SOFTBALL PREVIEW SUFFOLK: WATCH OUT FOR BAY SHORE

Stromberg, Jason. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 17 Mar 2013

Longwood, the defending League I champ, will rely on shortstop and pitcher Noel Lent to lead the well-rounded group, featuring second baseman Leah Mele, catcher Alex Russo and rightfielder Taylor Crofts.-Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 17 Mar 2013:

Longwood 12, Patchogue-Medford 5: Noel Lent went 5-for-5 with five RBIs, Leah Mele and Alexis Kopel each had three hits and Audrey Miller, Kylie Spillet, Alex Russo and Katie Weil each had two hits for Longwood in League I. – Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 28 Mar 2013

Longwood 13 Floyd 1

WP – LW: Lent. LP – Kane. HR . .April 3

Longwood 12 Sachem East 6

WP – LW: Valentine. LP – Smith. April 5

Commack 4 Longwood 2

WP – COM: Carlomagno. LP – Lent. April 9

Longwood 24 Brentwood 0

WP – LW: Lent. LP – Castellanos. HR – LW: Spillett 1, Kopel 1.April 12

Longwood 23 Ward Melville 5

WP – LW: Valentine. LP – Mussenden. HR ; WM: Marfoglio 1. April 16

Longwood 7 Connetquot 5

WP – LW: Valentine. LP – Sweeney. April 17

Longwood 11 Northport 5

WP – LW: Lent. LP – Conforti. HR – LW: Mele 1.  April 19

Longwood 16 Floyd 0

WP-L: Valentine. LP – DiGiovanni. HR-L: Kopel 2, Lent. April 20

Bay Shore 4 Longwood 1, Alex Passante had a run-scoring single and Sarah Edwards added an RBI on a squeeze bunt in the fourth to give Bay Shore (8-1) a 2-0 lead in a Suffolk League I/II game. Michelle DeVito struck out five in a three-hitter for the win. WP – BS: DeVito. LP – Valentine. HR ; LW: Russo 1. April 23

Longwood 16 Central Islip 0

WP – LW: Corona. LP – Gonzales. April 24

Longwood 15 Half Hollow Hills East 0

WP – LW: Lent. LP – Ulmer. April 26

Longwood 12 Sachem North 0

WP – LW: Valentine. LP – Miller. April 30

Longwood 8 Lindenhurst 0

WP – LW: Lent. LP – Kirgan. HR – LW: Miller 1. May 1

Longwood 4 Patchogue-Medford 2

WP – LW: Valentine. LP – Fazio. May 3

Sachem East 12, Longwood 8: Malaika Hollis scored the go-ahead run on an overthrow in the top of the seventh to spark a four-run inning for Sachem East (9-6) in League I. Marissa Wilson added a two-run double in the seventh. Hollis hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning and Cassie Asselta had a three-run homer in the fourth. WP – SAE: Smith. LP – Lent. HR – SAE: Asselta 1, Hollis 1. May 8

Longwood 5 Commack 4,

WP – LW: Valentine. LP – Andrews. May 11

Longwood 13 Brentwood 0, WP – LW: Valentine. LP – Moffit . HR – LW: Lent 1. May 15

Longwood 10 Ward Melville 0, WP – LW: Lent. LP – Mussenden. May 16

SUFFOLK PLAYOFFS

Class AA Quarterfinals – at Higher Seeds

(3) Longwood 8 (11) Deer Park 4, WP – LW: Lent. LP – Collard.

Valentine: All heart Beats No. 1 Bay Shore, puts Longwood in ‘AA’ final Mele makes diving stop at second to record last out

Gavin, Mike. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 31 May 2013

Happy Valentine’s Day, Longwood! 

There will be no flowers or chocolates, though, just gems and perhaps a county championship courtesy of Samantha Valentine.

The senior pitcher led No. 3 Longwood to a 3-1 win over top-seeded Bay Shore yesterday in the Class AA double-elimination semifinals, bringing the Lions within one win of a county title. 

