Pitchers Eng and Lewis Lead Islanders Closer to Division Title

"I don't have any idea what inning it is when I go out there.  I just go out there and pitch." - Brittany Lewis.

"I just want to be a part of this team, help out and be a leader." - Grace Eng.

There is nothing better than good starting pitching besides great starting pitching. 

There are clutch pitchers, and then there are shut down pitchers.

Most teams are lucky to have one, if that.

The Middletown Islanders Varsity Softball team has two.  

A dominant combo of Grace Eng and Brittany Lewis.

THE STATS

Entering last Friday's home game against Classical High School, Grace Eng was (5-0) in league play with an ERA of 0.00

That's not a type-o. 0.00.  It is an unheard of number. A zero earned run average is not impressive. It's incredible.  One that she has earned, ironically enough, by throwing gas at opposing batters. By pitching smart. By getting ground ball outs. On one occasion in particular on the road against Moses Brown, she retired nine straight batters on nine pitches, all by way of ground outs or pop ups. This proved she's not just an arm on the mound, she also smashed a three-run homer in that same Moses Brown game to give her team the lead. They eventually went on to win that game.  

Their record in Division II South as of Monday morning is perfect at 11-0. They are 12-1 overall on the year. Their only loss coming in a non-league game against North Kingstown a couple weeks back.

Perfect in their division and near perfect on the mound, Eng is complimented by #2 pitcher Brittany Lewis, who wears her heart on her sleeve and like Eng, pitches that same heart out every single appearance on the mound.  

Her stats practically mirror Eng's. In league play this year, Brittany is (5-0) with a near zero ERA of 0.23.  The look on Brittany's face as she gets set to pitch is unmistakable: "This is my mound and you're not getting a hit off me, let alone out of the batters box."

The overall stat line on the year for the two is astounding.

They are a combined (10-0) in league play so far, with a combined 61 strikeouts and giving up only five walks and five runs. Most of the five runs were unearned. 

Several weeks ago, Head Coach Robin Ramey said of her starting pitching,  "We're lucky to have such a great pitching combo. That one-two of Brittany and Grace is something that will definitely help us down the stretch, as long as we generate enough offense to support them."

The offense has not been a problem for the Islanders either. Despite a couple hiccup games offensively, they have done an outstanding job at the plate, outscoring their opponents 108-18.  The majority of the runs from their opponents coming from non-league games, or runs that were not earned by the pitchers.

THE FINAL 6.

Counting Monday's game against Tolman, the Islanders have six games remaining on their 2011 docket.

As they enter the home stretch of the 2011 season, it is obvious that solid starting pitching is the key that turns the Islander's playoff engine.  If Eng and Lewis continue to pitch as they have, God help their opponents. 'Cause there's going to be a lot of frustrated faces leaving the batters box after facing this deadly pitching combo.

THE THREATS

If Middletown hopes to lock up the No.1 seed they will need to simply continue to play as they have the majority of this year.  

The second and third place teams in Division II South are Portsmouth, who the Islanders play on the road today at 4 p.m., and third place Prout, who Middletown will visit on May 24.  Win those two games and the Division is theirs. They may be able to lock it up before then if Portsmouth and Prout go on a losing skid, but regardless, those two games are the ones that will matter most if it gets to that point.

With Eng and Lewis, it may not. These two pitch with confidence. The cog that helps make a starting pitcher successful on any level. They also have the gas and the pitch repertoire to back it all up.

We shall see.

Their focus will determine their reality.