Softball notebook: Erin McMahon and Sarah Birner have bounced back from injury nicely
Bayport-Blue Point starting pitcher Erin McMahon delivers a pitch against Mt. Sinai in a Suffolk league VIII softball game, Tuesday, May 2, 2023 at Bayport. Credit: George A Faella
Bayport-Blue Point pitcher Erin McMahon and East Islip second baseman Sarah Birner know how to bounce back.
Both suffered significant injuries prior to the 2022 season, forcing them to miss most, if not all of last year. But the seniors have come back stronger this year and are fueling their teams’ playoff pushes.
McMahon felt reoccurring pain in her back during the basketball season of her junior year. The pain she thought nothing of, turned out to be a stress fracture that prevented her from playing softball last spring.
“Running and jumping during basketball is what made it apparent something was wrong,” McMahon said. “Once it was confirmed to be a stress fracture I was disheartened. No one wants to hear that they can’t play for six months.”
McMahon’s comeback this season has been spectacular. The Dickinson College commit has struck out 124 in 75 innings and holds a 1.22 ERA. She has been a force with the bat, hitting .561 with 35 RBIs and five home runs, two of which were grand slams.
Two seasons ago McMahon pitched her team to a county championship appearance. In her first two playoff games this season for the No. 8 Phantoms, she has tossed shutouts against No. 9 Westhampton and top-seeded Sayville.
“I felt nervous, coming back after being away for so long, but as soon as I did it felt normal,” McMahon said. “The moment I stepped in the circle it didn’t feel like I had been out of action for six months, it felt like I just played yesterday.”
During East Islip’s second scrimmage last spring, Birner suffered a dislocated ankle. She had just spent the winter recovering from an appendectomy in January and was enjoying a new level of offensive success in her first two scrimmages.
East Islip's Sarah Birner connects with a pitch during a game between East Islip and Smithtown East, April 8, 2023. Credit: JOHNNY MILANO
“It was pretty devastating. All I wanted to do was get back and play,” Birner said.
Despite being told her season was over, she returned during the playoffs and scored the winning run in East Islip’s 4-3 walk-off win over Islip in the Suffolk Class A championship game.
This year, Birner is batting .408 with 16 RBIs, six stolen bases and one home run and committed just one error.
“I came into this year with the mind-set of making up for lost time,” said Birner, who will play at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania.
Through three playoff games, Birner is batting .615 with eight RBIs and four runs. In an elimination game on Friday, Birner went 3-for-5 with four RBIs to help No. 7 East Islip to a 17-1 win over No. 12 Glenn. East Islip will host No. 9 Westhampton at 4 p.m. on Monday.
“She’s self-motivated,” East Islip coach Jason McGowan said. “She’s transformed herself into one of the better players in Suffolk County and it’s because she wants to do the hard work.”