Valentine handed the Marauders only their second loss of the season, holding them to six hits and a season-low one run. She struck out five and walked two.

“I was spinning the ball and keeping it off the plate,” she said. “Knowing I had such a good defense made me feel more confident.”

She got help from her defense on the final out. With a runner on first, Giana Panariello hit a grounder between first and second base, where second baseman Leah Mele made a diving stop and the throw to first. 

“I had to get that last out or maybe a run scores,” she said. “So, I did what I had to do.”

Mele went 3-for-4 and also scored Longwood’s first run on a single by Alex Russo to tie the score at 1 in the third. Russo singled again in the fifth to drive in Taylor Crofts and Kylie Spillett, giving Longwood a 3-1 lead. 

“Last year we came up short in counties,” Russo said of Longwood’s loss to East Islip. “Now we have a shot to win it all.”

Noel Lent went 2-for-4 for Longwood (20-3), which plays today’s winner of Bay Shore and No. 4 Hauppauge in the final tomorrow. The Lions need only one win, but their opponent must sweep a doubleheader. 

Sarah Edwards hit a home run in the second to give Bay Shore (21-2) a 1-0 lead. Michelle DeVito, allowed 10 hits and two walks and struck out five. DeVito and Panariello each went 2-for-3. 

Bay Shore threatened in the sixth but Valentine induced a fly ball with the bases loaded to end the inning. 

“Everyone kept telling us this is our year,” she said. “Now we have one more game to win.”

Longwood takes ‘AA’ Wins first county title in softball behind Valentine Will meet East Meadow for LI crown on Tuesday

Gavin, Mike. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 02 June 2013

The ball that was caught for the final out will ultimately sit on the Valentine family mantle.

The plaque that was centered in a team photo will ultimately hang on the wall at their school.

The season that was opened on a cold March day will ultimately end in the record book.

Shortly after No.3 Longwood defeated host No.1 Bay Shore, 11-4, yesterday to capture the program’s first Class AA county softball championship, Samantha Valentine clutched the game ball, Taylor Crofts gripped the championship plaque and 17 of their teammates held part of the historic victory in their own way.

“It’s a great feeling to accomplish this as a team,” Valentine said. “We can leave high school knowing that we accomplished something great.”

As a constant reminder of that accomplishment, Valentine says she’ll keep the ball that was hit to leftfielder Audrey Miller for the final out displayed in a case at her house.

Valentine was a worthy recipient of the memento after going 3-for-5 with two RBIs, allowing one earned run and picking up her second straight win against a Bay Shore team that had previously lost only once.

Noel Lent hit a go-ahead single to drive in Crofts and give Longwood a 4-3 lead in the fifth. Valentine added a two-run single and Alexis Kopel followed with a triple to deep left to bring home two more runs. Madison Rappold, who hit an RBI single in the fourth to tie the score at 3, capped the inning with an RBI groundout to put Longwood ahead 9-3.

Lent went 2-for-5 with three RBIs, including a two-run single in the seventh. Crofts, Miller and Alex Russo each had two hits.

“This feels great because we worked so hard for this, day in and day out, and we finally got it,” Russo said.

The loss brought an end to the brilliant high school career of Courtney Syrett, who went 2-for-4 in her last game before moving on to the University of Mississippi. Syrett drilled a two-run triple to the gap in left-centerfield and took home on an error to put Bay Shore (22-3) in front 3-2 in the third inning.

It also marked the final game for Michelle DeVito, who was pitching for the fourth consecutive day, and fellow seniors Killeen Martin, Breana Susa and Giana Panariello.

“It hurts to know that’s the last time I’ll ever take the field with those girls,” said the Harvard-bound Panariello. “But it was one heck of a ride for every single one of us.”

Kylie Spillett opened the scoring in the third with a two-run single for Longwood (21-3), which made it to the finals for the first time last season before falling to East Islip.

“I’m kind of speechless right now,” Spillett said. “This year we knew we had to go a step further and we did. Now we’re just going to keep going.”

