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Smithtown Sports Notebook: League Titles for West Baseball, Badminton

Highlights include a perfect season in badminton, a title-clinching thriller in baseball, and a four-game winning streak for East softball.

Baseball: West wins League III championship

Smithtown West clinched the League III title Friday in dramatic fashion, defeating East Islip at home, 5-4, on a walk-off RBI single by Ricky Alessi. West finished the season in first place at 14-4 and will begin the Suffolk County Class AA playoffs this week.

Alessi went 3-for-3 in the game, driving in winning pitcher Anthony Gatto with the game-winning run. Gatto walked, stole second and moved to third on an error. He also hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the third to help West erase a 4-0 deficit. Nick Zito, who hit a two-run double prior to Gatto’s home run, started the game and struck out seven in five innings. Gatto got the win in relief, pitching the final two innings.

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West opened the series against East Islip with a 5-0 win on Monday. James English improved to 6-1 on the season by tossing a three-hitter for the complete-game shutout, striking out nine. West scored four runs in the third inning, three on a bases-loaded double by Ricky Alessi. Zito and Matt Lichtman drove in the other two runs. West dropped the middle game of the series, 1-0, on Thursday. Doug Zhong pitched well but took the loss.

Boys Badminton: West finishes unbeaten

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Smithtown West won the League I boys’ badminton championship with a perfect 14-0 record, finishing the season with a 9-0 shutout of Lindenhurst on Thursday. West will be the top seed at the Suffolk County team championships on Monday, hosted by Smithtown East. The county individual championships will be held Wednesday and Thursday at Smithtown West.

West cruised to the league title, finishing four games better than runner-up Whitman (10-4). Smithtown East finished in the fourth-place tie with Miller Place at 8-6.

West earned its perfect record thanks to terrific seasons by singles players Justin Lin, Ryan Schneider, Mike Bennett and Brennan Schneider, along with doubles teams Steve Kennedy and Rich Ardizzone, Greg Mayer and Derek Ladeairous, and Kevin Brant and Alex Bresalier.

Softball: East wins fourth straight, joins West in playoffs

The Smithtown East softball team will enter the Suffolk County Class AA playoffs on a roll, having won its final four regular-season games, the latest a 4-3, extra-innings victory Friday over rival Smithtown West. East (12-7) finished the season tied for third in the League III standings, while West finished in second place at 14-5.

East beat West on a wild pitch in the eighth inning, as Francesca Busa scored the game-winner shortly after hitting a triple. Busa was 2-for-4 with a double, triple and one run batted in. Maggie Engellener doubled in a run in the sixth to tie the score. Mackenzie Buckley had two hits and an RBI, and Corinne Vazac was the winning pitcher. Melissa Koster took the loss for West.

East won its previous game on Thursday, burying West Islip, 13-2. Jessica Mulderig homered, Emily Cisterino went 4-for-4 with three doubles and four RBI, and Busa had four hits and two runs scored to pace the East attack. Starting pitcher Samantha Moss got the win.

West defeated Newfield, 15-3, on Monday, led by Gianna Gatto, who went 5-for-5 with five runs batted in and three runs scored. Natasha Lopez added four hits and four RBI to help make a winner of starting pitcher Catherine Heacox. West then dropped a 9-4 decision to Hills East on Thursday. Heacox took the loss.

The county playoffs begin Monday with outbracket games, followed by first round games on Tuesday.

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