Softball on a perfect spring day: Shelter Islanders host Smithtown Knights

Thursday, April 24 was a pleasant day to watch softball on Shelter Island. The sun was warm, birds were singing, and fluorescent yellow balls were zipping from player to player as the teams warmed up. It was the first game following spring break and everyone seemed happy to be spending the afternoon on the field.

Islander pitchers Makayla Cronin and Lili Kuhr worked efficiently with catcher Natalie Mamisashvili to hone their arm speed and accuracy. The visiting Smithtown Knights were pumped up and quite vocal. As the coach announced the lineup to the team, the athletes cheered one another, with the chatter of a team experienced in softball culture.

Cronin started as pitcher, where her quick reflexes and decision making were vital. Shelter Island’s pitching was noticeably more controlled than in their previous game and walks were few and far between.

It was rapidly evident that the Knights were here to play tough. Their aggressive baserunning allowed the Islanders to practice getting out of a “pickle.” They weren’t afraid to swing, and a few bobbles on defense allowed the Knights to score 5 runs in the first inning.

Senior Dariana Duran was the lead-off hitter for the Islanders. Her teammates’ supportive chatter — “Send it, Dari!” — was fun to hear. Duran was more confident at bat, fouling off two pitches. The umpire seemed to allow a large strike zone, and despite Lauren Gibbs’ nice single, no runs were scored in the first.

The Knights had the most powerful offense the Islanders has faced yet, and the outfield had their work cut out for them. Coach Lindsay Rando noted, “They did really well getting those big hits into the field as fast as they could. Center fielder Lily Potter was chasing and fielding as fast as she could.” The visitors added 3 runs in the second.

With blue jays calling and Carolina wrens singing, both teams kept up the positive chatter. As Mamisashvili and Cronin both advanced on a double steal, a voice from the dugout called out, “Stealing bases and my heart.”

In the third inning Coach Rando made a few changes. Juliana Medina had been in left field, but with Lexi Bartilucci coming in for her behind the plate, Mamisashvili moved to left to relieve Medina. Kylie Kuhr Leonard moved to right field to replace Bartilucci.

The bright sun continued to shine, a boon for spectators, but making it difficult for the players on pop-ups. Toddler Mateo Rando was at the field to watch the game. His enthusiastic vocalizations and attempts to carry a bat literally as tall as him kept the crowd amused.

The Knights continued their aggressive hitting, but a hit to Cronin was quickly fielded and thrown to third, where Maeve Springer applied the solid tag to take out the lead runner. Bartilucci, in her first game as catcher, did a nice job controlling the ball and barely flinched when a foul tip careened off her mask.

The bottom of the third had Lili Kuhr, Gibbs and Potter all working hard to get hits instead of waiting on the pitcher to walk them. All three got their bats on the ball, but the Smithtown Christian defense shut down any hopes of scoring runs. Lili Kuhr came in at pitcher at the top of the fourth. Her sizzling speed caused the Knights to recalibrate their swings. At first base Gibbs made a couple of great stops and outs, but the Knights still scored a few runs, extending their lead.

As the Islanders came up for their last licks in the bottom of the fifth, they were determined to break their scoring drought. Despite nearly getting hit on an errant pitch, Duran stayed tough in the batter’s box and got a single. She quickly stole second, then advanced to third, and on an overthrow raced home to give the Islanders their first run. Kuhr got walked, and a few plays later Bartilucci’s sacrifice got her home.

The last inning rally wasn’t enough to overcome the gap, but that fighting spirit was great to see.

With six of the 10 athletes playing softball at the high school level for the first time, they are still learning to anticipate plays and make fast decisions. Coach Rando was happy to see her athletes competing, “The team is really pushing hard in practices to make plays quick and effective and to get out of tight spots like the pickle or to take a steal,” the coach said.

The Islanders’ next home game against Pierson is on May 5 at 4:30. It is their “Hope at Bat” game to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Come support the team and a great cause!