Hauppauge - A month ago, they were on the brink of not even making the playoffs, two games under .500 and sliding. On Saturday, after a perilous road back to playoff contention and stunning first-round win, the Lady Bonackers of East Hampton were on the brink of booking their spot in the Suffolk County Class A championship series.

Bonac, winner of the last two county titles, made a strong bid for a third with a second half of the season unmatched by its rivals. However, in the semifinal round, second-seeded Hauppauge did East Hampton one better. A third-inning RBI single by star catcher Alexis Gonzalez proved to be all the Lady Eagles needed to notch a 1-0 victory, ending East Hampton's season.

East Hampton's Meghan Hess scattered eight hits and struck out two in absorbing the hard-luck defeat against Hauppauge.

Even if the Lady Bonackers fell short of defending their title, senior Nicole Fierro was proud of what they'd accomplished, rising from mediocrity and a miserable five-game losing streak to become a team nobody wanted to see come playoff time. Even without ace right-hander Jessie Stavola toeing the rubber, East Hampton blanked highly touted Miller Place twice in eight days, including on Thursday in the Class A first round.

"It feels good to make it this far," senior Nicole Fierro said. "Everyone doubted us with Jessie gone but we all knew what had to do, we all pulled together, worked as a team and practiced every day 100 percent. We did good this season. You can't ask for more than that."

By dethroning the two-time defending champ, the Lady Eagles (19-4) enter a best-of-three series with No. 5 Sayville for the Class A county championship. East Hampton wraps up its roller coaster year at 13-8 and says goodbye to just one senior, Fierro, the team's All-State third baseman.

"We're a different team than how we started the season," Head Coach Lou Reale said. "We started at one level and weren't very good, but now I think we're a much stronger team than we were, defensively, offensively and pitching-wise."

Bonac starter Meghan Hess worked in and out of trouble from the start, beginning with Sandy Hawthorne's lead-off double in the first to a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the fifth. In total, the Lady Eagles left seven runners on base, including five in scoring position. The only blemish to her record came in the third when she faced Gonzalez, who is bound for Division I Siena this fall. A batter earlier, Jordyn Valoroso sparked a two-out rally by looping a single into left center field and then swiping second. Gonzalez roped Hess' 1-1 offering back up the middle for a base hit. The slightest bobble both in center and at home allowed Valoroso to break the scoreless tie.

Deryn Hahn and East Hampton won six straight games leading up to Saturday, including a first-round playoff win over Miller Place.

Since Hess became the full-time starter on the mound, the Lady Bonackers were unbeaten at 6-0 heading into Saturday's showdown. Hess outdueled Miller Place's Caitlin Maynes twice in a week's span, including in last Thursday's 4-0 victory that lifted East Hampton to the semifinals. Bonac was 5-7 in League VI when the streak started, dangerously close to being eliminated from playoff contention.

"For somebody that's making her sixth start, this is a great game," Reale said of Hess. "She hadn't pitched before this year and she's only going to get better and better."

The Lady Bonackers, who fell to Hauppauge 4-0 during the regular season, weren't without chances, even if they were held to just five hits on the afternoon. They placed a runner in scoring position during innings 3-6 yet weren't able to send her home with the tying run. Their best shot came in the fourth when Kathryn Hess singled to center – Bonac's first hit of the game – and sister Meghan dropped a single in front of Valoroso in left two batters later to set up first-and-second with one out. That rally fizzled as the infield earned a force-out at second and then Nicole Ehlinger notched a strikeout to end the inning.

"When we needed a hit, we weren't hitting the ball," Fierro said. "We had opportunities in a lot of the innings but we just couldn't drive anyone in. You're not going to win if you don't score any runs."

Saturday's loss marked the end of Fierro's fantastic career in maroon. Fierro made the switch from third base, where she earned Class A All-State First Team honors last spring, over to short and was the backbone of East Hampton's efforts both at the plate and defensively. Fierro's statistical excellence might even pale in comparison to her leadership skills according to her coach.

"She's a great example for the younger kids," Reale said of Fierro, a three-sport standout at East Hampton who will play soccer at C.W. Post this fall. "She leads by example, going in head first, selling out on all those balls hit to her – she just gives it up. It's good that the other girls get to see that. We're definitely going to miss that."

Bonac second baseman Katla Thorsen fields a grounder and wings it to first for the easy out.

HAUPPAUGE 1, EAST HAMPTON 0
Suffolk County Class A Semifinal; at Hauppauge
EAST HAMPTON 000 000 0 – 0 5 1
HAUPPAUGE 001 000 X – 1 8 0
EH, Meghan Hess and Kristina Schwehr; H, Nicole Ehlinger and Alexis Gonzalez. WP – Ehlinger; LP – Hess. 2B – H, Sandy Hawthorne, Katie Quinn.
Records: East Hampton 13-8; Hauppauge 19-4.