Giuliano leads Babylon over Mt. Sinai

Babylon saw its game against Mount Sinai as an opportunity to make a statement, to prove that its undefeated record was more than an early-season mirage. Well, the Panthers made their statement. Loud and clear.

Tiana Giuliano tossed her second one-hitter of the season and Christine Desiderio went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI doubles, as Babylon cruised to a 12-2 win Friday in Suffolk League VII softball.

"They've been our rival since I was in seventh grade," said Desiderio, a senior and sixth-year varsity player. "So this game meant extra to our coaches, myself and Tiana. Coming in here, we wanted to destroy them. And we did."

Giuliano had a no-hitter going until Emily Solomos broke it up with a two-out single in the fifth. She struck out three and allowed one walk to move her record to 3-0. Mount Sinai (4-1, 3-1) did not have a batter reach base until the fourth.

"I was very accurate, and I just wanted to win this game," Giuliano said.

Added Babylon coach Rick Punzone: "She had command of all of her pitches. I call her pitches, and it's a pleasure. Whatever I called, she hit the spot."

The Panthers (6-0, 4-0) broke things open in the fourth, scoring six runs and sending 12 batters to the plate. Giuliano (2-for-4) ripped a two-out, two-run single on a 3-and-2 count to extend the lead to 6-0.

SEE PHOTOSBabylon 12, Mt. Sinai 2

Eight consecutive Babylon batters reached base with two outs, beginning with Desiderio's second RBI double of the afternoon.

"I thought their pitcher was outstanding," Punzone said of Mount Sinai hurler Holly Drasser. "Today, maybe she didn't have her best stuff, but it's a quality win for us. When you beat a team with a really good pitcher, it paves the way for the rest of the season. It's a signature win for us."

Giuliano added another two-run single in the seventh to make it 11-2.

"In the beginning of the year, we were a little shaky, but we've got our hitting down," Giuliano said. "We're really good."

SEE PHOTOSSoftball players to watch

The Panthers had already made their statement; Giuliano added the exclamation point.