Sayville pulls away in season-opening softball win over Kings Park
Isabella Lundquist of Sayville crosses home plate putting Sayville within one run of Kings Park in the bottom of the third during a softball game on Thursday in Sayville. Credit: Dawn McCormick
A liner to centerfield sent Sayville’s Isabella Lundquist sprinting to her left with two outs in the top of the fifth inning and the Golden Flashes holding a one-run lead over Kings Park.
The junior made a brilliant diving catch with her outstretched left hand to end the inning, and Sayville went on to a 9-3 win in Suffolk VI in the first game of the season for both schools.
“I saw it in the air and all I could think was, ‘Go, go, go!’ ” Lundquist said. “I honestly didn’t even know when I went in the air if I was getting it or not, but once I felt it in my glove, I was like, ‘Wow!’ ”
The junior dominated a cold and windy Thursday afternoon in West Sayville. She ripped a double to deep leftfield in the third inning and a ground-rule double to leftfield in the fourth. She also walked and scored two runs.
Sayville returned only two starters in Lundquist and senior pitcher Sophia Elderbaum, who pitched seven innings. The team practiced only four times and scrimmaged twice — holding three days of tryouts just last week — before the season opener.
There certainly was some rust early as the Golden Flashes trailed 3-1 entering the bottom of the third inning.
However, Sayville’s superb defense bought the hosts time, holding Kings Park to one run after the second inning. Freshman Andrea Hodgkinson made a huge play in the sixth, robbing Kings Park’s Caitlin Werner of an RBI single before throwing to third for the double play.
“I knew we were going to be pretty solid defensively, and it showed up,” coach Kristen Bricker said. “If we can play defense like that all year — with our pitching stepping up like it did — we’re going to have a pretty successful year.”
Cleanup hitter Kate Meyer had her first of four RBIs with a long triple to rightfield in the first inning. Meyer also singled in the fifth before hitting a ground-rule double in the sixth.
Meyer was all smiles after the game, even as Bricker and Lundquist chuckled while watching her struggle to lift third base from its spot in the dirt.
“Our defense and offense were on point today,” Meyer said. “To come back from being down is just the best way [to win].”
