Longwood blanks Sachem East softball, 6-0

Marissa Smith
Marissa Smith

On a damp and rainy afternoon at Longwood High School, Sachem East softball lost to Longwood, 6-0, in the Suffolk County Class AA semifinals.

But they’re still alive. Thanks to a double elimination playoff bracket, the Arrows (16-7) will play the loser of the other Suffolk semifinal match between Hauppauge and Bay Shore. That game was called on account of rain Friday and will be played Saturday, weather pending.

“Give [Longwood] a lot of credit,” said Sachem East coach Ralph Forman. “They hit real well today and they made good plays. They’re a good team. We had a real off-day today. Thank goodness we can play again.”

Sam Valentine powered the third-seeded Lions(19-3) with a victory on the mound and a 2-for-3 performance at the plate with three RBI.

Marissa Smith, Sachem East’s ace this season, received the loss on the mound.

“We need to get back to the fundamentals,” said Forman.

Sachem East had not lost a game since May 6 (Commack, 6-1), and had a seven-game winning streak.

We haven’t lost a game for the second half of the year. That was 7 in a row.

-Words/Photos by Chris R. Vaccaro