Lent starts comeback for Longwood softball

Longwood coach Alicia Smith said her team had become accustomed to facing deficits all season.

But what happened Saturday was nothing like anything the second-seeded Lions had experienced at any point this season as they trailed No. 11 Connetquot by six runs after just one-third of an inning in a Suffolk Class AA semifinal.

Longwood didn't panic and answered the call almost immediately as it overcame the deep hole it was in and topped Connetquot, 10-6.

The Lions (20-1) will host No. 4 East Islip, a 4-3 upset winner over No. 1 Bay Shore, in the Suffolk Class AA softball finals at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

"We've come back several times before this season," Smith said. "But this was the first time a team jumped out as large as they did against us."

The comeback started in earnest in the bottom of the first inning as Noel Lent hit a three-run home run to cut Connetquot's lead to 6-3.

Alyssa Corona continued the comeback in the sixth inning as her leadoff walk sparked a seven-run inning.

When it was all said and done, Longwood led 10-6 after six innings.

Lent was at the center of the seven-run outburst as her two-out, run-scoring single gave Longwood a 7-6 lead.

Lent finished with four RBIs, and Leah Mele went 3-for-4 with an RBI in the win.

"We've scored a lot of our runs in the sixth with two outs," Smith said. "Being able to push runs with two outs has been big for us this year."

Longwood was also helped on the mound by Samantha Valentine, who came on in relief in the top of the first, struck out one and walked one in 6 2/3 innings of scoreless softball.