Bay Shore rolls over Cicero for Class AA title

WATERLOO, N.Y. - Now Bay Shore pitcher Liz Weber can say she achieved something even Napoleon couldn't: victory at Waterloo.

Weber pitched a two-hit shutout and Bay Shore rolled to a 4-0 victory over Cicero-North Syracuse in the State Class AA championship. It's Bay Shore's seventh state title and first since 2005. The Marauders were beaten by Cicero-North Syracuse (21-4-1) in the 2006 championship game.

After a plethora of pictures had been taken by friends, parents, coaches and photographers, Weber stood near the pitching circle with a championship ribbon dangling from her neck beneath a scorching sun answering questions in tears.

"Not being able to play with my best friends anymore, it's really emotional," the senior said. "But I wanted to go out on top. It was a special season and we had so much fun."

Bay Shore (27-1) took a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth on back-to-back two-out singles from Taylor McGowan and Nicole Marzillo. Weber added an RBI double in the fifth and Courtney Syrett followed with a run-scoring single to provide the final margin of victory.

Weber (16-1) didn't allow a hit until a leadoff double in the fifth, then retired eight straight hitters before a two-out single in the sixth. She walked just one and got 12 first-pitch outs.

"They were very aggressive and that's good for me," Weber said. "I try to get the ground balls and throw low so they can't get underneath it."

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Weber's pitching counterpart in the regular season, junior McGowan, was playing second base when the final out - a fly ball to rightfield - was recorded. After going 10-0 with a 0.12 ERA in the regular season, McGowan took a backseat to the senior with the hot hand in the playoffs.

"Taylor's just the consummate team player," her coach, and father, Jim McGowan said. "She never complained at all about it. She's a very solid player, a very solid individual. She just wanted a state championship. From a coach's point of view, it's wonderful. From a parent's point of view, it's wonderful. And I can't be more proud of her for not saying anything about not getting enough time."

Far from sulking, McGowan delivered the go-ahead RBI single in the championship game and also drove in the first run in Bay Shore's 3-2 win over Clarence (21-3) in the semifinals earlier Saturday.

With the bases loaded and Bay Shore down by a run in the semis, McGowan bounced into a 1-2-3 double play to end the fourth. But her one-out sacrifice fly in the sixth sparked a two-run rally that tied the score at 2.

SEE PHOTOSBay Shore 4, Cicero-North Syracuse 0

"That was the worst feeling I've ever felt in softball," Taylor said. "But I love being able to redeem myself, especially when it's in almost the same situation. There's no better feeling."

Marissa Brightman and Amber Fogarty walked to lead off the bottom of the seventh with the score still tied and advanced into scoring position on a passed ball. After Weber popped to second, Syrett hit a fly ball to left to score Brightman with the winning run.