Mepham Softball Holds Off Long Beach Late on the Road

The Mepham Lady Pirates softball team traveled to Long Beach in a crucial league matchup Friday afternoon.

The Lady Pirates (6-3) came off of a tough loss at home against East Meadow Monday, but held off a late rally by the Lady Marines (4-6) to win by a score of 5-3.

Mepham freshman pitcher Toni Valeriano picked up her first varsity win in a complete game against Long Beach, striking out seven batters along the way. Shannon McLean led the offense, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

McLean knocked in her two runs in the top of the first on a double and Valeriano picked up an RBI on a groundout to give Mepham a 3-0 lead.

Alexis Ferrero hit a leadoff single for Mepham in the second and later scored on a throwing error by Long Beach pitcher Ashley Martin. Martin followed up the error by striking out three consecutive batters.

In the bottom of the third inning, Long Beach loaded up the bases with just one out and a chance to cut into the four-run deficit, but Valeriano got out of the jam without letting a run cross the plate.

In the next inning, the young Mepham pitcher escaped another jam, this time with runners on second and third and one out.

Casey Gingrich tacked on another run for the lady Pirates with an RBI single in the fifth.

In the bottom half of the inning, Martin hit an RBI single for the Lady Marines followed by another run on a fielder's choice. Mepham turned a key double play after runner interference was called on a throw by catcher Claudia Law before ending the inning.

Long Beach scored again in the sixth on an RBI groundout by Mallory Larson, but they would not get any closer as Mepham fended off the comeback to close out the victory.

"The first inning was key because because we aren't the most potent offense, so it could be a little tough for us to come back from four runs," Long Beach head coach Carmine Verde said.

Heroes: Toni Valeriano got out of tough situations when necessary and carried her team to a win after a fast offensive start.

"I think I hit spots very well," Valeriano said. "My team was behind me making good plays in the field and I got out of the jams for the most part to get the win."

Turning Point: Although Long Beach made a late comeback, the double play turned by Mepham in the fifth inning allowed minimal damage to occur with the Lady Marines scoring only two runs after loading up the bases with no outs.

Quotable: "It was not an easy win for us because almost every inning, they had runners on in scoring position and we came through much of the time," Mepham head coach Mike Muscara said. "Toni kept her composure and just did a great job. According to Claudia [Law], she hit almost every spot."

"Against a good team like them, they aren't going to give you anything or make many mistakes, so it was unfortunate we didn't get out of the gate clean, but I give my girls credit for battling hard," Verde said.

Bottom Line: Mepham rebounded well from giving up a big lead against East Meadow with the big win over Long Beach. The solid performance by Valeriano was promising to give the Lady Pirates another option on the mound behind Victoria Gunnels.

Long Beach has now lost three of their last four games this season.

Key Stat: Long Beach collected 12 hits but only scored three runs compared to Mepham scoring five runs on just five hits.

Who’s Next: Mepham @ Carle Place, April 16, 10:30 a.m.; Long Beach @ East Meadow, April 27, 4:30 p.m.

Box Score:

WP- Valeriano

LP- Martin