The New Hyde Park Athletic Association Girls 14U Team Intensity swept a doubleheader against the Brooklyn Cyclones in the highly competitive HBQBV Travel Softball League. The ladies had a tough task – facing a flame throwing windmiller who has been routinely clocked in the upper 50 mph range yet the NHP girls played their way to a gut wrenching 4-3 victory.
Jillian Sakowich (5 hits) was the offensive star of the day excelling from the left side of the plate. Sakowich, (who also had 5 stolen bases and scored 2 runs) has been taking a cerebral approach to the game, carefully analyzing the defense before deciding to bunt, hit, or slap her way on base.
A key component to the overall success of the squad has been the defense on the left side with gutty performances by star third baseman Jillian Filippi (3-5, 2SB, 2R) and the slick fielding shortstop with a rifle arm – Lisa Pellegrino. These girls cover an enormous amount of territory, do all of the little things right which do not show up in the box score, and provide their pitchers with quite a comfort zone. Danielle Dziomba’s performance was indicative of the patience the girls now employ at the plate as she walked 6 times after working the count full to 3-2. Kristen Hickey pitched 6 masterful innings scattering 5 hits and 5 K’s for the victory before giving way to closer Geena Fornataro who pitched a 1-2-3 seventh for the save. Mary-Kate O’Boyle threw out 2 baserunners from behind the plate and made a crucial tag in the 4th inning to thwart a rally. Sabrina Spiridigliozzi had a terrific game in left making several plays on hard hit balls in both games. Spiridigliozzi, Fornataro (1RBI), and Hickey (2RBI) each had mammoth doubles in game 2. Sabrina Santaruvo had the clutch 2 out single in game one for 2 RBI and is steadily inching higher in the lineup and Kim Spagnuolo (worth her weight in gold) made a fabulous running catch in right field and also spelled O’Boyle behind the plate for a few innings .
These girls work very hard at their craft and have shown a tendency to “do the unexpected” as evident by Kim Spagnuolo and Lisa Pellegrino bunting with 2 strikes or Jillian Filippi faking a throw to first only to “wheel around” and catch an unsuspecting runner caught off guard at third or catcher Mary-Kate O’Boyle snap throwing to first from her knees to pick off a runner, or the number 3 batter (Hickey) laying down a sacrifice bunt, or Sakowich faking a bunt and slapping past a charging third baseman. Coupled with the excellent pitching, bunt execution, and the success of the fake bunt, this team is poised to make quite a name for itself in the travel circle.
