After coming so close in the past two seasons, Riverhead left no doubt who the best team in Suffolk County is by parading through the Suffolk County Class AAA playoff double-elimination bracket without a loss. 

Both pitchers — Riverhead’s Mya Marelli and Sachem North’s Danielle Brennan — put up nothing but zeros on the scoreboard for the first four innings. But it was the senior lefty from Riverhead who shut the door and stopped all momentum when things got dicey.

After two bloop hits in the top of the second inning that put runners on second and third base with no outs, Marelli was tasked with keeping Sachem North off the board. A simple ball in play could have scored a run. Marelli wanted no part in giving up anything in that situation. She struck out the next three batters in order to end the threat.

The third inning saw more of the same after two walks. Sachem North laid down a sacrifice bunt to make it to second and third with one out on the board. The Flaming Arrow’s toughest hitters, batting third and fourth in the lineup, came to the plate with a chance to do damage. But again were stopped in their tracks, striking out to end the inning. 

“I wanted to set the tone,” Marelli said. “Runners on base don’t mean much to me. All I have to do is keep them from scoring. I dug in deep, and I was glad I kept them off the board.”

Marelli pitched a complete game three-hitter, allowing no earned runs while striking out 15.  

“There’s nobody better in tough situations,” Riverhead head coach Rich Vlacci Jr. said. “This is the Mya Marelli we’ve been waiting for. In the past two games, we’ve seen the best version of her, even from before the arm injury. Scary to say, but she’s better.”

Riverhead (19-3) finally broke through in the fifth inning to end the impasse. All they needed was a spark, and they got it when Amber Farruggia started off the inning with a double off the wall from the No. 9 spot in the batting order.

“It’s funny, because for some reason the fifth inning has been our inning all year long,” Vlacci said. “It’s like at that point in the game, we have it figured out, and we come alive and get comfortable.”

Farruggia was pinch-run for by Eden Greenwood who came around to score the first run of the game after a single up the middle by Madison Saladino. Jordyn Kwasna followed that with a double off the wall to plate another. 

“I don’t know what it was but I think we were just tense up there before that inning,” Kwasna said. “Before we all walked up to the plate in the fifth we all took a big breath and tried to relax. I think it really made the difference.”

After taking the 2-0 lead, Marelli came up and battled at the plate, fouling off several pitches. Facing an 0-2 count, she socked a 2-run homerun to dead center that cleared the fence by 50 feet.

“Coach Vail pointed out something I was doing at the plate with my stride,” Marelli said. “Once I corrected that, I was able to get back on the ball. I just wanted to keep the inning going.”

The top of the sixth inning could have changed the outcome of the game. With two runners on and two outs for Sachem North, Shannon Forgione gave the ball a ride that seemed to be sailing over Kwasna’s head.

“I was tracking it well at first, but it just kept going and going,” Kwasna said. “At the last second, I knew it was going to be over my head, so I jumped up and threw my glove up.”

It landed right in the webbing to end the inning.

“It’s defensive plays like that that shape a championship team,” Vlacci said. “If that ball drops, it’s 4-2 and who knows how the game turns out afterward.”

All Sachem North could muster was a run in the seventh inning after a pair of errors. The game fittingly ended on a Marelli strikeout that sent a well-traveled Riverhead crowd in a frenzy. The Riverhead Fire Department escorted the team home on the Long Island Expressway to the Victory Bell in front of Pulaski Street Elementary school, where they continued a tradition started by the football team and rang the bell.

“This is something each of us have always dreamed of,” Kwasna said. “We always looked up to the older varsity girls when we were in little league. And now that we’re here, and we’ve made history by being the first to win a championship, I hope we inspire the younger girls watching us. Winning the county means the world, but we’re not done just yet.”

Riverhead will now play for the Long Island title. They will match up against Nassau County’s representative, Massapequa, on Friday, June 6, at SUNY Farmingdale for a 4:30 p.m. game start. 

The post Blue Waves softball team claims county championship appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

“Can I use last year’s quote?” Riverhead head coach Rich Vlacci Jr. quipped. “Job’s not done.”

In 2023, the Blue Waves advanced to the winner’s bracket semifinals before losing to Smithtown East and eventually North Babylon to end their season. Last year, they lost against Sachem East in the semifinals after going undefeated in league play. North Babylon then ended their season in the loser’s bracket.

