By Marc Raimondi
Ho hum. Another undefeated regular season for the Bayside softball team. The Commodores haven’t lost a division game since May 17, 2006. But time and time again, coach Steve Piorkowski has preached that dominating Queens isn’t enough.
Now, after making the PSAL Class A final four last year, his team will get another crack at gaining the city’s respect, not just borough bragging rights. Bayside, seeded fourth, will host the winner of No. 20 Van Buren-No. 13 Stevenson on Thursday in the first round.
“That’s what this is all about,” Commodores ace Nicole Marra said. “It’s not about the season.”
Bayside got a scare May 14 at Francis Lewis. The Commodores and Patriots went into extra innings and Marra was knocked around worse than she had been all season by a team from Queens I-A. She gave up six runs on six hits in nine innings, walked six and hit two with pitches.
“I think they just timed my fastball and put the bat on the ball,” Marra said. “They’re a decent team. I don’t think they’re anything special.”
The Commodores would end up winning in nine innings, torching Lewis starter Tina DeLuca for five runs in the top of the ninth. But Bayside only got back into the game when Patriots second baseman Philisha Sepulveda dropped a soft line drive allowing two runs to score to tie the game at 5 in the sixth inning.
Lewis came out of the game pretty confident, but not happy.
“A lot more disappointment (than anything else),” Patriots coach Bryan Brown said. “It’s gonna hurt as far as the rankings in the playoffs.”
He was right. Lewis is seeded 12th and was scheduled to play No. 21 Richmond Hill on Wednesday. With a win, the Patriots will play at No. 5 Susan Wagner. If Lewis beats its Staten Island foe and Bayside gets by its first-round opponent, the two teams will meet again with even more on the line.
“We want to face them in the playoffs,” Patriots shortstop Angelica Farrell said. “We can’t wait.”
Cardozo, which split with Francis Lewis in the regular season, earned the No. 8 seed and the Judges will host either No. 9 Bryant or No. 24 Fort Hamilton on Thursday. No. 19 Townsend Harris was scheduled to face No. 14 Bronx Science in an outbracket game on the road Wednesday. Originally, the outbracket games were scheduled for Tuesday, but rain postponed them until Wednesday. All first-round games are set for Thursday.
Bayside won’t be paying attention to what its Queens brethren do. The Commodores have their eyes on a city championship and that will probably have to go through Staten Island and four-time defending champion Tottenville. Those teams could play in the semifinals.
“We all have that desire,” Bayside senior catcher Danielle Brustmeyer said, “that burning desire to win.”
Reach Associate Sports Editor Marc Raimondi by e-mail at mraimondi@timesledger.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 130.
