Wantagh hot as playoffs approach

A deep lineup has propelled Wantagh softball into a hot streak heading toward the playoffs.

The Warriors (11-4) entered the final games of the regular season as winners in five of their last six games. The Wantagh bats came alive in each of the victories capped by a 9-7 win at Herricks last Friday.

“One through nine we can hit and we get the small ball game done too when we have to,” said longtime Wantagh coach Christine Moran. “They have been together for a very long time.”

Sophomore Emma Priest has played a big role in Wantagh’s offensive explosion leading the team in batting average. She smacked a home run in the Warriors’ 14-7 win against Carey on April 3. 

Junior shortstop Casey Kissinger has also been an offensive leader while also anchoring the middle infield. Kissinger missed a few games after suffering an injury from a line drive against Farmingdale on April 18, but has since returned to the lineup in a big way going 3-for-4 in an 18-6 win at Carey on May 1.

Seniors Brigid Hood and Angelina Bendetti have also provided solid leadership as captains along with Priest and Kissinger. Bendetti delivered a grand slam in the May 1 blowout win against Carey and went 4-for-4 with four RBIs in the Herricks victory.

Sophomore Mackenzie Hayes began the season in her third-year on varsity as the top starting pitcher before going down with an injury early in the spring. 

In Hayes’ absence, eighth-grader Lucy Olore has stepped in as the main starter and delivered five strikeouts in a 12-0 shutout victory at Long Beach on April 22. Lily Conaghan brings added pitching depth after being pulled up from junior varsity and recorded seven strikeouts in a 9-0 shutout win against Plainedge on May 3. 

After facing neighborhood rival Seaford Monday after press time, Wantagh closes the regular season at Farmingdale on Wednesday and home versus Division Friday at Forest Lake Elementary School starting at 5 p.m. Wantagh is positioned entering the final three games with a chance to win the league title in Conference III, which would enable the Warriors to earn a higher seed in the upcoming Class A playoffs. 

Wantagh is still alive for a conference title thanks to its come-from-behind 9-7 win at Herricks (11-3) in which the Warriors plated five runs in the top-of-the-sixth inning. Junior Daniella Oronges drove in her twin sister  Adrianna Oronges with an RBI single in the decisive inning that gave the Warriors a 6-5 lead. 

Moran said chemistry on and off the field is a major part of why her team is playing meaningful softball down the stretch. 

“We always preach family and this is a team that really gets it and buys in,” Moran said. “They are really supportive of each other I think is really a key to why they are playing so well.”