Karl, Selts lead Sayville to 'A' finals
Kira Karl went 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs and Merissa Selts allowed five hits, two walks and struck out five to lead second-seeded Sayville to a 4-1 victory over No. 3 Shoreham-Wading River Saturday in the Suffolk Class A softball semifinals.
The Golden Flashes (16-6), who won the county title in 2009, will face top-seeded Kings Park in the best-of-three final series that begins at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Selts put Sayville on the board with a solo homer in the first inning. They took a 3-0 lead when Karl's single scored Olivia Kavcmark and Haley Nicolino in the fourth.
"She had a great game," Sayville coach Tiffany Rowan said of Karl, the leadoff hitter. "She's been a great leader for us all year. She sets the table for us and when she's doing well, good things happen."
Good things happened in the circle, as well, where Selts kept the Wildcats off-balance. The League VI rivals had split the regular-season series: Sayville earned a 6-5 win, and Shoreham-Wading River beat the Golden Flashes, 4-3.
"We were about evenly matched," Rowan said. "The big difference was Merissa stepping up and pitching a great game . . . She was hitting the spots with all her pitches, going inside and out, and that's what made her dominant."
The Golden Flashes, seeded fifth in 2009, won a championship with an upset of Hauppauge. This year, the challenge is Kings Park (20-2).
"That's why you play," Rowan said. "We'll do our best and go all out. We're definitely excited and looking forward to it."
