Baldwin seniors spark final win

Baldwin finished one position short in qualifying for the Nassau County Class AA softball playoffs, tying for fifth in Conference AA-II with the top four earning berths, but that didn’t stop the Lady Bruins (9-10 overall, 5-9 in conference play) from ending the season on a winning note. Baldwin knocked off Plainview JFK, 9-5, on May 6 with all five members of its senior class getting at least one hit or run batted in.

Senior center fielder Carly Mertens, a two-time All-County honoree and a third-team All American as a junior, scored three runs, senior second baseman Liza Uezo netted a pair of doubles and senior first baseman Jill Bellovin had a hit and an RBI. Seniors Katelyn Murray and Kellie Valentine each delivered hits in the victory. “They all went out in style,” coach Tom Llewellyn said. “[Carly and Liza] made this program a family, not a team.”

Mertens, an All-Conference honoree this season, caps her run with the Lady Bruins with eight school records, including most RBIs in a season (64 as a sophomore) and career (111) and led the team with five home runs. A whiz defensively, she also prevented runs in the outfield. “If there was a stat for the number of times [teams] didn’t send the runner home from third [I’d love to know],” Llewellyn said, noting her strong, accurate arm from center.

Uezo, meanwhile, is an All-County honoree after leading Baldwin with a robust .483 batting average. Making her individual accomplishments even more impressive is the fact she earned All-County honors as a catcher last season and at second base this spring. “To play [two positions] at an elite level doesn’t happen too often,” Llewellyn said.

After playing third base on junior varsity as a freshman, Bellovin moved to first base to fill an open spot, and she’ll be leaving a big glove to fill. In 147 career defensive chances at first, Bellovin made just a single error, giving her a career fielding percentage of 99.3. “They were great leaders on the field,” Llewellyn said.

Junior pitcher Jessica Pulis, an All-Conference honoree, finished 7-7 on the mound with a 4.08 earned run average in an even 100 innings pitched, while sophomore leadoff hitter Jade Aponte, an All-Division player, clubbed four home runs, one of seven Lady Bruins to hit a round-tripper this season. “She did a really good job,” Llewellyn said of Pulis. “She was 7-7 but have easily been 10-4 of we made a couple of more plays [behind her].”

In a testament to the talent Baldwin opposed in Conference AA-II, consider that the Lady Bruins knocked off the regular-season conference champs, Kennedy, in the teams’ first meeting (14-9 on April 26) and lost the rematch, 7-5, after holding an edge into the sixth inning. Baldwin also defeated Carey, another top team in Nassau County, as part of a 4-1 mark in non-conference games. “This is probably the best the conference has been since I’ve been coaching,” Llewellyn said.