Next they’ll face East Meadow at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday at St. Joseph’s (L.I.) for the Long Island championship.

“It took years upon years of hard work from everyone to actually get this done,” Lent said. “We knew from the beginning of the season that it was all or nothing. Our quote was, ‘This is our time,’ and it really was.”

Now the legacy that was created will ultimately live forever at Longwood.

CLASS AA FINAL

LONGWOOD 11 BAY SHORE 4

Mt. Sinai 4 4 1 3-12

Longwood 0 0 4 1-5

Mt. Sinai 4 4 1 3-12

Longwood 0 0 4 1-5

Goals – MS: Natale 5, Marino 3, Faughnan 2, Wolfe 2; LW: Grant 2, Parker, Ferrara, Davis; Saves – MS: Poillon 9; LW: Santiago 3, Edgar 3; Assist – MS: Natale, Marino, Wolfe, Connor 2; LW: Parker 2, Ferrara.

Shapiro, EM: ‘1’ for the books One-hit shutout gives school first LI softball crown Travis, LaRosa, Cutuli give her plenty offensive help

Gavin, Mike. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 05 June 2013: 

Kerri Shapiro and her East Meadow teammates gathered around the plaque and raised their index fingers into the air. It could have stood for many things:

The one base runner that Shapiro allowed.

The one last day of high school that the seniors will miss on Friday because of the state tournament.

The one and only Long Island championship that the East Meadow softball program had finally captured.

Each and every one of those things were a result of Shapiro’s dominant one-hit shutout yesterday as East Meadow defeated Longwood, 7-0, in the Long Island Class AA final at Dowling Sports Complex.

“This goes down in history,” said Shapiro, who also tossed a no-hitter in the county championship clincher. “One day people will be like, ‘Do you remember that team?’ and it will put a smile on my face.”

Shapiro struck out nine and allowed only a two-out single to Kylie Spillett in the first before retiring the final 19 batters. Thanks in part to her dominance, the seniors on the team will miss their final day of high school on Friday to travel to Glens Falls.

Disappointed?

“No, not when it’s for this,” senior first baseman Dina LaRosa said. “I would miss anything to have this opportunity.”

Shapiro also went 3-for-4 and ignited a four-run third inning with a single to score Claire Travis and Marisa San Antonio, giving East Meadow a 2-0 lead. Madison West followed with an RBI ground out and later took third on a wild pitch and came home on an overthrow to make it 4-0.

After singles by Danielle Cutuli and Shapiro put runners on the corner, Cutuli scored on a wild pitch and Dina LaRosa knocked in another run with an RBI single for a 6-0 lead. Claire Travis doubled in Taylor Conti in the seventh. LaRosa and Travis each finished 2-for-3 with an RBI.

“I’m in a daze, we all are,” Travis said. “It took a lot for all of us to come together and accomplish such a great win.”

East Meadow (17-8) advances to the state semifinals at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Adirondack Sports Complex in Queensbury.

Cutuli, a six-year varsity starter, went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and recorded the final out of the game on a grounder to short. She says it made up for the final out she made in the 2010 Long Island championship, hitting a ground out to the pitcher in a 1-0 loss to Bay Shore.

“It’s definitely come full circle,” she said with a laugh. “This is an incredible feeling for all of us. We made history. But it’s not over yet, we still have to accomplish one more thing.”

Maybe that’s what those fingers in the air were for.

LI CLASS AA FINAL

EAST MEADOW 7

LONGWOOD 0

Noel Lent, Softball Sensation

By Jason Stromberg, May 2, 2013

Noel Lent is as versatile a player as there is on the Longwood softball team for coach Jackie Legnon. Not only does Lent hit for a high average as the starting shortstop, batting .462, with an on-base percentage of .483, a slugging percentage of .827 and an on-base plus slugging percentage of 1.310, but the senior also gets it done in the circle.

