Lady Rocks fall in L.I. title game

East Rockaway’s quest for a fifth Long Island Class C softball championship and a trip upstate came to an end as the Rocks fell to Pierson/Bridgehampton 9-1 on June 5 at Heroes Field in Lake Nanuet. It is the Lady Whalers first Long Island title.

Senior Melanie Stafford struck out seven batters and allowed just two hits for Pierson/Bridgehampton (13-6), which knocked off Tuxedo later in the day to advance to the state semifinals. 

Senior Rebecca Speckenbach hit a three-run homer for the Lady Whalers. Sophomore Casey Gilbride hit a pair of doubles and had three RBI for Pierson/Bridgehampton. East Rockaway made three fielding errors, while the Lady Whalers were flawless with the gloves.

East Rockaway coach Joe Lores summed up the loss. “It certainly was not our best day,” Lores said. “We had just two baserunners, while they had 17. They outplayed us, but it wasn’t due to a lack of desire on our part. The effort was there. Winning the county championship was special. Any time you can finish a season with a title it’s a good year.”

East Rockaway, which finished with a record of 13-9, had four players pick up postseason awards. Senior shortstop Kerrianne Vulpis picked up All-County honors, senior Cara Camerada was named and All-Classification recipient, and juniors Gianna Cilluffo and Jessica Deptulski were All-Division honorees.

Vulpis capped off her high school career by setting the program’s career hits mark with 120. She scored 33 runs on the season, and she stole 14 bases in 15 attempts. Vulpis will play at Emmanuel College in Boston.

Camerada had an outstanding senior season, leading the team with four homers, 35 hits, and a .422 batting average. She was second in RBI. One of the homers was a two-run bomb that put the Lady Rocks ahead in the final game of the Nassau Class C championship series. East Rockaway went on to knock off Friends Academy, 8-2, to sweep the best-of-three series.

Cilluffo picked up 12 victories in the circle, and was a tough out at the plate. In an early season 17-12 comeback win over Cold Spring Harbor, Cillufo was 3-for-3 with a two-run triple as the Lady Rocks battled back from a 10-1 deficit to get the victory. Cilluffo had a 2-1 record in the playoffs.

Deptulski is another key performer who will return in 2013. She emerged as one of the league’s top catchers, and got it done in the batter’s box as well. Deptulski led the team with 28 RBI, and had a .966 fielding percentage behind the plate. She threw out a pair of runners in the opening game of the series with Friends. 

In addition to Vulpis and Camerada, the other seniors who played their last game at East Rockaway were Marykate Vulpis, Lindsey Dinowitz, and Katie Seifert.