Lady Royals Defeat Pierson In Last At-Bat

The Lady Royals learned in a 2-1 last-out victory over Pierson/Bridgehampton on Friday that sometimes the way you win is not important, just as long as you win.

A 1-1 game with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning quickly transformed into a 2-1 victory as Port Jefferson snuck past Pierson/Bridgehampton in game one of the Suffolk Class C best-of-three-game championship series.

The large crowd at anxiously awaited what appeared to be a game heading to overtime as standout starting pitcher/hitter Michiko McGivney, who had walked with one-out, stole second base and then advanced to third on a groundball out, raced towards home following a softly hit, routine ground ball off the bat of teammate Renee Marchewka. The Lady Whalers second baseman charged the ball with plenty of time to record the out, but instead, the ball caromed off the tip of her glove for an error, allowing McGivney to score the winning run.

Score: Port Jefferson 2, Pierson/Bridgehampton 1

Record: Port Jefferson 14-3, Pierson/Bridgehampton 11-6

Heroes: Junior starting pitcher Michiko McGivney was a dominating force in the pitcher’s circle, at the plate and on the base paths. Her line drive single in the sixth inning was one of only a handful of hits allowed by Lady Whalers starter Melanie Stafford. McGivney also stole three bases and did not allow an earned run.

Turning Point: Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning, Marchewka bounced a single through the hole between shortstop and third base, later advancing to second base on a wild pitch. Courtney Fee grounded into what looked to be a fielder’s choice ground out, but Pierson opted to try and throw Marchewka out at third, which was unsuccessful as the senior shortstop wisely slid in safely around the tag. With two outs, Claudia DiCalogero struck out, but managed to reach first on a passed ball as Marchewka slid into home to tie the game 1-1.

Quote: “That was an ugly game,” said Lady Royals head coach Deborah Sue Edgar-Brown. “Pierson’s a very good team and they’ve always given us good competition, but we weren’t hitting the ball today and we’re usually able to get 11 or 12 hits against them. We made some errors and so did they. It’s a best of three games series and I’m sure we’re going to be having our hands full on Tuesday. Michiko was hurting today, but she battled it out and we’re thankful that we got the win.”

Key Stat: McGivney allowed only two hits in seven innings, striking out five and walking three.

Bottom Line: Port Jefferson can clinch the Class C championship on Tuesday when they play game two at Pierson/Bridgehampton. If necessary, game three would be back at Port Jefferson on Wednesday June 1 at 4 p.m.