Brewster Bears Take League Softball Crown

Brewster senior pitcher/second baseman Jess Griesinger badly wanted to win a league championship before she graduated from high school.

Mission accomplished, as the Bears finished the season with an overall record of 16-6 and a 9-1 mark in League IB, which enabled them to win the league championship.

“It means a lot, especially because it was one of the toughest leagues Brewster has ever been in,” Griesinger said. “We were able to beat a lot of good teams to win the league, which made it even better.”

Brewster also qualified for the Section 1 Class AA tournament. The highlight for the No. 7 Bears there was defeating No. 10 Fox Lane 13-4 in the first round, keyed by a bunt from sophomore shortstop Savannah Sergio.

“That was a great game,” Griesinger said. “Sergio, she laid down a bunt and it scored three runs. We were pumped. We just kept scoring and hitting after that.”

Coaching the Bears to the championship was League IB Coach of the Year Lisa Delzio. Griesinger has played for Delzio for four years at Brewster, the last three years, with Delzio as head coach and one before that as an assistant coach.

Griesinger also played for Delzio in an instructional league.

“She is very different from all the other coaches,” Griesinger said. “Out of all the years I have been playing with her since I was young, I never heard her yell or scream. She is always positive no matter what happens, even if something is killing her on the inside, she will tell a player that everything is OK. She never yells, never.”

Griesinger, who will pitch at Bridgeport next season, was one of three Bears named all-section.

“Jess always worked really hard,” Brewster junior catcher Christina Graff said. “She kept her mind in the game. No matter what happened, she always stayed strong.”

Junior center fielder Marisa Delzio also earned all-section.

“If I didn’t have her out there, I don’t know what I would have done,” Griesinger said. “I knew that whenever the ball was hit to her, I knew she was going to get it. She made unbelievable catches out there.”

Also playing excellent defense for the Bears was all-section sophomore honoree, third baseman Nikole Larm. Larm was quick to the ball, especially on a bunt play and she also knew how to keep the team loose when it was necessary.

Earning all-section honorable mention honors was Graff. Griesinger said Graff was vital to her success on the mound because she always knew the right pitches to call even if she didn’t agree with all her calls at the time that they were made.

Sophomore left fielder Brittany Deieso was selected as an all-league player, in large part because of her aggressive play in the field.

“One game against John Jay she made unbelievable catch,” Griesinger said. “When she came in she was just covered in mud because she landed in a pile of mud.”