Gwen Donaldson’s RBI double gives Babylon Suffolk B title

With a softball county championship just one run away, it was Babylon’s lone senior in the batter’s box to decide the game’s fate.

“I was struggling to hit throughout the game,” shortstop Gwen Donaldson said. “So I was just trying to relax and just get a big hit and a big time.”

And did she ever.

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Donaldson smacked a double over the second baseman’s head into right-centerfield on a hit-and-run to drive in Allie Stanya from first base as host No. 1 Babylon defeated No. 2 Center Moriches, 3-2, to win the Suffolk B championship.

“When I went to steal, I heard the ball hit, I didn’t know where but I heard my coach say ‘Go, go, go,’ Stanya said. “When I got home I was like ‘Wow, we just won the county championship.”

Babylon (22-0) will play Wheatley in the Long Island Championship game June 1 at St. Joseph’s College at 4 p.m.

“It was definitely one for the ages,” coach Rick Punzone said. “I’ve been involved in a lot of big games and this was a real good one.”

Stanya tossed another brilliant game for the Panthers, allowing only one earned run on two hits, two walks and 12 strikeouts in the complete game. She improved to 15-0, with four of the team’s five wins over Center Moriches this season — the team that defeated the Panthers in last season’s county championship.

“There was a lot of pressure on all of us because we’ve lost to them in the past,” said Stanya, who also went 4-for-5 at the plate. “But we’ve played them four times in the season and we knew we wanted to beat them a fifth time.”

Babylon also wanted to keep its undefeated season going and accomplish something not many teams have.

“I keep telling them in New York State athletics, there’s not too many teams that can win a state championship and have an undefeated record and go unblemished,” Punzone said. “If you want to be a part of history, this is what’s in front of you.”

Center Moriches (17-7) scored the game’s first run on an error in the first inning as Erin Copozzi came around to score. Babylon tied the score in the fourth inning on Alexa Tenety’s RBI single to drive in Emily Bell. Tenety later scored to take a 2-1 lead on Stanya’s single.

But the Red Devils fought back, as Cassy Smith’s leadoff home run in the seventh inning tied the score at two before Donaldson’s winning hit.

“We’ve been looking forward to this point of the season all year,” Donaldson said. “Everyone is very excited and we all can’t wait to go to St. Joe’s and play.”

And for Donaldson to cap off her five-year starting tenure in her final game at Babylon High School with the winning hit is a memory she’ll never forget.

“That was awesome,” Donaldson said. “That’s the best part of my whole Babylon softball career I think.”

“Not too many kids can end a career playing almost 100 games on your varsity field and then you get a walk-off double to win the Suffolk County championship,” Punzone said. “You make movies about that.”