High School playoff round-up: Blue Waves softballers face tough road to county crown

RIVERHEAD SOFTBALL

May 20: Sachem East 6, Riverhead 0

For the first time this season, Riverhead finished a game with a loss. In the winner’s bracket Class AAA semifinal, Sachem East prevailed behind a strong pitching effort by Olivia DeRose. Riverhead (20-1) beat Sachem East twice during the regular season, but Monday was simply DeRose’s day. Riverhead’s season isn’t over, however; the road to glory just got a bit longer. Being a double-elimination tournament, Riverhead drops down to the loser’s bracket semifinal against No. 2 North Babylon on Thursday. Should they beat North Babylon, Riverhead would advance to the Suffolk County title game. But because Sachem East was the finalist from the winner’s bracket, for Riverhead to be crowned champions, they’d have to defeat Sachem East twice. When there’s a chance, there’s a chance. First on the agenda is North Babylon, the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last year.

RIVERHEAD BOYS LACROSSE 

May 15: Ward Melville 15,
Riverhead 3

Riverhead’s best season in school history came to an end against a perennial juggernaut in Ward Melville. They earned the sixth spot in the Section XI Division I standings going to the playoffs, which was the highest they’ve ever finished. The 14-4 overall record was the best a Riverhead team ever achieved. On an individual level, Griffin Sumwalt set some school records that will stick around for quite some time. He set the record for goals scored in a single season with 56, total points on the season with 83 and career points with 192. This group of seniors made it their mission to bring Riverhead back to the pre-COVID era and they’ve absolutely achieved that. It’s on the classes that follow to preserve that energy and determination and build on it going forward.

RIVERHEAD GIRLS GOLF 

Riverhead sent a few girls from the team to compete in the Suffolk County individual championships to try to earn a spot in the New York State event. There’s never been a Riverhead girls golfer to make it to the state tourney. The top nine finishers in the qualifier earn a spot with the 10th-place finisher being an alternate. Madison Marshak, an eighth-grader, just missed the ninth spot but still earned All-County by finishing in 10th. Should someone not be able to attend states, Marshak would take their spot as the alternate. Marshak had a two-day total of 183 strokes at Middle Island Country Club. Junior Angelina Gust finished right behind Marshak in 11th place, with a two-day total of 184 strokes. The future is bright for Riverhead golf. Next year might just be the year.

SHOREHAM-WADING RIVER SOFTBALL 

May 17: Kings Park 4, Shoreham-Wading River 0

After making it to the playoffs with a 10-8 overall record, the young Wildcats were just outmatched in two consecutive games against Islip and Kings Park. Though both the games were close, ending with a score of 4-0, Shoreham-Wading River was just unable to put some runs up against some of the best pitchers in the county. The Wildcats will lose their best pitcher, Erin Cahill, and dominant team leader and catcher Elizabeth Sabino to graduation.