Riverhead's Adriana Martinez delivers the hits to propel softball team into next round of Suffolk AAA playoffs

Adriana Martinez has come into her own.

The Riverhead softball team counted on her to come through several times on Saturday, and the junior shortstop kept delivering.

Martinez went 3-for-4 with a walk, four RBIs and two runs to lead third-seeded Riverhead to an 11-6 win over visiting No. 10 Central Islip in the third round of the Suffolk Class AAA double-elimination playoffs.

“As the leadoff hitter, it’s more of my job to start things up, but when I get up there with runners on, it’s like a switch goes off in my head,” Martinez said. “It’s like, I need to get those runners in. Do your job, start this up and let’s keep it going.”

Riverhead (17-3) will visit top-seeded Commack on Wednesday at 4 p.m. with a trip to the county championship game on the line. Central Islip (13-8) will visit No. 9 Northport in an elimination game on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Martinez singled home Shaylee Bealey in the second inning to tie the score at 2. In the third, Martinez drove in Bealey and Morgan Gajowski with a go-ahead, two-out single to give Riverhead a 6-4 lead. She drove in Bealey with a two-out single through the left side in the sixth for the game's final run.

“We’ve always thought highly of her and it seemed like last year, she was tentative and maybe didn’t feel comfortable,” coach Rich Vlacci Jr. said. “This year, she just exploded. Her bat-to-ball skills are unbelievable, and defensively, she’s a rock at shortstop.”

Martinez said: “I feel like I’ve grown into the player I’ve always wanted to be.” 

Riverhead entered the playoffs last season as the top seed after an undefeated regular season. But pitcher Mya Marelli suffered a small tear of the posterior labrum in her pitching shoulder in the winner’s bracket final and the Blue Waves lost two straight games, ending their season with a 20-2 record.

Marelli returned to the circle this year on April 15 and has been pitching pain-free, but also had experienced more fatigue than she’s used to. The senior, who battled through seven innings on Saturday, allowed two earned runs and seven hits, striking out 13.

“A couple of days ago was one year since the game that I got hurt in,” Marelli said. “That experience and the couple of games we lost this year really showed us what it’s like to lose and we don’t want to feel that again.”

Bealey went 2-for-3 with three runs and an RBI, Gajowski and Sophia Viola each went 2-for-3 with two runs and Madison Saladino went 2-for-5 with two runs.

Central Islip's Stevey Duval went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, Mariella Mills went 2-for-4 with a run and her sisters, Jaida and Lianna, each scored two runs for the Musketeers, who had knocked off No. 7 Sachem East and No. 2 Sachem North earlier in the week in their first playoff appearance since 2021.

“I was just telling the girls that whatever team is going to play us in the next round is going to hate the fact that they’re seeing us,” coach Mike Stefanowicz said. “Not only because of how talented we are, but because we are going to bounce back from this.”