and East Meadow next Monday — both on the road.
