Long Beach splits playoff games

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Long Beach had the tying runs on base in the sixth and seventh innings of its Nassau Class AA softball quarterfinal playoff matchup with Mepham, but was unable to get the big hit that would keep its season alive.

The fifth-seeded Lady Marines fell, 4-3, May 15 in a game where all the runs came in the bottom of the second and top of the third innings. Ashley Boscarino’s two-run double highlighted No. 4 Mepham’s early outburst and eventually punched its ticket to a semifinal round showdown with top-seeded MacArthur.

“It was a good game, but disappointing we set up their big inning,” Long Beach coach Carmine Verde said. “We out-hit them 8-7, but we needed one more clutch hit to win.”

Mepham scored its first two runs on a bases-loaded walk and a fielder’s choice groundout. Long Beach (12-9 overall) responded on its next turn at-bat when sophomore Tonianne Larson knocked in eighth-grader Grace Rosenberg, junior Kirsthie Rodriguez drove in senior Kelsey Larson, and freshman Paulina Cardona doubled home Tonianne Larson.

“We would’ve liked a chance to play MacArthur in a series,” Verde said. “We played them close twice during the regular season.”

Freshman Taylor Haines, a late-season JV call-up who won her first-ever varsity start, pitched four scoreless innings in relief and scattered five hits. Verde said Rosenberg, who started in center field, dazzled in relief two days earlier when she allowed no runs while recording 10 outs in an 8-2 playoff-opening victory over No. 12 Farmingdale.

Rosenberg also earned regular-season wins over Plainview, her first start, and East Meadow, the defending state champions. “Grace and Taylor did outstanding jobs,” Verde said.

Long Beach’s pitching situation changed down the stretch when Tonianne Larson developed soreness in her throwing shoulder. In May, she was primarily limited to a designated hitter role but threw well in a win at Massapequa on May 6—Verde’s 400th career coaching victory—and started the first-round playoff game. “Tonianne had a great year and kept us in every game,” Verde said. “She was All-County. We didn’t help her a lot early on, but the defense got better as the year went on.”

The Lady Marines fell behind Farmingdale 2-0 and could’ve been in a four-run hole in the fourth inning if not for an amazing catch by Kelsey Larson at shortstop. “It was an incredible catch in a very big spot,” Verde said.

Long Beach’s offense responded to the two-run saving grab in the bottom of the inning. Cardona hit a two-run homer over the fence in left-center to tie it, and senior Marisa Scandole squeezed home pinch-runner Colleen Mannle with the go-ahead run. Cardona, who hit .381 and earned All-County Honorable Mention, added a two-run single in the fifth, and Rosenberg, sophomore Eleanor Byrne and Kelsey Larson all singled and scored in the sixth.

Kelsey Larson (.419 average, four homers and 18 RBIs) earned an unprecedented fourth All-County award. “She’s the first in program history,” Verde said of Larson, who is headed to Dowling College.