Oceanside navigates tough schedule

Rain washed out Oceanside’s softball showdown with defending Nassau Class AA champion MacArthur last Friday, leaving both teams with a record of 1-2 after the second week of play in an always highly competitive Conference AA-I.

“I think the biggest thing we need to improve is hitting,” Lady Sailors coach Joe Supple said. “Every day we’re facing a top pitcher, and we’re not going to win games 1-0. It’s tough, because we’re such a young team, but that’s the way it goes in Conference I. There’s never an easy day.”

Oceanside (3-4 overall) sandwiched a 3-2 extra-inning victory over Massapequa between losses to Carey and East Meadow to begin conference play. The April 8 road win came in dramatic fashion as freshman catcher Grace Bandini cracked a solo home run over the fence in rightfield in the top of the eighth inning to provide the difference.

“When the ball came off the bat, it seemed like it had a chance to go over [the fence],” Supple said. “Grace got all of it. At worst, she was going to be in scoring position with a double. It was great to see it carry.”

Massapequa threatened in the bottom of the inning against winning pitcher Paige Seitz. With bases loaded and two outs, Seitz, a junior, induced a popup to end the game. “She’s getting better and better every game,” Supple said. “She’s learning how to pitch at this level. She understands she’s not going to throw pitches past a lot of hitters. She used a lot of off-speed stuff against Massapequa and got 16 groundball outs.”

Seitz was staked to a 2-0 lead in the top of the third. Kristen Gallub, Oceanside’s lone senior starter, singled home junior Ellen Derr for the game’s first run. Later in the inning, Bandini plated sophomore Claire McNamara with a single for the second run. The Lady Chiefs tied it with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth, but Seitz kept their bats quiet for the other seven innings.

“Paige has four different pitches she can throw for a strike,” Supple said. “Our infield defense is very solid, so we’re fine with other teams putting the ball in play.”

It was Oceanside’s third one-run game in the last four, and first such victory. It dropped non-league contests to Clarke, 13-12, and New Hyde Park, 6-5. On April 3, Clarke staged an incredible rally with six runs in the bottom of the seventh to pull even, and won it in the eighth. Three days later, New Hyde Park came from three runs down and beat the Lady Sailors on a home run in the seventh.

“It was nice to be on the other side of a close game,” Supple said. “As long as we keep improving at the plate and play clean games defensively, I think we’ll be fine”

Oceanside continues a string of home games on Thursday when Long Beach visits for a 4:30 p.m. start.