Diamond Stars: Long Island's top baseball and softball performances this week
Matt Nowlan #24 of Comsewogue, right, gets congratulated after hitting a grand slam in the top of the third inning to give his team 4-1 lead over Centereach in the Suffolk County baseball Class AA playoffs at Centereach High School on Friday, May 17, 2024. Credit: James Escher
It’s the postseason and the top players continue to rise on the field. Here are our Diamond Stars after the first week of the playoffs.
Baseball
Connor Catania, Smithtown West: He allowed four hits, two walks and one unearned run in 6 1/3 innings in a 3-2 win over West Babylon. Catania earn his sixth straight win, but saw his streak of five consecutive shutouts came to an end. He also went 3-for-3 and drove in the go-ahead run.
Kevin Brown, Whitman: He struck out 10 in 9 1/3 innings in a 12-inning 5-0 win over top-seeded Connetquot.
Hunter Colagrande, Kings Park: Colagrande struck out 11 and allowed four hits in a 2-0 win over Miller Place.
Thomas Costarelli, East Islip: He struck out 12 in a no-hitter, a 1-0 win over West Islip. Costarelli walked two and hit a batter in a 102-pitch outing.
Michael D’Ambrosio, Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK: He hit a walk-off solo home run to give the Hawks a 7-6 win over Oceanside.
Jayden Gigante, Carey: Gigante went 4-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored in a 9-3 win over MacArthur.
Matty Hayes, Long Beach: He struck out seven and allowed three hits and a walk in a 1-0 win over South Side.
Carson McCaffrey, Comsewogue: He struck out five and allowed two hits in a shutout, a 4-0 win over Smithtown West.
Matt Nowlan, Comsewogue: His grand slam ignited an 8-2 win over Centereach.
Giancarlo Rengifo, Clarke: Rengifo had three hits and scored three runs in a 10-8 win over Valley Stream North.
Softball
Alex Audia, Mount Sinai: She went 3-for-3 with three doubles and two runs scored in a 4-1 win over Center Moriches.
Emily Bouros, West Islip: She struck out 11 in a complete game 2-1 win over East Islip.
Danielle Donahue, Island Trees: Donahue struck out 10 and allowed five hits in a complete game for Island Trees in its a 2-1 win over Mineola.
Johanna Esposito, Calhoun: She went 2-for-3 with a go-ahead RBI triple and struck out nine and allowed no earned runs in a 2-1 victory over Bethpage.
Aaliyah Lamarre, North Babylon: She went 4-for-5 with four runs scored in a 14-3 win over Patchogue-Medford.
Emily Lopez, Miller Place: Lopez hit a two-run home run in the top of the first inning in a 2-0 win over Islip.
Lauren McSweeney, Islip: She struck out 16, including her 600th career strikeout in a complete game 4-0 win over Shoreham-Wading River.
Marissa Nosovitch, Carle Place: She struck out 13 and went 2-for-4 with three RBIs to lead top seed Carle Place past East Rockaway, 10-2.
Kayla O'Boyle, Commack: She went 4-for-4 with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored in a 12-4 win over Connetquot.
Lucy Olore, Wantagh: Olore struck out 13 in six no-hit innings in a 12-0 victory over Floral Park.
Julia Parise, East Meadow: She earned the win and hit a three-run home run in the first inning of an 8-7 win over Farmingdale.
Ava Porth, Clarke: She went 4-for-5 with a home run, two doubles and six RBIs in a 15-9 win over Plainedge.
Leah Smith, Eastport-South Manor: Smith went 4-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored in a 9-5 win over West Babylon.
Alana Villavicencio, Deer Park: She struck out eight in a 2-0 victory over Westhampton. She also allowed just one earned run in a 5-2 win over Smithtown West.
Reese Wasserman, Bellmore JFK: She hit a one-out, walk-off triple in a 2-1 win over Division.
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.