Carlin leads East Meadow softball to victory

Amanda Carlin's first varsity start couldn't have been going better. After giving up a one-out single in the first, the East Meadow sophomore had held Carey hitless. Working with a one-run lead in the seventh, the win was now just three outs away. But things are rarely that easy.

Patty Callahan lined a shot off Carlin's glove to reach safely and Jessica Doria followed with a single to put runners on first and second with nobody out.

"I knew going in there, the three, four and five batters, that was going to be tough," Carlin said. "I was definitely nervous, but I came too far and wasn't about to give up then. So I just had to bear down and handle it."

She did just that, getting Chrissy Talbot to bunt foul for strike three and inducing a 6-3 doubleplay to cap East Meadow's 1-0 victory Saturday.

"She pitched great, she really stepped up," coach Cindy McCarthy said of Carlin. "We talked about it and she said, 'I'm ready. I'm ready to do this.' "

Carlin kept Carey (1-2-1 in Conference AA-I) off-balance with a mix of screwballs and changes, allowing just two hits and a walk. She struck out five.

"I was nervous coming in because Carey beat us three times in a row last year," Carlin said. "They're not a slouch team, they're going to give you a game. But I was excited too, I was pumped. As soon as I threw the first pitch I was in the zone."

SEE PHOTOSHigh school sports -- April

East Meadow (5-0) struck for its lone run in the bottom of the first as Rachel Sidney singled to start the inning and moved to second on a one-out bunt. Jamie Laird rocketed a ball into centerfield for the RBI and held up at third for a triple.

"The leftfielder, she threw out two of our girls last year. She has a great arm and is pretty on point with her throws," McCarthy said. "If it was another spot in the outfield, I might have sent Laird. Last year we were in a situation like this and I sent the runner and 'boom' she was out, perfect throw."

That was Callahan's only mistake, as the Carey pitcher walked a fine line - giving up seven hits and two walks - but didn't yield again.

"She's a battler," Carey coach Anthony Turco said. "That's why she pitched today against one of the premier teams in the league, it just didn't work out. But hey, you can't win the championship in April."