“We’re happy we got to this point again, because we know people doubted us,” junior shortstop Adriana Martinez said. “But honestly, it’s just a stepping stone for us. Glad we won today, but we have bigger aspirations.”

Martinez has been one of the most consistent players in Riverhead’s lineup all season, and that success has continued into the playoffs. That’s just one of the reasons she was named All-County this season among several others in the lineup. In the win over Central Islip, Martinez went 3-for-4 and led the team with 4 RBIs. She’s hitting .500 in the playoffs so far from the leadoff spot.

“I definitely struggled with self confidence last year,” Martinez said. “I come to the plate now thinking I need to start something up. What I do at the leadoff spot affects everyone down the lineup. I go up there aggressive. One base hit usually leads to another.”

Scoring 11 runs in the game, Riverhead’s red-hot hitting continues. With each passing game, they extend their record of runs-scored in a season. It’s hard to keep the Blue Waves off the board; they have threats up and down the lineup.

Mya Marelli was named All-County and League I offensive player of the year. Jordyn Kwasna earned her second consecutive All-County selection. Sophia Viola and Madison Saladino were named All-Division. Bella D’Andrea made All-League. Eighth-grader Morgan Gajowski is even doing damage from the No. 8 hole, leading the team with a .667 batting average and 1.548 OPS in the playoffs. Everyone of those players found their way into the box score against Central Islip last weekend. 

There is no easy out. They’re going to make life difficult for anyone that comes up against them. 

“I think the fact that we’ve been in this situation before helps us,” Marelli said. “We know what to expect. And most importantly, we know how it feels like to lose. We’re going to do everything we can [to] not to feel that again.”

Marelli, the Blue Waves pitching ace, is slowly working her way back from offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum. Vlacci has been giving her more innings in the pitcher’s circle of late. She struck out 13 batters on Saturday but still felt like she didn’t have her best stuff.

“I just get tired more easily,” Marelli said. “With taking a year off, my body just isn’t used to it yet. But I’m going to push through and fight no matter what to give this team the best chance to win. I’m starting to feel more like myself every time I head out there.”

The Blue Waves had their hands full in the winner’s bracket semifinal against No. 1 Commack, which was played Wednesday evening after the News-Review went to press. Riverhead defeated Commack 10-2 in their playoff matchup last year. But the tide has turned this season as Commack is now the undefeated team, sporting a 20-0 record. No. 3 seed Riverhead has a record of 17-3.

“We have to have the mentality of Sachem East last year,” Vlacci said. “We were the undefeated team, and Sachem East came in and found a way to beat us. Now it’s our turn to prove who’s the best team in Suffolk County.”

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But while the Blue Waves have stitched another year onto the league title banner hanging in the gymnasium, the Suffolk County championship space remains bare. Once the playoffs start, this group hopes to change that.

On April 15, Riverhead lost to Patchogue-Medford, 5–6, marking their third loss of the season. A year after going 20–0 in league play, question started to be raised. Was this team as good as last year’s?

“That was the whole thing,” senior outfielder Isabella D’Andrea said. “People started to say we weren’t as good this year. We knew we were better this year. Maybe the losses didn’t show it at first, but we knew.”

That final loss of the regular season must have sparked something inside the Blue Waves because since then, they’ve done nothing but win, rattling off 11 straight victories to close out the season — including two wins against Patchogue-Medford, who sat undefeated at the top of the division for most of the year. On Thursday, Riverhead left no question about which is the best team in the division.

With a playoff-like atmosphere, both teams understood the importance of Thursday’s contest. A win would mean a top seed in the Class AAA Suffolk County playoffs and possibly a home-field advantage throughout. The stakes were high.

“We knew the type of game this was going to be,” junior shortstop Adriana Martinez said. “They’re a tough team, and we were really looking forward to playing them.”

Riverhead didn’t waste any time getting on the board. After Martinez singled to open the game, Jordyn Kwasna knocked her in with a single past the shortstop. With two runners on, D’Andrea connected on a single that bounced through the middle and plated another two to take a 3–0 lead by the end of the inning. 

“I wouldn’t call it making a statement,” head coach Rich Vlacci Jr. said. “This is just us. This is what we do. I don’t think we had anything to prove. We have done it all year long.”

