McKay pitches Babylon over rival Hampton Bays

It may not be Yankees vs. Red Sox but as far as Class B softball goes, it's a heck of a rivalry.

The past two postseasons, Hampton Bays has defeated Babylon in the Suffolk title game, but on the heels of a 7-3 Babylon win Wednesday, the Panthers are looking to reverse their own curse. "This is our year, we want this so bad," said Amanda McKay, a five-year starting pitcher who gave up four hits and struck out five to earn the win. "I think we have the team to do it. Everyone in our lineup can hit this season."

Babylon (5-0, 4-0 League VII) ran out to a 6-0 lead after the third inning. Hampton Bays (1-3, 1-2) struck back with a pair of sixth-inning runs, but Chrissie Ochs slammed an inside-the-park home run to left to give Babylon a 7-2 lead.

"I thought it was a double at first," said Ochs, who finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs. "But I just ran as fast as I could."

That sentiment encapsulates the task for Babylon this season: run as fast as they can, scrap and be aggressive. "I think they're both scrappy teams," coach Rick Punzone said about why both teams seem to have a standing date in the playoffs.

But you also have to pitch, and that's where McKay could provide a serious advantage. A rare lefty, she pitches on the outside corner to great effectiveness.

But after pitching on Tuesday, McKay walked her second batter just two outs into the first inning Wednesday, bringing Punzone out for a chat.

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"I wanted to tell her just to calm down," Punzone said. "She was really fired up. She's had wars with Hampton Bays."

McKay struck out the next batter and seemed to settle down. She might have realized the need to save some of that fire for future wars.