By Chris Barca
It’s early, but Bayside picked up an important win over division rival Francis Lewis behind the arm of Heidi Gomez and the bat of Victoria Perez.
The Commodores handled the host Patriots 17-5 in PSAL Queens A-I softball April 3. Perez, a freshman right fielder collected four RBIs and Gomez, the junior ace, tossed five innings, allowing one earned run and striking out five.
“Gomez threw well, she’s going to throw quick enough to where she is going to challenge a lot of hitters,” Bayside Coach Steve Piorkowski said.
Although Francis Lewis grabbed an early 3-1 first inning lead courtesy of four walks and a run scoring single from second baseman Sandra Arcabascio, Gomez pitched the way Piorkowski expects her to throughout the season.
She limited the Patriots to two runs on just one hit. Perez led the high-powered Bayside offense. She drove in two runs with a single during a four-run second inning. Third baseman Emily Gomez drove in three runs and shortstop Tara Bernstein recorded a five-hit afternoon. Perez feels things will even get better for Bayside (3-0).
“I felt good out there,” she said. “Once we get deeper into the season, we’re all going to start clicking.”
Gomez, who walked seven, knew she needed a little help from her bats on this day.
“The offense definitely picked me up today,” she said.
Unfortunately for Francis Lewis (2-1), their strong early season scoring outputs didn’t carry over against Bayside. Despite the letdown, Patriots Coach Bryan Brown has confidence in his inexperienced squad’s ability to grow, especially as freshman pitcher Diana Ferreira takes over for graduated ace Pricilla Lallave.
“It’s going to be tough because we’re a young team,” Brown said. “Whatever we get out of this year is gravy.”
Piorkowski is happy to be back on the diamond after winning his battle with cancer that ate away at his C6 vertebrae in his neck and left him in a wheelchair. He missed nearly all of last season, before returning for the Commodores’ playoff loss to McKee/Staten Island Tech. He is undergoing his fifth month of a six-month chemotherapy plan and hopes to receive a stem cell transplant in his neck this summer to rid his body of the cancer. His focus right now, though, is on his team.
“It’s my job,” Piorkowski said with a chuckle. “I wouldn’t call it a distraction from my health, it’s my job. If I’m capable of doing my job, I’ll do my job.”
