Merrick Patch Orioles Earn First Victory, Top Rays 9-1

The Merrick Patch Orioles recorded their first win of the season on Wednesday night, topping the Rays, 9-1.

The Orioles, a Merrick Little League softball team sponsored by Patch, got superb pitching from the team's two Alex's: Brandl and Molinari.

Brandl started the game for the Orioles, and ran into the only trouble she faced in the first inning.

Abby Koch started the bottom of the first for the Rays with a walk, Jillian Geller hit a single, and Jackie Mascaro drew a walk to load the bases full of Rays. Brandl was able to get out of the jam; only surrendering one run on a Kara Veccione RBI walk.

Brandl threw a total of three innings on the evening, finishing with seven strikeouts. She struck out the side in both the second and third inning. After ending the second inning with a strikeout, Brandl walked off the field and toward the Orioles' bench where she was greeted by manager of the Orioles, Bob Hagerman.

Hagerman was telling his fielders to run to the bench, but told Brandl, "If you strike out the side, you walk off the field."

In the top of the third inning, the Orioles loaded the bases with no one out. The Rays changed pitchers and brought in Mascaro to face Gabby Farino who hits in the third in the Orioles lineup. Farino lined a single, scoring two runners, but the Orioles offense was not done yet. Brandl hit an RBI single and Leah Kauderer added an RBI groundout.

Through three innings the Orioles had a 6-1 lead, and that would be more than enough as Molinari took over the pitching duties in the bottom of the fourth. She continued the trend Brandl started in the second inning by striking out the side in the fourth.  

Hayley Seltzberg did draw a walk in the fourth inning for the Rays, showing a lot of grit in the process. Seltzberg was hit on the arm by a pitch, but since there is no hit-by-pitch rule in this league, she stayed in the at bat and saw two more Molinari heaters, and eventually earned her way to first base.

Molinari did not allow a Rays' runner to pass second base in her three innings of work, as she had some extra zip on her ball, which proved to be too much to handle. She finished with seven strikeouts in all; the same amount as Brandl.

The Orioles bats also came to play on Wednesday evening as Heather Berberich had a two RBI groundout in the second inning, giving the Orioles their first runs of the day. Allison Braverman reached base twice with a walk and a single, and Lexy Dietrich added two walks and a single for the Orioles offense.

Molinari recorded the final out of the game fittingly with a strikeout. The Orioles players, coaches and parents all cheered as the first win of the season was officially in the books.

"I'm proud of the girls," Orioles parent Scott Brandl said. "I'm proud of the way Bob (Hagerman) has handled them, they deserve it."

Hagerman awarded the first games balls of the season to his pitchers, Brandl and Molinari. Hagerman told his team after the win, "I'm proud of you, and you should be proud of yourselves."

The girls who got their first win were noticeably happy, but one cannot determine if their happiness was solely due to the fact that they won their first game, or because they were going to get treated to Ralph's Italian Ices.

The Orioles' players cheered, "We're going to Ralph's," while walking away from the Camp Avenue field.

The Orioles will look to build on the big win when they take on the Yankees this afternoon.

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