In 18 league games this season, Riverhead has scored 201 runs — breaking their record from last season. The crack of the bat just kept getting louder as the game went on.

Two more runs were tacked on in the second inning on an opposite field double off the bat of pitching ace Mya Marelli. In the fifth inning, the Blue Waves broke the game open. Even with a Patchogue-Medford pitching change in the middle of the inning, Riverhead just refused to make an out. 

Eight straight hits in the inning led to six runs and a crooked scoreboard against a team that by the standings should have kept it close. Sophia Viola and Morgan Gajowski both launched 2-RBI hits in the inning. Shaylee Bealy produced one of her three singles on the day.

“When we’re stringing hits together like that, our confidence is just at an all-time high,” Bealy said. “We didn’t want that inning to end. Everyone was building off of each other’s energy.”

Though Patchogue-Medford was able to score a few more runs, they never really threatened Riverhead the rest of the game. When the Raiders started building some momentum, Bealy made an incredible diving play at second base to instantly stop them in their tracks. 

By extending the lead, Riverhead was able to pull Marelli after throwing five innings with limited damage.

With the regular season wrapped up, the Blue Waves will await their playoff seeding as the rest of the teams play out the string. Vlacci predicts they will likely be the No. 2 seed or, at worst, No. 3, because some teams in League II have better records. Riverhead is still assured a home playoff game Wednesday, May 21, when the postseason opens.

“Last year we were really focused on winning the league because it hadn’t been done in so long,” Bealy said. “But we have higher goals now. We want that county championship. Everyone is locked in.”

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April 28: Riverhead 9, Patchogue-Medford 5

All season long, Patchogue-Medford was the top dog in the division, sporting an undefeated 11–0 record. That was, until they came to visit Riverhead. Mya Marelli pitched five innings and struck out 10 in the 9-5 victory. Bella D’Andrea hit 2-for-4 with a double, triple and four RBIs. Jordyn Kwasna went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs. Patchogue-Medford went on to lose their next game against Half Hollow Hills, so Riverhead (9–2) is now tied for first place and in control of their own destiny for another league title. Riverhead will travel to Half Hollow Hills Thursday, May 1, for a 4 p.m. first pitch. 

Boys Lacrosse

April 29: Smithtown West 8, Shoreham-Wading River 3

Shoreham-Wading River is going through a rough stretch in the middle of the season. The most recent loss against Smithtown West now marks three losses in a row for the Wildcats — uncharted territory for a lacrosse program that routinely makes the playoffs and competes for championships. In the loss against Smithtown West, Andrew Cimino, Tyler Nowaski and Noah Gregorek each scored a goal. Angelina Price made 12 saves. SWR will try to turn things around Thursday, May 1, when they travel to Mattituck for a noon start. 

April 24: Riverhead 19, Copiague 1

After two straight losses, Riverhead broke out with a season-high of 19 goals against Copiague to bring their Division I record to 3–5. The Blue Waves had 11 different goal scorers in the blowout victory. Jaxson Binkis led the team in goals scored with three. Ruairi McElhinney had six points with one goal and five assists. Logan Dempsey scored twice and assisted on two others. Nine goals were scored in the first quarter. Riverhead will travel to Northport Friday, May 2, at 4 p.m.

Girls Lacrosse 

April 29: Smithtown East 13, Riverhead 12

In a back-and-forth battle against Smithtown East, Riverhead came up short in the final quarter of the game. After a 0–0 first period, both teams scored seven goals in the second. The third quarter featured no goals as well, before Smithtown East was able to score six times versus just five for Riverhead. This now marks two consecutive losses by only one goal for the Blue Waves. Logan Pilon scored five goals and Evelyn Skop scored four times. Riverhead (4–6) will travel to Middle Country Friday, May 1, for a 4 p.m. game start. 

April 28: Shoreham-Wading River 17, Bronxville 10

In a non-league contest, Shoreham-Wading River came out on top with goals scored in every quarter of play. The Wildcats scored as many as five goals in two of the quarters. Reese Marcario and Maddy Herr led the team with six points apiece. Herr scored five goals and tallied one assist. Marcario scored twice and assisted on four goals. Grayce Kitchen scored four goals in the high-scoring affair. Though their overall record sits at 6–3, SWR has struggled in the league with a record of 1–3. SWR will travel to Mt. Sinai Friday, May 2, for a 5 p.m. start. 

