North Babylon ends tough stretch with win over West Islip

Want to talk about a grueling stretch? Try these last three days for the North Babylon softball team — home game Saturday night, road game Sunday morning, road game Monday afternoon.

The Bulldogs went win, loss, win during this tiring time. They finished it with a 12-8 victory over a West Islip team that came in undefeated.

"It was tough, but we all fought through it," senior Ava Shorr said after contributing three hits and three RBIs and throwing a complete game with 11 strikeouts in her third straight day on the mound, including a relief appearance in Sunday’s 8-7 setback at Newfield.

Now North Babylon and West Islip are tied for first in Suffolk III at 6-1. The Bulldogs moved to 8-1 overall.

"We won 8-1 (against Smithtown East) on Saturday night, then get off the bus at 11 o’clock at night, and then we’ve got to play … at 10 o’clock in the morning away," coach John Egan said. "The kids were tired. I’m not making excuses for them.

"But they battled today. They were ready to go today. They understood what was on the line today. We’re a very good team."

Ashlee Seidler delivered four hits to pace a 17-hit eruption against Caitlyn Herzing, who did fan 11. Madison Picerno smacked a two-run homer and an RBI double.

SEE PHOTOSPhotos: North Babylon vs. West Islip softball

"We’re very explosive offensively," Egan said. "Top to bottom, we really don’t have any holes."

Marissa Krohberger’s two-run double and Shorr’s two-run single highlighted a six-run third that gave North Babylon a 9-0 cushion.

"They’re a good team," Lions coach Colleen Reilly said. "But so are we, and we proved that the second half of this game. We went down fighting."

Alex Michaluk slugged a solo homer for them in the fourth. They also put together a six-run seventh — featuring Katie Fix’s two-run double and Kat DaSilva’s two-run single — before Shorr nailed down the final out.

"We know what we have to do to compete," Egan said, "and to be the best team that we can be out there."