Sophia Hagerty-Cori hits and pitches Babylon to victory in the Long Island Class B softball championship
Sophia Hagerty-Cori put Babylon ahead early and when it asked her to make clutch pitches to secure the program’s first Long Island championship since 2022, she had no problem obliging.
Hagerty-Cori hit a two-run homer and struck out five in Babylon’s 5-4 win over Carle Place in the Long Island Class B softball championship/state Regional final at Martha Avenue Park in Bellport on Saturday.
Kylie Grossane singled to drive in two runs in the seventh and cut Carle Place’s deficit to 5-4. As Grossane tried to take second on the throw home, Babylon catcher Eliana Romero came up to receive the throw and fired to second to get the runner for the first out.
“In that situation, we didn’t have a chance to get an out at home, but I saw out the corner of my eye the runner going for second,” Romero said. “The throw home might not have been the right decision, but it ultimately worked out in our favor.”
Hagerty-Cori, a freshman, induced a pop-up and struck out the final batter, sending Babylon (12-6) to the state semifinal, where it will play Dobbs Ferry (Section I) at Greenlight Networks Grand Slam Park in Binghamton at 4 p.m. on Friday.
Pilar Ferrandina hit a two-out two-run single to put Carle Place (10-14) ahead 2-0 in the top of the first. Addy Janawsky hit a two-out double for Babylon in the bottom of the first to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Isabella Tse drew a two-out walk in the second and Hagerty-Cori pulled a ball over the fence for a two-run homer to put Babylon in front, 3-2.
“I love how Sophia keeps her composure,” Babylon coach Nicole O’Donnell said. “She doesn’t walk people, so you’ve got to beat her. A lot of times she gets the best of people.”
Julie Goldstein drove in a run with an infield single in the fourth and picked up another RBI with a bases-loaded walk in the sixth to put Babylon ahead 5-2.
Hagerty-Cori issued a walk to lead off the second inning and retired 15 of the next 16 batters.
“I was throwing a lot of pitches with movement to make it harder for them to get the bat around,” Hagerty-Cori said. “That’s a good lineup that can really hit, so I needed to hit my spots.”
Christopher Matias covers high school sports for Newsday after spending time in Athletic Facilities and Operation at St. John’s and in Sports Information at CUNY York college.