Girls Golf

April 29: Riverhead 6, Mt. Sinai 3

Riverhead continued its winning ways with a victory over Mt. Sinai on Tuesday. The win improved their league record to 6–2 — only losing matches this season against Sachem and Southampton. Madison Marshak led all golfers with a 45 through nine holes, with the winds whipping through Long Island making for less than desirable playing conditions.

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BASEBALL

April 15: Riverhead 12, Brentwood 0

Have a day, Matthew Zambriski! The sophomore phenom hurled five innings of shutout ball and struck out 12 en route to the victory over Brentwood. He also went 4-for-4 at the plate with two doubles, a triple and four RBIs. Drew Legrady went 2-for-4. It’s a big win for Riverhead (3-4) as it’s just one win away from tying their win total from last year with 13 games left to play. The Blue Waves will be in action again Tuesday, April 22, for a 4 p.m. first pitch at Westhampton.

BOYS LACROSSE

April 11: Shoreham-Wading River 14, Port Jefferson 5

The Wildcats have now won two in a row following their opening two losses. They got ahead 8-1 by halftime and never let off the gas pedal against Port Jefferson.

Noah Gregorek led the team in goals scored with five — marking a career-high. He also had four assists. Lucas Diamond wasn’t too far behind with four goals.

Andrew Cimino had a massive day as well, scoring three times and collecting six assists. Shoreham-Wading River (2-2) will host Hauppauge Monday, April 21, at 4 p.m.

April 10: Riverhead 9, North Babylon 2

Riverhead (3-4) came out of the gates storming against North Babylon, scoring six goals in the first quarter alone.

Nathan Nentwich led the team in points with two goals and three assists. Logan Dempsey scored three times. Ruairi McElhinney scored twice and assisted on two others. The Blue Waves need to string together some wins to get themselves back in the playoffs after last year’s historic run. Riverhead will host Commack Tuesday, April 22, at 5:15 p.m.

GIRLS LACROSSE

April 15: Riverhead 16, Lindenhurst 4

Riverhead’s girls lacrosse team is on fire! In what looks to be their best start in many years, the Blue Waves put a hurting on Lindenhurst in their latest victory that pushed their record to 4-2. It’s now three wins in a row for Riverhead. Logan Pilon and Sadie Shultz both registered five points in the win. Pilon collected three goals and two assists. Shultz led the team in goals scored with four and registered one assist. Molly Stevens completed a hat-trick as well with three goals. Pilon is now tied for fifth in Suffolk County with 23 goals. Riverhead will travel to Sachem North Thursday, April 17, for a 4 p.m. game to continue its hot streak.

April 14: Shoreham-Wading River 17, West Babylon 7

After losing their first game of the season against Westhampton, Shoreham-Wading River (4-1) got back to their winning ways with a blowout win over West Babylon. Eight different players found the back of the net in the commanding victory. Reese Marcario led the team in points with three goals and three assists. Grayce Kitchen and Kady Keegan each scored four times. Maddy Herr scored twice and assisted on two goals. The Wildcats continue their charge to the top of the division. They’ll host Harborfields Tuesday, April 22, at 5 p.m.

SOFTBALL

April 15: Patchogue-Medford 6, Riverhead 5

There’s been some chinks in the armor early on the Riverhead (5-3) as they’ve found themselves in the losing column multiple times this season. With Mya Marelli still not at full health, Riverhead has been trying to piece together a pitching staff in her absence. Riverhead had the lead against undefeated Pat-Med, 5-2, after home runs by Marelli and Jordyn Kwasna — but they couldn’t keep the Raiders off the board and eventually came up short in the end.

Riverhead will look to get back on track Monday, April 21, at Central Islip for a 4:30 p.m. game start.

GIRLS GOLF

April 10: Riverhead 7, Shoreham-Wading River 2

Riverhead dominated the matchup against Shoreham-Wading River with ninth-grader Madison Marshak leading the way with a 41 through nine holes.

Consistent play at the top three in the lineup has paced the Blue Waves to a 3-1 record in the league. The match they lost was by one single stroke. Angelina Gust carded a 51 and Annabelle Dunn finished with a 57 to snag wins in the top three slots. Taylor Dietz led the way for Shoreham-Wading River with a score of 54. Riverhead will travel to Rocky Point Tuesday, April 22, for a 4 p.m. tee time.

