Isabella Kriklava leads Sachem North softball to its first Suffolk Class AAA title
Sachem North players pose for a photo after winning the Suffolk Class AAA softball finals against Commack on Saturday, May 30, 2026 in Bellport. Credit: Kelvin Loarca
With a county championship on the line, Isabella Kriklava didn’t let the pressure get to her.
The Sachem North shortstop had already driven in three runs with a fly ball to rightfield before scoring a run of her own to give the team a 4-0 first inning lead that they carried into the seventh.
But a comeback loomed. Outfield errors drove in two Commack runners to make it 4-2 before Kate Schweitzer hit a stand-up double to center that brought the score within one. With two outs and one on, Commack’s next batter sent a grounder directly to Kriklava, who swiftly scooped up the ball and sent it to Shannon Forgione for the final out.
The athletic play sealed the Suffolk Class AAA title for top-seeded Sachem North — its first in program history — 4-3 over No. 2 Commack on Saturday morning in Bellport.
“The whole time I was saying, Please come to me, please come to me, because I knew that I could end it,” Kriklava said. “It felt amazing to finally feel the pressure come off of everyone's chests. This is just insane.”
Sachem North (22-2) advances to the Long Island championship, where it will face the winner of No. 1 Oceanside/No. 2 Massapequa at 11 a.m. June 6 at Martha Avenue Park in Bellport.
North got off to a hot start even before the scoring frenzy Kriklava sparked. In the top of the first, Danielle Brennan quickly struck out three out of four batters faced. She said the momentum built from starting strong helped carry her team throughout the game.
“It definitely made us feel a little more comfortable,” Brennan said. “Shutting them down and then scoring early makes everyone confident that they can hit. This still feels unreal.”
Brennan totaled five strikeouts. Maggie Schumacher, Madison Johnston and eighth-grader Christina Hession scored a run each and Schweitzer tossed seven strikeouts for Commack, which finished 20-5.
Coach Ken Sasso said Kriklava’s composure was the difference maker. After powerhouse hitter Delaney Mathes was walked to load the bases, Sasso said not many athletes would have operated the way she did. Marissa Mazzone, Brooke Giordano and Mathes each scored off Kriklava’s hit.
“She won the game for us,” Sasso said. “She got the hit with the bases loaded and she made the final out. The wheels could’ve come off right there in the last inning, but they didn’t. She kept them on. She was a stud and she’s been a stud all year.”
Tess Ferguson is a reporter on Newsday's high school sports staff. She joined the team after graduating with a journalism degree from Ithaca College in 2025.
