East Islip softball wins with walk-off in Suffolk quarterfinal vs. Sayville

Adhering to the team’s seasonlong mantra of “Brick by brick,” the East Islip softball team has celebrated each victory by having the game’s greatest contributor sign a W on a brick they carry to every game.

After East Islip racked up 20 W’s entering Saturday morning, Alyssa Benvengo and Madison Sturtz ensured that a 13th consecutive would be added.

This time in extra-inning, walk-off fashion.

Sliding headfirst across home plate in the bottom of the eighth on a frenetic final play, Sturtz helped secure No. 1 East Islip a dramatic 1-0 home victory over No. 5 Sayville in a Suffolk Class A quarterfinal.

Following her walk to lead off the eighth, Sturtz reached second with one out on a wild pitch. She then began rounding third on Benvengo’s infield single up the middle and was forced to turn back after the throw came home well ahead of her.

But the subsequent throw behind Sturtz at third trickled away, and she immediately bounced back up at the direction of coach Jason McGowan and slid home ahead of the final throw for the winning run.

“I heard Coach say ‘Get up and go,’ and I ran as fast as I could,” Sturtz said. “And I was safe. I just wanted to make him and the team proud and do what I could.”

East Islip (21-1) had only two hits prior to Benvengo’s that set the final play in motion, with both coming in the seventh.

“I was very nervous going up to bat there,” said Benvengo, who also has sole responsibility of the brick. “I knew I could either make it or break it there. Once I got the hit and saw Maddie at third, I knew she was going home.”

Sayville’s Catherine Meyers and East Islip’s Kyra Kreuscher both went the distance in a back-and-forth pitchers’ duel. Meyers had 12 strikeouts and forced a lineout to short to leave the bases loaded in the seventh before surrendering the lone run an inning later.

Kreuscher struck out 11, allowing just four hits on the day. She pitched out of a pair of jams with runners on second and third in both the fifth and seventh to keep Sayville (14-5) off the board before retiring the side quickly in the eighth.

“It was just about taking things inning by inning,” Kreuscher said. “Every inning is a simple little game and I just try to win each one, and remain aggressive at the plate all the time.”

East Islip hosts Islip in the next round on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

But until then, the message remains the same for East Islip.

“We’re prepared,” McGowan said. “We’ll have a great practice on Monday and go one day at a time, brick by brick. We’re ready.”