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Sophia Viola bats leadoff for the Blue Waves and loves the pressure of getting the game started with the ping of the bat. She hit leadoff in last year’s undefeated league season and played her way to an All-County selection. Every year presents new challenges, but so far it’s the same Viola at the plate, laying off bad pitches and jumping on mistakes.

“I’m always focused on putting the ball in play,” Viola said. “Before I’m up at bat, I’m timing the pitcher and I want to see the first pitch. I change my alignment at the plate depending on how the pitcher is throwing. I’m always loading early, ready to put a good swing on a ball.”

In the game against Brentwood, Viola went 3-for-4 to raise her batting average to .818. Her first at bat of the game was one of her only outs of the season through three games of play. She’s been locked in for Riverhead and continues to be the example of excellence.

“Soph is unbelievable,” Riverhead head coach Rich Vlacci Jr. said. “She has that ability to always put bat to ball, but not only that, she’s also consistently able to find the sweet spot of the bat. Even that one time in the game today when she was jammed, she was able to get her hands in and take it to right field like an old school Derek Jeter.” 

Last year Viola was more of a singles hitter and took a lot of walks, but in the early going this season she’s finding gaps, notching three doubles and a triple so far.

For Madison Saladino, who bats second in the lineup, seeing this much playing time is new. Though Vlacci always found a spot for her throughout the season last year, she wasn’t getting consistent starts due to the high level of talent up and down last year’s lineup. When Vlacci was crafting his batting order this year, he was certain Saladino was going to take the two hole.

“We saw her take a jump late last year in the playoffs when I think she went 4-for-4 in one game,” Vlacci said. “And in the offseason, watching her in the cage she looked like she completely changed as a person. Her confidence was through the roof. Her maturation of seeing pitches evolved. Her presence just completely changed.”

That confidence has been front and center as the sophomore is leading the team in batting average, hitting .857 on the season. Saladino went 2-for-2 with two walks against Brentwood, making every at bat count when she gets up to the dish.

“It’s all about pitch selection,” Saladino said. “That’s something I’ve been working on a lot off the field. Through practices, lessons, and anything else I can do, it all counts and makes an impact in your game. Hard work pays off and I’m starting to see that now.”

When your top two hitters are constantly getting on base, it spells trouble for any opponent. To have such an experienced approach at the plate as just sophomores bodes well for not only this year but for the years to come. 

“It’s been a huge spark for us,” Vlacci said. “We need the middle of the order to do their thing and drive them in. Everybody has a role on our team and I think so far this season, Viola and Saladino have been doing everything we asked of them. And the crazy part is, they’re only going to get better.”

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MARCH 29: RIVERHEAD 10, HAUPPAGUE 8

In a non-league contest, Riverhead won its first game of the season, proving they still have talent on the roster after graduating key players from last year’s playoff run. Riverhead (1-1) trailed 4-3 at halftime before taking a lead in the second half and holding the Eagles off the rest of the way. Jaxon Binkis had a career night, scoring four goals and an assist. Logan Dempsey and Connor Downs each scored two goals for the Blue Waves. The Blue Waves travel to Half Hollow Hills on April 5 for a 2:00pm game.

MARCH 25: MANHASSET 17, SHOREHAM- WADING RIVER 7

In their first true test of the season after losing a full starting lineup of starters, the Wildcats fell in a nonleague contest against Manhasset. Behind a strong second and third quarter, scoring 12 of their 17 goals, Manhasset looked to already be in midseason form. Shoreham-Wading River (0-1) scored six goals in the second half. SWR’s Noah Gregorek did most of the damage, leading the team with four goals. SWR travels to Miller Place on April 7 for a 4:30 p.m. game.

GIRLS LACROSSE

MARCH 29: SHOREHAM-WADING RIVER 10, MASSAPEQUA 8

In their first game of the season against a tough non-league opponent in Massapequa, the Wildcats battled to the final whistle. They took a two-goal lead into halftime and traded goals for the rest of the game to earn the victory. Massapequa tied the game in the third quarter before Shoreham-Wading River (1-0) scored two in the fourth to put it away. Reese Marcario led the Wildcats with three goals. Charlotte Erb and Maddy Herr both added two goals. The Wildcats host Center Moriches April 8 at 5pm.

