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Sports

Sweet Revenge: Hills West Softball Clinches League Title

Avenges only loss of the season by defeating West Babylon 9-2.

The only team that can say it beaten the Hills West softball team this year is West Babylon. It happened once, and for the Colts, once was enough.

Not only did West pay back the Eagles for their only loss, they became League IV champions in the process, winning 9-2 on Thursday at West Babylon High School. The Colts (17-1) have to finish off a rain shortened game against Comsewogue on Friday, and then it's off to the playoffs next week.

"The whole year you go in hoping to have a great year and a league championship is certainly a good start to it," Colts coach Rob Rizzo said. "Right now it's just a great feeling and I'm glad for these girls."

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West avenged their lone defeat by doing what they've done against everyone else: getting clutch hits, and sending Alyssa Bitsimis to the mound. She went the distance once again, scattering five hits and walking only one for the win.

"She's a great pitcher, she pitched well today," West Babylon coach Nicole Torres said of Bitsimis. "We hit her but we struggled a little bit ... she's resilient and she comes out ready to go every batter."

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The West bats got going in a hurry, as first baseman Jessica Kleet hit a bases loaded double to right in the first inning to drive in two.

Patience would pay off for the Colts against Eagles starter Taylor Webb, who issued a whopping 11 walks on the day. Francesca Casalino drew a bases loaded walk to make it 3-1 after two.

After another walk, Colts outfielder Melissa Kelly ripped a run-scoring triple, and would score on a wild pitch to make it 5-1 in the fourth. Bitsimis helped herself out in the fifth with a two-run single, and Kelly (2-for-4, 2 RBIs, 2 runs) capped her stellar day with a two-run double to make it 9-1.

"We were up but you never know with West Babylon, they have a lot of good hitters so we wanted to extend the lead, so getting those extra insurance runs are going to make it easier for [Bitsimis], easier for the defense, less pressure," Kelly said.

Coach Rizzo said the Colts will find out their playoff seeding on Monday, with the playoffs set to begin Tuesday or Wednesday.

 

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