East Hampton softball's second playoff game — this one at Westhampton Beach Saturday — got off to a familiar start. The Bonackers were down 4-0 in the first inning, just as they had been in their first postseason game at home against Eastport-South Manor on Thursday. But this time the girls couldn't work their way out of it. By the fourth inning, they trailed 15-0, and were on their way to a 22-3 loss to the Hurricanes.
"It is what it is. We're still in it. We're just taking a different path. Crazy game. You win one by 20 then you lose one by 20. That's how it is," said Jason Menu, the head coach, who couldn't explain why the Bonackers won 22-7 just two days earlier but struggled to get the bats going or control their pitches Saturday.
"You're always surprised. You never know who's going to show up. They're kids. So they get affected by music. They get affected by hits. You've got to stay in the game every time, every way you play, every bat, every pitch, every inning. Winning one by 20, you don't necessarily like that because then you think you're overconfident. Who knows what it is. It's sports."
The Bonackers also lost one of their best players in the first inning. Brynley Lys, the starting catcher, pulled her shoulder on a throw and was sidelined with ice. Thankfully, her mother, Rachel Lys, a physical therapist, was there. Brynley said she didn't separate it, but felt a pull, explaining that her shoulder was feeling especially tight.
Fallon Centalonza, the backup catcher, stepped in and did a solid job, but the team, including Izzy Briand, their ace, couldn't settle in.
The first round of the postseason is double-elimination, so the Bonackers aren't out just yet. They'll play Hauppauge on Monday at 10 a.m. in a home game at the Stephen Hand's Path turf field. The Eagles lost 4-0 to East Islip Saturday.
"Same deal. Shake this one off. Move forward," Coach Menu said. "They're a good team. They can hit. We beat Hauppauge twice. So we can't take them lightly — they're playing good softball. Anybody beats anybody in these two leagues. So we've just got to get back to work and keep the mind-set like we've been in and not let the outside noise get to us."
Kathy Masterson, East Hampton's athletic director, who spent 16 years in the Westhampton Beach School District before moving east, shook off the loss better than anyone.
"I'm really proud of our girls. We didn't have it today. Westhampton Beach had a little more than us," she said. "But we live to play another day, and we will see them in the championship game!"
