By Dylan Butler
It was one of those innocent brother/sister conversations at the Stamatiades house in Astoria last week. Ally, a sophomore on the Bryant softball team, and her brother Nick were watching a baseball game on television when Ally asked one of those “how to” baseball questions:
“How do you turn a triple-play?”
A week later whatever advice her brother gave her paid off as the Owls’ third baseman turned a crucial second-inning triple play en route to Bryant’s 21-4 win at Forest Hills last Thursday.
“We were just talking about it, joking about it,” she said. “I never thought I would get one.”
Bryant, a city semifinalist last year, jumped ahead 7-1 in the second inning, but the resilient Rangers loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning on two walks and an infield hit. Beth Goldman, Forest Hills’ ninth-place batter, laced the ball toward third base.
The Rangers’ runners took off, figuring the ball would make its way into left field, but Stamatiades snagged the hot shot and quickly tagged Amelia Berger who was caught between third and home.
That was the instinctive part of the triple play. Bryant coach Wally Hausdorf helped out with the final piece of the maneuver.
“As soon as I caught the ball I tagged the runner and then I heard coach yelling to throw to second,” she said.
Stamatiades did just that. She tossed the ball to shortstop Mary Cabrera who stepped on the bag at second to complete the play and end the inning. An inning that started out with so much optimism ended in frustration for Forest Hills coach Jonas Garelle.
“It was a nice shot up the line and [Stamatiades] made a very nice play,” the second-year coach said. “That basically took the wind out of our sails. It was one of those bang, bang, bang type of things.”
The triple play would come back to haunt Forest Hills (4-1, 1-1 Queens I) in the third inning. Bryant (11-0, 3-0) scored three more runs to take a 10-1 lead, but the Rangers struck back in the bottom of the inning, scoring three runs — two on Erika Vinces’ home run — to cut the Owls’ lead to 10-3.
Bryant poured it on from there, scoring seven runs on five hits in the fourth inning. The big hits came from the bottom of the lineup as Allison Stupakevich and Alma Pupovic blasted a three-run home run and a two-run dinger, respectively, off Vinces, a lefty lob ball pitcher.
“We are a very young team,” said Hausdorf of a Bryant team with just one senior and two juniors. “I was very pleased with the hitting, especially the way the bottom of the lineup hit today.”
The Owls were also extremely aggressive on the base pads, with Hausdorf giving runners a never-ending green light, which turned singles into triples, usually after just two pitches.
Bryant’s offensive onslaught boded well for sophomore windmiller Amanda Acevedo, who has some very big shoes to fill after Tanya Banzil, who is now at St. Francis College, graduated last May.
“Once we score a few runs she doesn’t feel as much stress,” Stamatiades said of Acevedo, who allowed four runs on four hits, striking out six with four walks. “We have the hitting through the lineup to back her up if she does make a mistake.”
Francis Lewis 5, Van Buren 2. Lucia Oswald went 3-for-3 with four RBIs to lead the Patriots, who turned a fifth-inning triple play. Tory Meluzin added two hits for Lewis (2-1, 2-0 Queens III). Van Buren dropped to 1-3.
Townsend Harris 19, Newtown 3. Megan Davidow went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs and Patricia Pabon went 2-for-2 with two RBIs for Townsend Harris (3-3, 3-0 Queens I).
Adams 18, Lane 1. Michelle Tusa led the way for Adams, striking out six in five innings and went 2-for-3 with a home run for the Spartans. Natasha Kirkland hit her third dinger of the year and Mary Zaun was 3-for-4 with three RBIs for Adams (3-0 Queens II). Lane fell to 2-1 in Queens II.
Bayside 17, Jamaica 0. Sapphire Edwards struck out 11 and allowed just one hit and Theresa Mehlig had a home run and three RBIs to lead Bayside (7-3, 3-0 Queens III).
Bowne 17, Hillcrest 0. Candace Beckford went 2-for-3 and pitched a two-hitter and Marissa Singh belted a grand slam for the Wildcats (3-1, 2-1 Queens III). which shocked Cardozo, 7-6 last Thursday.
Richmond Hill 14, RFK 13. Cynthia Rivera went 4-for-5 with three RBIs and scored the game-winning run on a wild pitch in the eighth inning for Richmond Hill (3-5, 2-1 Queens II).
Reach Associate Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 143.
