Corrao, Zabielski help lead Farmingdale

About the only way a teammate could upstage Farmingdale ace Isabella Corrao on a day she struck out 15 batters, allowed just one run and had a perfect day at the plate is to have the kind of evening Kat Zabielski had.

Zabielski was 2-for-3 with a triple and both RBIs, as Farmingdale beat a stubborn East Meadow squad, 2-1, in Conference AA-I Monday.

Emily Finkel was 2-for-3 with a stolen base for the host Dalers (8-4). Danielle Cutuli was 2-for-3 with a walk and stolen base and Jamie Laird went 1-for-3 with a triple and walk for the Jets (7-4).

"It's always a big rivalry," Zabielski said. "I haven't had much success against them personally, so it's a big game for me."

But that big game started off with a big hit from the Virginia Tech-bound Corrao, who led off the bottom of the first with a triple to deep left center. With one out, Zabielski chopped a fielder's choice to the left side of the infield, scoring courtesy runner Katie Waszkiewicz.

That 1-0 lead vanished in the fifth, as Marissa San Antonio reached on a bunt for the Jets, stole second and advanced to third on a two-out balk. After an intentional walk to Laird, pinch hitter Kerri Shapiro singled to left to tie the score at 1.

"She's a freshman, but she's a gamer," coach Cindy McCarthy said of Shapiro. "It's a tough spot to put anyone in, but she stepped up."

SEE PHOTOSFarmingdale 2, East Meadow 1

Corrao walked Taylor Conti to load the bases, but struck out the next batter to end the threat. In all, she pitched to five batters with a runner at third, striking out four and getting another to ground out.

"She settles back," coach Laura Malone said. "She's a winner and she fights through everything."

But she couldn't fight what she couldn't hit, and Amanda Carlin started the fifth by issuing her second intentional walk of the game to Corrao.

"It frustrates me a lot," Corrao said. "But like Coach says, it's respect. I've got to shake it off and maybe next time they'll let me hit."

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After a fielder's choice and strikeout, Carlin had a runner on first. But Zabielski came through again, hitting a hard liner to left for the RBI, and motored into third with a triple.

"It's never an easy win with us," Zabielski said. "Once it was bases loaded, we just knew we had to get it done."

East Meadow stranded a runner at third with two outs in the sixth and left the bases loaded in the seventh, as Corrao overpowered hitter after hitter with a blazing fastball that emitted a rifle-like report each time it hit the catcher's mitt.

She worked the plate with ease, unafraid to pitch inside or up -- backing hitters away so she could unleash a speedy offering outside that would bend just off the corner of the plate.

She came away with the win after two RBIs from Zabielski. Not a bad way to be upstaged.