Massapequa softball beats Bay Shore this time to win first LI Class AA title
Massapequa's Ryan Starr slides head first safely into home plate, past the diving Bay Shore catcher Makayla Quinn in the Long Island Class AA softball finals, Saturday, June 4, 2022 at the Moriches Athletic Complex. Credit: George A Faella
They say sequels are never better than the original, but don’t tell that to Massapequa softball.
In part two of Bay Shore vs. Massapequa in the Class AA Long Island Championship, coach Christina Castellani directed a story which starred Ryan Starr and saw Massapequa win its first Long Island championship.
“We knew what we had to do, we’re here against the same team that beat us last year, in the same situation,” Starr said. “We put in the work and it was great to get revenge.”
Massapequa beat Bay Shore, 13-2, on Saturday afternoon in the Long Island Class AA/Southeast Regional Final at the Moriches Athletic Complex. Starr reached base five times -- she hit two triples, a double, a single and scored four runs. Emily Balducci had three hits and four RBIs. Caroline Hobbes hit a double and had a RBI for Bay Shore.
Massapequa avenged a loss in this game last year when Bay Shore defeated Massapequa, 2-0, in the Long Island title game.
Starr started it in the first inning with a leadoff single and then stole second. Emily Balducci followed with a double on the next at-bat to give Massapequa a 1-0 lead.
“I was seeing the ball great today and I knew I had to set the tone from the beginning,” Starr said. “I had to make good contact, I knew if I was hitting it hard, it would fall.”
Bay Shore's Tiffany Mendez led off the bottom of the first with a double and later scored on a double by Hobbes to tie it at 1-1.
Starr again got Massapequa going as she hit a one-out triple in the top of the third. She got caught in a rundown between third and home after a ball was chopped back to the pitcher, but she managed to make it home safely and give Massapequa a 2-1 lead.
Mary Stork and Antonia Busa each hit RBI singles in the inning and Madison Gangi drove in two runs with her two-out single to make it 6-1 Massapequa.
Those runs were all Massapequa needed as Kim Westenberg settled into a groove. After allowing a run, Westenberg retired the next 18 batters. She consistently fired strikes and produced numerous weak pop-ups.
“After the first inning I gained a better understanding of the batter and where to set up pitches,” Westenberg said. “Getting that information and getting comfortable allowed me to be so successful.”
Bay Shore didn't have another baserunner until there was one-out in the seventh, when they would manage to scratch out one run.
Starr hit a double in the sixth and Balducci followed by bringing her and Sofia Diesso home with a single. Westenberg led off the seventh with a walk and Massapequa scored five runs in the inning, with RBIs by Balducci, Gangi, Diesso and Sophia Diaz.
Massapequa (17-7) will try to make more history as it has advanced to the state semifinals on June 11th at the Moriches Athletic Complex.
“We’re just going to keep playing our game,” Castellani said. “We’re a good team, got good pitching, and we’re going to go out playing our game.”
Christopher Matias covers high school sports for Newsday after spending time in Athletic Facilities and Operation at St. John’s and in Sports Information at CUNY York college.