Dalers Softball Wins Long Island Championship

The softball team faced the undefeated reigning state champions yesterday, who are ranked second in the state and have won 11 Long Island championships in 17 years.

And the Dalers won.

The team snatched the Class AA crown from Bay Shore Tuesday and earned a shot at a state crown with a 2-0 win that demonstrated a truism in the world of roundball: dominant pitching and timely hitting wins championships.

The pitching came from Isabella Corrao's four-hit complete game shutout, punctuated by 14 strikeouts. Just days after winning the, Corrao helped deliver a LI championship.

The timely hitting came in the third from Emily Finkel (2-3, sac bunt), Emily Dorso (1-4) and Kat Zabielski (1-2, walk, 2 RBIs), whose back to back to back hits put two runs on the board and provided the cushion for Corrao.

It was a stunning defeat for Bay Shore, which came into the contest favored to win.

“We expected a fight,” said Farmingdale coach Laura Malone. “They’re the team that was supposed to take it all. But we came through in the clutch.”

“We’ve never even made it this far before,” said Emily Dorso, whose two out double set the table for Zabielski’s RBI drive in the third. “Now we’re headed upstate.”

Hero: Isabella Corrao demonstrated why she’s destined for D-1 college ball, tossing seven shutout innings with increasing authority. When Bay Shore was able to challenge, she turned up the heat. With the bases loaded fifth, the Dalers’ ace struck out the sides. In the bottom of the fourth with the bases loaded, one out and a 3-2 count, C0rrao turned a passed bal into an out, racing to the plate and, despite getting barreled into, making the tagout.

“That was huge,” she said. “We were in a tight spot but I got a good toss from the catcher. I got hit, yes, but getting dirty is part of the game.”

Turning Point: With two outs in the third, Finkel bunted for a single and was moved over on Dorso’s double. Zabielski’s clutch two out single to right plated two Dalers in the third produced the only runs of the game. “I knew I had to get it done, so I took the first outside pitch I saw,” said Farmingdale’s cleanup hitter.

Quotable: “Batters are batters,“ Corrao said. “You just have to work them one at a time.”

Bottom Line: Great pitching and timely hitting win championships. “We knew we had the best pitcher,” said coach Malone.

Key Stat: Four hits, five walks, but no runs for Bay Shore. Corrao left eight Bay Shore runners stranded.

Who's Next: Saturday, 9 a.m., Adirondack Sports Complex in upstate Queensbury.

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