Another softball title for MacArthur

A day after her remarkable 33-inning scoreless streak in the Nassau Class A softball playoffs came to an end, it was business as usual for MacArthur pitcher Jessica Budrewicz on May 24.

The junior right-hander struck out 13 and scattered five hits and one walk to lead the top-seeded Lady Generals to a 2-0 win over No. 2 Island Trees at Mitchel Athletic Complex. MacArthur swept the best-of-three championship series, and notched its second straight county title. The Lady Generals captured the Nassau and Long Island Class AA crowns last spring.

“It’s a great feeling,” said junior Ashley Budrewicz, Jessica’s twin sister and also her battery mate. “This year presented a new challenge because we were facing all different teams,” she added. “We came into the finals feeling confident, but we never take anything for granted.”

Sophomore Lisa Fabig’s RBI single in the top of the third inning was all the support Budrewicz needed in Game 2 on the way to recording her fifth shutout in six playoff outings. Senior Kristen DiCicco, who scored the first run after a leadoff double, provided the insurance with a run-scoring single in the seventh.

MacArthur, which rallied to beat the Lady Bulldogs 5-4 in Game 1 with a run in each of the last two innings, will take a 15-game winning streak into the L.I. Class A title game against Mount Sinai this Friday at St. Joseph’s College in Patchogue at 3:30 p.m.

“We were in unfamiliar territory yesterday after falling behind late, and the girls really responded,” MacArthur head coach Bob Fehrenbach said. “They showed what they’re made of and they came back today and grinded. 

“Island Trees has a strong lineup, and they’ve seen a lot of Jess,” he added. “We knew it would be another battle. She got out of a few jams early and got better as the game went on.”

MacArthur (22-3) failed to score in the top of the first despite loading the bases with one out against Island Trees pitcher Kate Valente, who allowed six hits and two walks and struck out five. In the bottom of the first, Budrewicz stranded runners on second and third thanks to back-to-back strikeouts and the pitchers’ duel was on.

Budrewicz struck out the side in the second, including two K’s with runners on first and second, and allowed just one hit over the next three innings. Valente settled down after Fabig broke the scoreless tie and tossed three straight clean innings to keep it 1-0 entering the seventh.

Sophomore Victoria Agnoli singled with one out in the seventh and scored on a two-out hit by DiCicco to provide breathing room. Valente singled to open the bottom of the seventh and was on third base when Budrewicz ended it with a strikeout.

“We always try to give Jessica as much run support as we can, and we feel like she’s always got our back if we don’t score a lot,” said junior Ali Verdi, who had the walk-off hit in the bottom of the seventh to win Game 1.

The Lady Generals were cruising in the series opener with a 3-0 lead through five innings, thanks in large part to junior Jaime Ferris’s two-run single. However, Island Trees, hitless entering the top of the sixth, exploded with four runs on five hits to take the lead, and would’ve had more of a cushion if senior Shannon Myles hadn’t gunned down a runner at the plate to end the rally. 

“That play was beyond huge,” Fehrenbach said, “because even though we gave up four runs, the girls came back to the dugout excited,” 

Ashley Budrewicz, who went 5 for 7 in the series, singled home Myles with two outs in the bottom of the sixth to tie it. Fabig led off the seventh with a single and moved to second on sophomore Nicole Pinto’s sacrifice bunt, setting the stage for Verdi’s heroics.

“[Valente] was throwing a lot of first-pitch strikes, so I wanted to be aggressive,” Verdi said. “To come through like that and celebrate with my teammates felt amazing.”