Smithtown Sports Notebook: West Softball Clinches Playoff Spot

Boys Track: West on a roll; Walter sets school records

Smithtown West boys track won its fourth straight dual meet Tuesday, beating West Babylon at home, 104-32, led by Fred Walter. The senior set a new school record in the shot put with a throw of 53 feet, 2 inches, 3 ½ inches better than the previous school record, which Walter himself set just three days earlier when the Bulls won the Bob Pratt Invitational.

West, which improved to 4-1 in League IV, won several events, including three by Devin Mirenda, who won the high hurdles, long jump and triple jump. Mike McCann won the high jump at 6-6, and Kevin Harty won the 400 and intermediate hurdles. West also swept the distance events and won two relays, while Karl Nilsen, Matt Rapp and Kyle Budney swept the top three places in the pole vault.

West kept the momentum going at the St. Anthony’s Invitational on Saturday, placing fifth in a field that featured more than 75 teams from the tri-state area. McCann, a sophomore, won the high jump at 6-5 and is the third-best jumper in the state so far this season. Mark Valentino won the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 9:43.33, the fourth-best time in the state this spring. Walter was second in the shot put at 51-11.5, and the trio of Nilsen, Rapp and Budney all cleared 12-6 in the pole vault.

Pat McGuire (2:00.15) and Kevin Harty (2:00.40) set personal bests in the 800 meters. Pat Harty (400), Mike Catalano (1,600) and Mike Lynch (steeplechase) also set personal bests.

East’s Rob Calamia was third in the steeplechase in 9:51.44 at the St. Anthony’s meet. Pat Ginty finished the 3,200 in 9:54.21. Sophomore Donold Bradshaw was third in the unseeded 200 meters and fourth in the unseeded 400 meters.

Girls Track: Six top-10 finishes for the locals at St. Anthony’s meet

Smithtown East had five top-10 finishes at the St. Anthony’s Invitational on Saturday, led by Deanna Caracciolo and Kelsey Amarosa. Caracciolo placed third in the pole vault at 9-0, and Amarosa finished third in the 800 meters in 2:16.75.

East’s freshmen did well, placing second in the freshman 4 x 800 and 4 x 100-meter relays. Deirdre Connor placed eighth in the 1,500 meters in 4:51.16, while teammate Christy Baars was 11th in 4:57.72. Tristan Bevans was 13th in the triple jump at 34-4.5, and Melissa Knapp took 13th in the 1,500-meter racewalk in 7:45.3. Alyssa Knott of Smithtown West finished ninth in the 3,000 meters in 10:52.89.

Baseball: West, East both drop two of three

Smithtown West dropped two of three in its League III series last week against Centereach, but maintains a slim lead for first place with a record of 10-2, a half-game better than second-place West Islip. West and West Islip meet each other this week in a pivotal series.

West won the second game of the series on Thursday, 7-1, getting a three-hitter from Doug Zhong, who struck out nine and walked two while allowing no earned runs. Nick Zito had two hits and two runs batted in, Dan Taliercio had a hit and two RBI, and Ricky Alessi added two hits and two runs for West.

West lost the opener on Tuesday, 7-2, its first loss of the season. West dropped the rubber game Friday, 4-3.

Smithtown East lost two of three to West Islip to finish the week in third place in League III at 7-8. East won Thursday’s middle game, 9-4, thanks to a solo home run and an RBI triple by Tim Kopiske. Kyle Craig also drove in two runs to help Justin Cusano pick up the win. East lost Tuesday’s opener, 3-1, and the final game on Friday, 9-5.

Softball: West clinches playoff spot again, tied for first place

Smithtown West went 3-0 in conference games this week to improve to 12-2 in the League III standings, good for a first-place tie with East Islip. With the wins, West secured a playoff spot for the 23rd consecutive season.

West opened with a 9-7 win over Bellport on Tuesday, taking the lead in the sixth on a two-out, bases-loaded, two-run single by Emily Horman. Melissa Koster earned the win in relief, throwing 5 2/3 innings. Alyssa Dell'Aera and Natasha Lopez had three hits each. West won again on Thursday, beating Copiague, 12-0. Catherine Heacox threw a five-inning complete-game shutout with nine strikeouts.

West edged West Islip on Friday, 5-1, getting a home run from Teresa Staiano. Koster picked up her second win of the week with a complete-game effort, allowing six hits with four strikeouts. West lost a non-league game on Saturday to Kings Park, 6-0.