MARCH 28: RIVERHEAD 17, HAMPTON BAYS 6

Riverhead put on a show in their first game out on the turf at Pulaski Street Sports Complex. Led by seniors Logan Pilon and Sadie Schultz, this group of girls is destined to have a big year. Against Hampton Bays, Riverhead (1-0) put up 10 goals in the first half to put the game away early. Pilon scored a game-high four goals. Both Schultz and Evelyn Skop scored three goals and registered two assists. The Blue Waves host Half Hollow Hills on April 4 at 4 p.m.

SOFTBALL

MARCH 31: RIVERHEAD 19, CENTRAL ISLIP 6

A year removed from going undefeated in the league, Riverhead (2-0) is off to a hot start again. They’ve scored 39 runs in their first two games of the season – they mean business. Against Central Islip, Mya Marelli hit 3-for-3 with three RBIs. Sophia Viola also had a perfect night at the plate, hitting 4-for-4. Riverhead also got their first homerun on the board for the season when Jordyn Kwasna ripped one over the centerfield wall. Riverhead travels to Longwood April 3 at for a 4 p.m. game.

BASEBALL

APRIL 1: RIVERHEAD 7, PATCHOGUE-MEDFORD 6

After a 4-16 record last year, Riverhead came out of the gates with a very encouraging performance against Patchogue-Medford. The game needed extra innings after Camden Wallace hit an RBI single and Ray Coty drew a bases-loaded walk to give Riverhead (1-0) some breathing room in the bottom of the eighth inning. Wallace pitched in relief and closed out the game for the Blue Waves. Matthew Zambriski started the game and hurled 4 innings, striking out seven. Riverhead’s Brady Hubbard and Jason Davis both had big days at the plate, hitting 3-for-4. Riverhead will host Patchogue-Medford in game two of the series April 3 at 4 p.m.

GIRLS GOLF

APRIL 1: RIVERHEAD 9, LONGWOOD 0

Despite the cold weather, the Riverhead girls golf team dominated up and down their lineup with a clean 9-0 victory over Longwood. Madison Marshak led all golfers with a 41 in 9 holes. Angelina Gust finished second with a score of 43. Annabelle Dunn posted a personal best 56 in the victory. Riverhead will play Longwood again on April 3, this time at their home course, Cherry Creek Golf Links.

The post Sports Roundup: Riverhead softball starts season strong appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Riverhead lax alum Goodale training with Team USA

Growing up on her family farm in Riverhead shaped who Katie Goodale is as she blossomed into a prized Division I recruit. Being a natural defender vaulted her up the depth chart at Syracuse University and she left the school with a few records, including being the all-time leader in caused turnovers. Having graduated, she’s now onto a new goal: making Team USA’s roster. 

Blue Waves win PAL football titles

In the midst of the worst stretch in Riverhead high school football history, help is on the way. Both the 10u and 11u football teams won PAL championships under the leadership of two championship coaches. Rasheen Moore and Mike Heigh both won championships as members of the Blue Waves and now they’re trying to instill that old-school culture into the youth.

Freshman Wildcat Mangano wins national tourney

After winning his first state title during the school season, Gavin Mangano took it a step further and brought home a national title in April after wrestling at the National High School Coaches Association tournament in Virginia Beach. Eighty wrestlers from all over the country were in his weight class and Mangano stood above them all. It was a perfect cap to his freshman season at SWR.

Riverhead alum Julia Morrow earns Hall of Fame honors

After being one of the best pitchers in school history on the softball circle at Riverhead, Morrow continued her domination at the University of Tampa. She is the only pitcher ever to throw a perfect game at Riverhead — and produced two more in college. The two-time All-American was inducted into the University of Tampa Hall of Fame on Oct. 17.

Blue Wave alums make it to The Show

Two brothers from Riverhead’s graduating class of 2013 worked their way up from the lowest ranks of MLB back offices to now being prominent staff members for the Texas Rangers and Colorado Rockies. Tyler Carroll is tasked with scouting for Texas and Connor Carroll works on the player development side for the Rockies. 

