Sports

Lightning Rod: Construction freshman taking city by storm

HERKIMER, N.Y. – As her teammates lined up to take a picture, Britney Rodriguez wanted nothing to do with it. Her head was in her hands and tears were streaming down her cheeks.

Yes, this was a fun trip upstate with her Construction softball team. But Rodriguez wanted a victory more than all of it.

“It’s just emotions,” Red Hawks coach Marco Migliaccio said. “There’s no time that she’s satisfied with losing. The great thing about her is that she expects to win. That’s why she’s gonna be a great pitcher.”

Rodriguez has already approached that title, at least as far as New York City goes. Just a freshman, the 5-foot-2, 110-pound sprite has all the tools, including a hard, moving fastball and nasty stuff. Rodriguez has already thrown a one-hitter against PSAL powerhouse Susan Wagner this season. On Tuesday in the Mudville Softball Missy Lasowski Breast Cancer Awareness Tournament, she gave up just three runs, one earned, on five hits and struck out seven against a formidable Moore Catholic team.

“She is impressive for her age and for what she is going through,” Moore coach Kristine Knuth said.

Rodriguez’s strong performance against the Mavericks was one thing. But it was the 3-0 loss that made her cry. She shed no tears last month after pitching five innings with a broken finger against Mary Louis, though. Losses clearly effect her more than physical pain.

“We could have won, but things happened,” she said. “I want to show everybody that our team can do it. We can beat any team if we put our heads to it.”

A heady approach to pitching is what has been taking Rodriguez to that next level.

The Bushwick, Brooklyn native has been playing baseball since she was 4 years old – it’s a family tradition. Her father Tito was a star shortstop at Bushwick HS and her older brother Jose was an outfielder on the Norman Thomas 2009 PSAL city title team.

Rodriguez, 14, was always a hard thrower from the moment she started windmilling when she was 11 years old despite her tiny frame. This year against high-school hitters she is developing a cerebral approach to pitching. It’s something Rodriguez showed against Moore, working in and out, hitting the outside corner and showing off a devastating changeup.

“The more she works, she’s becoming a pitcher,” Migliaccio said. “That’s why I think the sky is the limit with this kid, because she’s going to combine the knowledge of pitching with the skills, which is rare. She impresses me more and more every time.”

Added Rodriguez: “Now I’m thinking of what pitches I’m gonna throw.”

She was actually thinking of attending James Madison and playing for the defending PSAL city champion Knights. After all, she does play travel ball with the Brooklyn Cyclones and a number of Madison girls. But Rodriguez felt the need to be part of an upcoming program where she can be the face from the very start.

The lanky, athletic ace has certainly been that so far for the Red Hawks. The circle was supposed to be a major question mark for Construction, which graduated Sheila San Andres, the only No. 1 starter the young program ever knew. Rodriguez has stepped right in.

“To see a freshman so close to [San Andres’] level is a shock to me,” catcher Kailan Luciano said.

Rodriguez’s next test is her biggest one to date: a road game Thursday against Tottenville, the city’s top team which has won six of the last seven PSAL titles. There has been no rattling her yet, but the Pirates have big boppers like Victoria McFarland and Nicole Palase in the middle of the order.

“I don’t pay no mind to anything else,” Rodriguez said of keeping her poise. “People can scream things at me, it doesn’t matter. It’s just me and the catcher.”

And an undying desire to win.

mraimondi@nypost.com