Oceanside's Sabrina Seeger drives in five runs, picks up victory over MacArthur
Oceanside pitcher Sabrina Seeger grabs the MacArthur ground ball and makes the play for the out during Game 1 of the Nassau Class AA finals on Thursday, May 28, 2015 at Hofstra. Credit: George A. Faella
Last season, Sabrina Seeger was . . .
"Basically doing nothing," she said.
But this season, she is . . .
"In the middle of it all," she said after leading second-seeded Oceanside to a 13-1 win over top-seeded MacArthur in Game 1 of the Nassau Class AA softball finals at Hofstra.
And she quite literally is in the middle of it all. She is in the circle every game and hits in the heart of the order. On Thursday, Seeger came up big in both spots.
The sophomore, who had only one playoff at-bat during Oceanside's run to the county finals last season, went 2-for-5 with five RBIs and allowed one run, seven hits and two walks in seven innings against a potent hitting team.
"I can't ask for much more on either side," Oceanside coach Joe Supple said. "When she's hitting her spots, I feel like she is as good as most pitchers out there. Offensively, she hit the ball as hard as she hit it all year."
Risa Zucker blooped a checked-swing single into right to drive in Alyssa Hernandez as Oceanside tied the score at 1-1 in the fifth. Megan McNamara doubled to deep left and Claire McNamara beat out an infield single to make it 2-1. Seeger then drilled a two-out, two-run double to the gap in right-center.
In the next inning, Seeger capped a five-run inning with a three-run double, again to the gap in right-center, to increase the lead to 10-1.
"Sabrina is a young player," Megan McNamara said, "and she acts like she's been here for 20 years."
Shannon Myles and Gabby DeNunzio each went 2-for-3 for MacArthur (21-3). Jen Masessa's RBI single in the fourth gave the Generals a 1-0 lead.
Taylor Eisel had three RBIs for Oceanside (18-6), which scored all 13 of its runs with two outs.
Hernandez went 3-for-4, Megan McNamara was 3-for-5 with an RBI and Claire McNamara went 2-for-5 with an RBI.
"We showed that we came out to win," Hernandez said. "We had to come out and take this game. We can do whatever we put our minds to."
The Sailors, further motivated by their desire to avenge their loss to East Meadow in the 2014 county finals, have a chance to wrap up the title in Game 2 at 3 p.m. Friday at Hofstra.
Last season, they were swept. This season, they won the first game in dominant fashion. The Sailors showed just how much can change in one year. And there was no better example of that than the girl in the middle of it all.
"I didn't do much last season," Seeger said. "To pitch a good game and drive in some runs for my team, it feels great to contribute."