Softball: Blue Waves cap historic season

For the first time in school history, Riverhead’s varsity softball team went a perfect 18-0 after defeating Half Hollow Hills West in the last game of the regular season. The game went into extra innings and the Blue Waves came out on top 5-6 after Mya Marelli smashed the game-winning hit. Marelli also won Big Schools Pitcher of the Year before Riverhead lost in the Suffolk County semifinal.

Riverhead boys lax squad among school’s best ever

After taking its lumps as a young team for a few seasons, the Blue Waves lacrosse team finally emerged with a strong senior class this year, taking the program to levels it hasn’t seen before. Griffin Sumwalt finished his career as the all-time leader in goals and points scored. The team ended up posting a 11-3 division record — the best in school history.

SWR girls soccer win another title

For the second year in a row, Shoreham-Wading River’s girls soccer team won the Class A Long Island championship, sending the team to play in the New York State Final Four in Cortland. The Wildcats accomplished this feat without their star player last year, Grace Hillis, which made this year’s run that much more remarkable. Mia Mangano scored the opening goal as the Wildcats prevailed over Wantagh, 2-0.

Riverhead alum takes over fledgling track program

Ryan Budd has been a champion at every level. He won a first-ever Long Island championship as a member of Riverhead’s football team. Then,  at Central Connecticut State, he helped the team win its first title in history. He went on to coach at Wagner College and that team also won their first-ever championship. Now he’s up for a new challenge: Budd recently took the head track and field coaching job at Western Connecticut State University – a team that never existed before.

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After graduating from Riverhead in 2010, Morrow briefly attended Central Connecticut University before transferring to the University of Tampa, what she now considers to be one of the best decision of her life. She finished her time in Tampa as a two-time All-America selection. Morrow threw two perfect games and three no-hitters total as a member of the Spartans. As a junior, she led all of the NCAA in earned run average (0.72). She ranks second in program history in strikeouts per game with an average of 10.11. The long-framed intimidating fireballer hung up her cleats as a Spartan with a 48-18 career record, striking out 641 batters and pitched to an ERA of 1.28.

All her hard work culminated in the prestigious honor of being inducted into the University of Tampa Athletic Hall of Fame on October 17. When Morrow looks back at it all now, even almost 10 years later, it’s still a whirlwind of emotions.

“It’s hard to look back at all you accomplished because it brings up so many memories,” Morrow said. “It’s not bad memories but it’s just sad that it won’t ever happen again but being a teammate is something I’ll cherish the most. I always hoped I would get inducted into the hall of fame. It’s truly an incredible honor to even be put on the ballot let alone selected in my first year of eligibility.”

During her years at Tampa, the Spartans’ softball team won the conference in most of her years there so the success of the program as a whole only pushed her harder as she stepped into a more prolific role in her later years. “I had other All-Americans in the program to look up to, so having that example to feed from meant everything to me,” Morrow said. “Being surrounded by success only makes you better. I also had the same coaches for all my years there and that’s really unheard of in college athletics. My coaches are still coaching there now.”

Morrow spent countless hours in the bullpen over the years, fine-tuning her pitching arsenal. She took full advantage of having sunshine and warm weather all year ’round — a luxury she didn’t have growing up.

“I had to put in the extra work,” Morrow said. “A lot of my teammates pretty much grew up being able to play softball year round. I had no choice but to work harder on the field and off the field in the weight room to get to the place I wanted to be. I wouldn’t have gotten to where I did without my catcher and pitching coach spending all that extra time with me as well.”

Jaci Davis, the pitching coach at Tampa, made a profound impact on Morrow even at the beginning stages of her recruitment there. She pushed her to limits she didn’t know existed.

“She saw the potential I had to be a dominant pitcher. The pieces were always there,” said Morrow. “I definitely wouldn’t have been able to do what I did without her.”

Aside from physical traits and athletic ability, pitching well came down to executing a flawless strategy. Perfect games involve precise planning.

“My senior year I was pitching all three games in a series,” Morrow said. “I couldn’t show up and be the same pitcher every single game. We had to come up with a plan on how I could be different from one game to the next to keep the other team on their toes.” When college ended, Morrow played professionally in Italy and Austria before finally calling it quits and ditching the softball uniform for a corporate outfit. The experience playing overseas was life-changing.

