Corrao, Soluri call their own pitches

QUEENSBURY, N.Y. -- When Isabella Corrao came to Farmingdale as a junior transfer from St. Dominic in 2010, she already had a reputation as a dominant and intimidating hurler. She also arrived with more than a few ideas about how to keep it that way.

That knowledge and self-assurance led to a rare arrangement in Long Island softball: Corrao and her catcher, Hannah Soluri, call their own pitches.

Corrao struck out 16 batters Saturday at the Adirondack Sports Complex, her 10th game with at least 13 or more strikeouts this season. She threw 126 pitches and called every one in consult with Soluri. An error led to three unearned runs in a 3-1 loss to John Jay-East Fishkill, but Corrao's performance was another masterpiece.

"When Bella came to us, she had her whole game plan set in motion," coach Laura Malone said. "She worked with our catchers and, though she looks over to us every once in awhile, she calls her own."

Corrao and Soluri are the exception on Long Island, where coaches or assistant coaches generally call pitches, even for top talent. The Virginia Tech-bound Corrao refined her approach in travel ball, taking what she learned there to the diamonds of Nassau, and now Queensbury.

"I like the responsibility because I can pitch what I feel comfortable with," she said. "Everything with me is visualization. If I visualize it as a strike, I know that that's the pitch I should throw. If I don't, then I shake [Soluri] off and and go for the next pitch."

Figuring out how to catch a pitcher like Corrao, who has a great deal of movement on her pitches, was a learning process for Soluri, but one she jumped at.

"I started going to pitching lessons with her and it was great. She was so encouraging," Soluri said. "She's just a great person and a great pitcher. It was the best season of my life."