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Brooklyn Friends tops LREI for softball title

Grab ISAL Championship Behind Blue Pride’s ‘Core Five’

May 19, 2015 By John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Denied in their previous two trips to the ISAL championships, the Brooklyn Friends varsity softball team finally came through Wednesday, beating rival LREI, 6-3, in the title game at Randall’s Island. Photo courtesy of BFS Athletics
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Brooklyn Friends varsity softball coach David Gardella refers to his graduating senior class — Julia Breen, Julia Cohen, Maret Smith-Miller, Airenakhue Omoragbon, Ariel Goldner and Greta Lagerberg – as the Core Five … plus one.

Now, he can call them, and the rest of the Blue Pride Panthers, the undisputed and unbeaten 2015 Independent School Athletic League softball champions.

Thanks in large part to junior hurler Taty Rosenthal’s nine-strikeout, complete-game effort last Wednesday afternoon at Randall’s Island, BFS finally got over the hump against LREI, besting their private school rivals 6-3 in the ISAL championship game.

“It’s been a great four years watching this team grow,” gushed Gardella, who endured his unit suffering back-to-back title-game losses to LREI before finally overcoming them this season to complete a perfect 7-0 campaign in league play.

“I’m really proud of our five seniors, the Core Five.”

Lagerberg, who just joined BFS this season, completes the group of six departing seniors.

She also singled home the game’s first run during a two-run third inning that put the Panthers (9-6 overall this season) ahead to stay.

Omoragbon had two hits, Smith-Miller went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and 10th-grader Silvely Abreu delivered a booming two-run double to highlight a four-run outburst in the fifth as BFS pulled away.

Rosenthal, who had been on the mound for the previous two championship game losses to LREI, made sure there wouldn’t be a third straight runner-up finish for the Pride.

She walked just two batters en route to her ninth victory of the season, celebrating the team’s second ISAL crown – they were awarded a co-championship in 2012 – in four years under Gardella.

“The team was focused and zoned in,” the proud coach told the Eagle. “Having six seniors out of 15 total players, five of whom have played for four years, really helped. These girls and this team had been here before.

“The girls varsity softball championship game was an extremely well played game by both teams on both sides,” he added. “I am so proud of my team and their wonderful accomplishments.”

***

The BFS boys’ varsity volleyball team, unbeaten not only in every game but every single set thus far this season, is one victory away from completing an unblemished campaign.

The Panthers topped Park Slope’s Berkeley Carroll School in straight sets Monday in the Athletic Conference of Independent Schools at St. Francis College on Remsen Street, and will now take on neighborhood rival Packer Collegiate for the ACIS title on Wednesday.

BFS, guided by long-time head coach Felix Alberto and a dominant senior class featuring Thomas Chamberlain, Lucas Miller, Griffin Edwards and Julien Bouguennec, completed the ACIS season with a perfect 14-0 record, reeling off 42 consecutive winning sets.

They extended those streaks to 15-0 and 45-0 against BCS, and will do their best to make it 16-0 and 48-0 come Wednesday afternoon at 4:30 p.m., against Packer at St. Francis College.

Juniors Chris Boyd, Kamal Goulbourne and Tyler Vincent, along with sophomore Phillip Camposano and freshman Ernest Mingo round out Alberto’s as-yet-unchallenged squad.
 

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