“It was a culture shock at first because playing in the NCAA was more rigid,” Morrow said. “For example, I don’t think it was kosher to smoke a cigarette or drink a beer in between games in college. It was more of a social thing overseas. Even after the game the teams would hang out and I could never allow competitive self to do that in college. But overall it was a great opportunity to be in another country for more than the typical week you go on vacation.”

Morrow still coaches here and there to keep her foot in the sport she always loved and her best advice to kids growing up is to be willing to change. “Don’t be stuck in your own ways thinking that what you’re doing today is what is going to get you to the next level,” Morrow said. “You have to look for those opportunities and find those coaches that are going to push you and believe in you. You have to push yourself harder than you ever thought was possible. Because without that change you’re not going to get to that place that you want to be.”

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The Blue Waves were tasked with defeating No. 2 North Babylon without Big Schools Pitcher of the Year Mya Marelli, who injured her arm in Riverhead’s first loss of the season against Sachem East Monday. Although she could play in the field and hit, pitching was off the table. Such a loss could have sent any team into panic mode, but not the Blue Waves. 

Riverhead has always preached how every single member of the team is an essential contributor, and last Thursday was the ultimate test of that philosophy. Mikayla Nirrengarten took the responsibility of bringing Riverhead into the Suffolk County championship game and put the team on her shoulders. The senior gave it her all and certainly pitched well enough to earn her team a victory. 

“I told them before the game, that all season long, as good as Mya was, everyone contributed to this season’s success,” head coach Rich Vlacci said. “And today we got to show everyone that. Mikayla is a terrific pitcher, she’s different from Mya in that she’s more of a finesse pitcher that gives up ground balls and we have to make the plays behind her. I’m so proud of Mikayla. She did everything we needed her to do.”

Nirrengarten kept North Babylon off the board for the first four innings, by inducing weak fly balls and routine infield grounders. The score was tied 0-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth.

Riverhead had struggled to hit against Sachem East in the previous game and their troubles seemed to bleed into their tilt against North Babylon. But something clicked in the bottom of the fourth inning. After Marelli got on with a lead-off walk, senior captain Kaysee Mojo, who has been the heart and soul of the team all year long, battled through an eight-pitch at bat, fouling off pitch after pitch, until finally connecting on a double to the right field gap.

“After Kaysee’s at bat I saw the belief in the girls,” Vlacci said. “I think when you’re struggling, you need that big hit to kind of open things up. And I thought in the bottom of the fourth inning, we did that.”

Adriana Martinez, down 0-2 in the count, delivered when the team needed it, sending a line drive up the middle, scoring two runs and giving Riverhead its first lead of the game.

“Scoring there was huge for our confidence,” Vlacci said. “That next inning, though, things happened and unfortunately we didn’t make the plays when we needed to. Nine times out of 10, our girls make those plays. We’re phenomenal on the defensive side. We just had one rough inning.”

Three errors by the Blue Waves led to five runs in the top of the fifth, including a controversial play at the plate when the umpire ruled the runner safe even though the throw clearly beat her. 

To Riverhead’s credit, they kept fighting. Even with two outs in the bottom of the 7th inning, then trailing by four runs, the never-say-die attitude of the Blue Waves shined through. Marelli hit a single and then Mojo followed up with a single of her own to put two runners on with two outs. Bella D’Andrea got up and after fouling off a few pitches, launched the ball over the left field fence to cut the lead to just one. 

But that was as close as the Blue Waves got. A few plays could have changed the outcome, but that’s softball. Things don’t always fall your way. But for 20 games, they did, and that’s something for the Blue Waves to be proud of.

“I’m happy we got to hang a banner, but I wanted these seniors to go out with a county title so badly,” Vlacci said. “These seniors deserved it. They put in the work. They went through the bumps and bruises to get us to where we are now.”

What the Blue Waves accomplished this season transcends sports. And Vlacci couldn’t be more proud of the group he had this season.

“I truly think these girls made a tremendous impact on our town,” Vlacci said. “The community has been buzzing about our success and you can see it in the crowds that come to our games. We have 150 people show up to our home games. No other team gets that. And that’s what these girls did. They got the town behind them. This town has been starving for a team like we used to have in football years ago. And lacrosse was able to bring it back as well this year. Riverhead is making its way back. We’re happy to make our town proud, and we will continue to make them proud through the years. We’ll be back.”

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