Havens leads Eastport-South Manor over Kings Park

Catherine Havens didn't have her best stuff. The plate umpire called a tight strike zone. The Kingsmen made more contact against the ace than most teams, putting together long at-bats and even managing to spoil several of her put-away changeups.

And it didn't matter.

One mark of a great pitcher is the ability to make do, as well, a great team its ability to handle pressure. It wasn't pretty, but Eastport-South Manor persevered Saturday, beating Kings Park, 4-0, at home to stave off elimination in the second game of the Suffolk Class A finals.

"We have a way of battling when our back's against the wall," said coach Steve Giacolone, whose third-seeded Sharks will play the deciding Game 3 at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Havens, in an uncharacteristically sticky start, struck out just five and allowed 10 base runners. The performance wasn't Sabremetric-friendly, but there is that all-important stat: zero runs.

Eastport had dropped the first game, 2-1, and faced elimination against a rival they'd lost to three straight times. The girls admitted there was some nervousness entering the contest. "There was a lot of pressure, more so because a lot of us are seniors," said Amber Jones, one of six graduating starters. "If we don't get it here, we're done."

Those feelings were allayed in the second inning when Michelle Iannone came home on a ball thrown over first after a strikeout.

SEE PHOTOSEastport-South Manor 4, Kings Park 0

"That first run kind of helped us get into a rhythm," said Iannone, who had struck out but reached first on a wild pitch.

The Sharks added three more in the fifth. Havens drove in the first with a bases-loaded walk, Jones followed with a single to right, and Melanie Boccio hit a sacrifice fly. Brianna Clarke was 2-for-3 in the game.

But top-seeded Kings Park didn't go quietly. They had prepared for Havens, knew well about her tendency to work the curveball on the outside corners, and adjusted accordingly.

"They were crowding the plate a little early on, so we had to switch it up," Boccio, the catcher, said. Added Havens: "I started throwing more of my balls on the inside corner and some were over the middle."

SEE PHOTOSHigh school sports -- May

Kings Park adjusted to that and forced the Sharks (18-4) into a couple of jams late. Two walks and a single loaded the bases for the Kingsmen in the sixth. Nicole Torlincasi then hit a liner that got by short as Chelsea Kull and the runner nearly collided, but the hit was called back on base runner's interference.

In the seventh, Kings Park (22-2) again loaded them up with three singles, pulling the inside pitches. But two plays at the plate - a throw from centerfield and a bunt back to Havens - allowed the Sharks to escape unscathed.

"I'm going to need a [thesaurus] because I'm running out of words to describe how gritty Catherine is," Giacolone said.

Havens was deflective of praise. "The defense made some amazing plays to keep us up," said the pitcher, who herself made a full-extension dive to catch a popped up bunt in the sixth.

The Sharks, now at ease, planned to celebrate the win by heading to Ashley Mendez's house to "jump in the pool with our jerseys on," Jones said. And, according to Havens, the pressure is now on the Kingsmen.

"We're just the underdogs," she said with a smile.