Lady Marines are well-armed

With a pitching rotation resembling a baseball team, defending Nassau Class AA softball champion Long Beach put together its first winning streak of 2010 behind a pair of underclassmen.

A day after freshman Ashley Martin dazzled in a victory at top-seeded Carey, sophomore Kelsey McLaughlin picked up the win when the Lady Marines rallied with five runs in the top of the seventh inning to beat host Oceanside in a Conference AA-I/II crossover game on April 8, 6-2.

“It’s a situation similar to a few years ago when we rotated pitchers for about a month before determining which direction to go,” Long Beach coach Carmine Verde said. “Everyone is getting a chance to show what they can do.”

McLaughlin became the team’s fourth pitcher to earn a win this spring, joining Martin, senior Haley Birnbaum and junior Mallorie Larson. McLaughlin retired Oceanside’s first 10 batters and didn’t allow a hit until Jessica Kambic’s leadoff single in the bottom of the fifth. 

“I thought Kelsey threw well,” Verde said. “She was in control and got some big outs in the fifth inning when they loaded the bases.”

The Lady Marines (4-2 overall) twice rallied from a run down and had six of their nine hits off Oceanside sophomore pitcher Ashley Davis over the final two innings. Sydne Jacoby drove home Kambic to give the Lady Sailors a 1-0 lead, and Arianna DeMarzo’s homer to center field in the sixth made it 2-1. In the top of the seventh, McLaughlin and senior Brittany Martin set the table with back-to-back singles, and Birnbaum walked to load the bases. Senior All-State catcher Sydney Folk knocked in McLaughlin with the tying run, then a walk to senior Korinne Fox forced Martin home with the go-ahead run. Senior Shannon Shamis, who drove in the team’s first run with a single in the sixth, capped the outburst with a two-run single.

“They impressed me,” Verde said of Oceanside, which has but one senior on its 14-player roster. “They made some big plays in the field. We had to dig deep to pull this one out.”

Verde’s offense also closed with a bang in a 7-2 win at Carey. Ashley Martin, who scattered six hits and struck out 10 in a huge effort in the circle, cracked a three-run homer in the seventh to seal the outcome. “Ashley had a tremendous game,” Verde said. Folk and junior Krystal Carrasquillo keyed a three-run fifth with run-scoring hits.

Birnbaum, a two-time All-County shortstop who batted .340 last season, pitched the first two games. She beat Mepham, 4-2, striking out seven, and lost 3-0 to conference front-runner East Meadow despite allowing just three hits and no earned runs. Larson’s two scoreless innings of relief earned her the victory in a 3-0 non-league decision at Carle Place.

“We’re getting good pitching, and it was good to get the bats going the past few games,” Verde said.