Sports

Softball: Center Moriches cruises past Mercy in playoff opener

McGann-Mercy senior shortstop Micaela Zebroski fields a ground ball in Thursday's playoff game at Center Moriches. (Credit: Robert O'Rourk)
McGann-Mercy senior shortstop Micaela Zebroski fields a ground ball in Thursday’s playoff game at Center Moriches. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

The challenge for the McGann-Mercy softball team Thursday was to accomplish something no team could do this season: defeat Center Moriches.

The Red Devils, 20-0 and the No. 1 seed in Class B, moved one step closer to a county crown with a 12-3 victory over the Monarchs. 

The loss drops the Monarchs into the loser’s bracket of the double-elimination tournament, where they’ll play at Hampton Bays Saturday. The game is set for 2 p.m.

Center Moriches will play No. 2 Babylon next.

It was the third time Mercy (9-8) has played the Red Devils this year and it was the best effort for the Monarchs. The Red Devils outscored Mercy 26-2 in the regular season.

The Red Devils scored four runs on six hits in the third inning Thursday to take control of the game. In the final two innings, six more runs came across the plate for Center Moriches.

Mercy’s bats showed some sign of life when Olivia Valle (2-for-2) stroked a triple to drive in the first run scored by Micaela Zebroski, who had singled to start the inning. They also scored once in both the fifth and sixth innings. Isabella Sorgi was 2-for-3, including a double that drove in a run.