SOFTBALL PREVIEW: SUFFOLK LEAGUE I-AA
Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 23 Mar 2014
LONGWOOD LIONS
Coach: Jackie Legnon
2013 record: 16-3
Key players
Leah Mele, SS/2B, Jr.
Alexandra Russo, C, Sr.
Audrey Miller, OF/SS, Sr.
Katie Weil, OF, Sr.
Alexis Kopel, 1B, Sr.
Outlook: Reigning county champions return eight seniors and five juniors.
Longwood 7 Northport 0, WP – LW: Corona. LP – Conforti. HR – LW: Miller 1. March 25
Connetquot 5 Longwood 4, WP – CON: Sweeney. LP – Blydenberg. March 26
Mele swings a dangerous bat Goes 3-for-5 with 2 RBIs; Weil also drives in 2 runs Corona frustrates Lindy with 4-hitter, striking out 6
Streifer, Amy. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 28 Mar 2014:
You have to pay attention when you’re on third base and Leah Mele is at bat. The talented pull hitter from Longwood can make baserunners fidgety over there.
After ripping a few foul balls down the line, Mele straightened out a two-run double to leftfield to key a three-run fifth inning yesterday as Longwood beat Lindenhurst, 8-1, in a Suffolk I softball game.
“It was a little bit scary at third base,” said winning pitcher Jen Corona, who had to take a perilous lead off third and worried about getting drilled by a line drive. “I just knew I had to get out of the way.”
Corona, who was hit with a line drive at third last week, dodged two liners yesterday. Then Longwood coach Jackie Legnon removed her for pinch runner Alyssa Fuentes.
“She got hit with a line drive against Connetquot and I didn’t want her to get hit again,” Legnon said. “We have to keep her safe. Mele’s swinging a big bat, so I wanted her out of there.”
Mele went 3-for-5 with two RBIs for the reigning Suffolk Class AA champions and rightfielder Kaitlyn Weil had two RBIs for the Lions (2-1). It was a good win for a Longwood team that lost to Connetquot, 5-4, in the season opener.
“I would love to be champions again,” Corona said. “But you’re only as good as your last performance, so we’re taking it one game at a time.”
Lindenhurst (0-3) managed only four hits against Corona, who pitched a complete game, striking out six and walking two. With the game scoreless in the second inning, Corona escaped a bases-loaded, none-out jam by getting a flyout, a groundout and a strikeout.
“She’s done a good job so far,” Legnon said. “I feel confident with her decisions.
“The kids do a great job motivating themselves. It’s a good win.”
SCORECARD
LONGWOOD 8
LINDENHURST 1
Longwood 8 Brentwood 0
WP – LW: Blydenberg. LP – Casas. April 2
Longwood 6 Sachem North 0
WP – LW: Corona. LP – Heinssen. April 3
Longwood 9 Sachem East 5
WP – LW: Corona. LP – Smith. HR – SAE: Corchia 1, Tibbetts 1. April 8
Longwood 13 Floyd 3
WP – LW: Blydenburgh. LP – Kane. HR – LW: Miller 1; FL: Rios 1. April 10
Longwood 11 Ward Melville 2
WP – LW: Blydenburgh. LP – Vivenzio. HR – LW: Mele 1. April 11
Commack 7 Longwood 1
WP – COM: McDonald. LP – Corona. April 15
Longwood 7 Patchogue-Medford 2
WP – LW: Corona. LP – Van Dorn. April 17
Longwood 7 Lindenhurst 0
WP – LW: Corona. LP – Spinella. HR . April 23
Longwood 11 Sachem North 1
WP – LW: Corona. LP – Amadeo. April 25
Longwood edges Connetquot, 9-8
Get down and give me 40!
Good thing the Longwood softball team has been doing all of those push-ups each game. Without them, maybe the Lions don’t hold on for a 9-8 win over previously unbeaten Connetquot yesterday in League I.
For every pop-up the team hits, each player must do five push-ups. For every ground ball put in play, their coach does five push-ups. The idea is to reduce easy outs and force teams to make plays.
“Our coaches hate when we hit pop-ups,” catcher Alex Russo said. “We hate doing push-ups. It keeps us very motivated.”
But without the added arm strength they’ve created, maybe Katie Weil doesn’t hit the ball quite as far as she did yesterday.
Maybe Jennifer Corona doesn’t pitch with as much speed.
Maybe Madison Rappold doesn’t throw the ball as hard on the game-ending double play.
SEE PHOTOSConnetquot vs. Longwood
Longwood brought a 9-3 lead into the top of the seventh inning before Connetquot scored five runs, capped by an RBI single by Erin Massmann that made it 9-8 and loaded the bases with one out.
With the tying run on third, reliever Ashley Blydenburgh induced a sharp grounder to Rappold at third. She snared the one-hopper and fired home to Russo, who stepped on the plate and threw to shortstop Alex Reggiani covering third. She stretched for the ball to complete your basic game-ending 5-2-6 double play.
“I had to get that lead runner because we had to end it right there,” Rappold said. “I knew Alex would cover third and I knew Russo would turn the double play.”
Kristina Balsano hit a two-run homer in the second and Sarah McKeveny, who had two hits and two RBIs, tied the score at 3 with an RBI double in the third for Connetquot (12-1).
Alexis Kopel escaped a rundown and slid home safely to give Longwood a 4-3 lead in the fourth. That became 9-3 on an RBI single in the sixth by Weil, who had two hits and two RBIs.
Beating a first-place team didn’t excuse the Lions (9-2) from their postgame push-up routine. Eight pop flies, tallied on a dry-erase board in the dugout, meant 40 pushups. But they did so in a good mood, thanks to that unique double play.
“Pure instinct and adrenaline took over on that play,” Reggiani said. “There wasn’t a lot of thinking, just a lot of doing.”
And then a lot of push-ups.
SCORECARD
LONGWOOD 9, CONNETQUOT 8
Longwood 7 Brentwood 2
WP – LW: Blydenburgh. LP – Bonilla. April 29
Longwood 2 Northport 1
P – LW: Corona. LP – Gonzalez. May 3
Longwood 8 Floyd 5
WP – LW: Corona. LP – Kane. May 6
Longwood 10 Ward Melville 3
WP – LW: Blydenburgh. LP – Vivenzio. May 7
Commack 13 Longwood 7
Kristen Andrews hit a three-run home run to cap an eight-run sixth and break a tie at 6 for Commack (14-5) in League I. Jessica Lodato was 2-for-4 with a double and a triple and Alyssa Persich was 3-for-5. WP – COM: Bluethgen. LP – Corona. HR – COM: Andrews 1. May 10
Patchogue-Medford 4, Longwood 1: Maison Zumpol hit a grand slam in the sixth to give the Raiders a 4-1 lead in League I. Samantha Van Dorn allowed a run and struck out four in a complete game for Patchogue-Medford (13-7). WP – PM: Van Dorn. LP – Corona. HR – PM: Zumpol 1. May 13
Suffolk
Class AA First Round
(8) East Islip 12 (9) Longwood 7
WP – EI: Greene. LP – Corona. HR – EI: Martone 1. May 18