Bayport-Blue Point vs Miller Place

HIGHLIGHTS

It doesn't matter if it's at the plate, in the pitcher's circle, or in the post-game celebratory talk, Amelia DeRosa always wants to deliver. The Miller Place junior went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and tossed a four-hitter with nine strikeouts and no walks as the host Panthers defeated Bayport-Blue Point, 5-1, in a Suffolk VI softball game on Monday. DeRosa is now hitting .800 (16-for-20) on the season and has an on-base percentage of .840 for Miller Place (8-0). "She's the best pure hitter I've ever coached in my entire life," Panthers coach Matt Timmons said. "Boy or girl." After Jessica Iavarone went nine innings in a 1-0 win against Mount Sinai on Sunday, Timmons decided to give DeRosa the ball against Bayport-Blue Point (7-2). "It's a really great feeling," Iavarone said. "She's an amazing pitcher, and we're equal in ability. I was completely confident when Coach decided to have her start." DeRosa had not allowed a run all season. That ended in the third inning when Stephanie McDonough's two-out single plated Amelia Fuller, who had two of the Phantoms' four hits. "I don't even question her mindset or toughness," said Timmons of DeRosa. "She was locked in and focused throughout the game." The Panthers roared right back on Iavarone's two-run double that made it 2-1. Iavarone moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a groundout by DeRosa. The right-handed pitcher helped her own cause in the fifth with a two-out, two run single to close the scoring. The Panthers' No. 8 hitter, Sydney Stockton, walked twice and scored twice, and No. 9 hitter, Julia Lent, had two sacrifices and a run scored for Miller Place, which has now outscored their opponents, 69-2. It was the end of a tough stretch for the Panthers who had three games in three days. "Our girls answered the bell," said Timmons, the former Panthers JV baseball coach. "They brought their competitiveness and focus even though their fuel tanks were on low." Especially DeRosa. "She always finds a way to hit the ball square," Timmons said. "She has the perfect approach."' That includes impersonating Timmons. After the game, DeRosa held court in the post-game celebratory single in short right field, as her teammates laughed in approval. "She's doing all my lines right now," he said. How well can DeRosa imitate Timmons? "She is," Iavarone said, "spot on." DeRosa said: "I like to lighten the mood and make everyone happy." As usual, DeRosa delivered.