Hale-Ray Defeats East Hampton to Finish First in Shoreline

It came down to one game to decide the Shoreline Conference regular season champions in softball.

East Hampton and Hale-Ray had met earlier this season, with the Little Noises winning in extra innings. The rematch, as in the first game, saw Hale-Ray jump out to a first-inning lead. This time, however, East Hampton couldn’t catch them.

Two first-inning runs were all visiting Hale-Ray needed as it went on to defeat East Hampton 3-0 on Wednesday in the final regular season game for both teams.

“They got those runs to take the lead and it fazed the girls for the time being because they were down two,” East Hampton coach Matt Warner said, “but for the rest of the game they were up in the batter’s box, they were being smart with pitches, they were taking walks when they could, if not, they were putting the ball in play and pushing Hale-Ray. … We didn’t just give up.”

Not at all. The Bellringers put the ball in play often, striking out only twice, but the Little Noises made the plays defensively to keep runners off the bases. Five times East Hampton was retired in order, mounting threats in the second and fourth innings.

For their part, East Hampton (15-5)  played strong defensively as well, holding Hale-Ray (17-3) scoreless after the first inning behind starting pitcher Emily Clausi until the seventh, when the Little Noises added another run to make the score, 3-0.

“Overall, it was a well-played game,” Warner said.

As the game wore on and the teams trading zeros on the scoreboard, that first inning loomed larger.

It began not with a bang but a bunt. A bunt single by Alex Lafemina, followed by her steal of second and a walk to Lydia Walter, put runners on first and second. The table was set for Maxie Murphy. The senior delivered, launching a double to drive in both runners and just like that, the score was 2-0.

East Hampton’s best opportunity to break through came in the fourth. Clausi singled to start the inning and Brittany Fiederlein singled as well. When starting pitcher Katelyn Nichisti fell behind Madigan Flannery 3-and-1, out of the dugout popped coach Sue Miner and to the mound came Rachel Pease.

“I don’t necessarily have a starter. I have a pitching staff,” Miner said. “In the first half of the season or maybe even last year, because they’re both juniors they’ve come up together, we’ve been trying to determine which one was going to be our go-to starter all the time, but they both continue to improve and they both work so well together, that I know in a moment’s notice if I need to make change the other one is ready to come in and perform in the way she needs to. … In a situation like this, when the score was only 2-0, with runners at first and second, I didn’t want to get us in a bases-loaded situation where we were going to need to pull the infield in, so I was hoping for that out on that batter and Rachel delivered it.”

Having gotten Flannery out, Shannon Law stepped up and singled to give Miner that bases-loaded situation she hoped to avoid, but Pease retired the next two batters to get out of the jam.

In the fifth, Hale-Ray threatened after a lead-off triple by Ashley Holmgren. This time the Little Noises’ aggressiveness on the bases didn’t pay off. With the infield in, Maegan McNulty hit into a 5-4-2 double play.

“We are usually very good at executing our short game,” Miner said. “I think Brittany Fiederlein just did a great job holding my runner for as long as possible at third then threw the ball over to first base very hard. “

The throw home by Haley Karpa got Holmgren at the plate.

Pease, however, quelled any momentum the Bellringers tried to muster, retiring the final 11 batters she faced to cement the victory.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game, but it was a good place for us to gauge ourselves against a very solid team that’s going to make a lot of noise in the Shoreline tournament and do very well in the state tournament,” Warner said. “I think overall we’re in a good position going into the Shoreline tournament and the state tournament.”

Hale-Ray has a history of doing very well in the postseason. Between 2000 and 2004, it appeared in five consecutive Class S championship games, winning in 2002 and 2003. The Little Noises also won in 1995 and 1998.

Does pressure come with past success?

“It’s one of those things we talk about all the time, from the beginning of the season to the end of the season, about how important it is to be part of the winning tradition at Hale-Ray and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Miner said. “That’s the type of program I want to continue and I wouldn’t want to coach in any other program that didn’t have high expectations like this.”

The two teams will host Shoreline tournament quarterfinal games on Friday.