Lent is currently 5-1 and shares the pitching duties with Samantha Valentine for the defending League I champs, who are battling with Commack (12-1) atop the league standings this season. The Lions are in second place at 12-2, with the help of Lent, who has a fielding percentage of .854, 1.00 ERA, with 31 strikeouts and a .79 WHIP.

“She’s just really a hard worker,” said Legnon of Lent, a senior and three-year varsity starter. “She keeps the team and herself focused. She will lead the team for you.”
Next season, Lent will do her best to lead Seton Hall University, where she will be committed to playing the shortstop position for the Pirates’ ball club, or as she better put it, “as long as I’m on the field, I’m happy.”

“She knows exactly what needs to be done,” Legnon said. “It’s a blessing for a coach. She’s not satisfied. If we’re taking ground balls at practice, she always says, ‘Give me another one’. She has that drive to always do her best.”

After practice yesterday, Lent answered some easy questions that made her laugh at times, while giving some more in-depth analysis to how she approaches the game on a day-in, day-out basis for Legnon and company.

1) Explain the success this season for Longwood. “From top to bottom, regardless of who is playing, we’re a hard working team. In games, our bench is cheering us on throughout. Everyone is a part of the team, working on trying to get better.”

2) What have you learned the most by playing shortstop and pitcher? “At shortstop, I feel like it controls the field. It’s an all-around athlete position. At pitcher, I understand the game more when it comes to certain pitches at the plate.

3) What’s your favorite pitch to throw? “The curveball. I feel like it’s the hardest pitch for batter’s to catch up to. They can’t hit to the right side, it’s tough to pull, and it’s not as easy to go with the pitch.

4) What’s the best ground ball to field? “The ones up the middle. My momentum is already going to first base.”

5) Biggest hit in your career was against who? “Last year, in a game* against Connetquot, we were down 6-0 in the top of the first inning. I got up to the plate and hit a three-run homer to centerfield that changed the whole momentum. It made it 6-3 at that point and we eventually came out on top.”

*Lent’s three-run homer and Valentine’s 6 2/3 innings of scoreless pitching in relief helped second-seeded Longwood (20-1) best No. 11 Connetquot, 10-6, in a Suffolk Class AA semifinal on May 26, 2012.

6) What’s your favorite iPod song? Taylor Swift – 22

7) Who is the most vocal member of the team? Who makes you laugh? “We’re a very well-rounded group that respects the coaching staff. [Outfielder] Jamie Thorbjornsen has a lot of heart for the game. It really shows during the games. All the girls have that positive energy because we’ve been a successful team. Valentine and Kylie Spillett make me laugh. Everything they do, even if I strikeout, they always cheer me up. They never make us look bad. They’ve always got a smile on their face. “

8) Do you have any superstitions in preparation for a game? “No, I take everything day-by-day and move on. It’s over with. Don’t believe in them.”

9) What’s going to be your college major and what career job would you most want to hold? “Physical Education. I feel like it’s a fun job. I’ll always look forward to getting up in the morning and going to work.”

10) Favorite movie? “The Notebook. It’s a cute movie.”

11) Nickname? “No-No. My teammates call me that. I like it better than Noel. It’s something different. It creates a fun atmosphere when I hear it. I’ve pitched a couple of no-no’s.”

12) Three places you would love to visit that you haven’t been to yet? “Italy, Hawaii and the Dominican Republic.”

13) Who are three famous people you would love to have a dinner date with? “Actors Channing Tatum and Zac Efron and country singer Hunter Hayes.”

NEWSDAY ALL-LONG ISLAND TEAMS: SOFTBALL

Gavin, Mike; Stromberg, Jason. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 23 June 2013:

Leah Mele

Longwood, 2B, Soph. 

Mele played a large role in guiding Longwood to its first county crown this season. The sophomore second baseman hit .411 with 10 doubles, two triples, a homer, 14 RBIs and 37 runs. She made 42 putouts in the field for a fielding percentage of .926, with 33 assists in 81 total chances.