Sports

Softball: SWR advances to semifinals in wild finish

BILL LANDON PHOTO | Shoreham-Wading River pitcher Chelsea Hawks is mobbed at home plate after scoring the winning run on a wild pitch in the 9th inning against Miller Place Wednesday.

CLASS A QUARTEFINALS  |  WILDCATS 3, PANTHERS 2 (9 innings)

Chelsea Hawks scored the game-winning run on a wild pitch with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning Wednesday, giving the Shoreham-Wading River softball team a 3-2 victory over Miller Place in a Suffolk County Class A quarterfinal game at Shoreham-Wading River High School.

Hawks drew a one-out walk, moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Hailey Tilton, and then got to third on a wild pitch by Miller Place pitcher Jaqueline Gallagher. Stevie Micheli was then hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners before another wild pitch, with Erin Whalen at the plate, scored Hawks from third with the game winner.

Hawks was the winning pitcher, going the extra-inning distance with 9 innings pitched, allowing five hits and walking three with 13 strikeouts. Maddie Massa was 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored for the Wildcats. Alex Hutchins was 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.

The fourth-ranked Wildcats will visit top seed Sayville in the Class A semifinals Friday at 4 p.m. Sayville defeated Rocky Point in the quarterfinals.

The Wildcats are 2-0 against Sayville this season. The Golden Flashes ended Shoreham’s season in the semifinals last year.