The 2011 Lady Daler Softball Team, under the direction of Laura Malone and Brandon Oppenheim, had the season most softball athletes dream of. For the first time in program history, the Lady Dalers won the Nassau County Title. That led to the next battle, for the Long Island title against the Suffolk premier team, Bay Shore. They won the LI title 11 times in the last 17 years, are the 2010 state champions, and have the win ingest coach in New York, Jim McGowan.
Farmingdale’s well decorated, All State, All Long Island, and All County pitcher Isabella Corrao was ready for the test. Along with her battery mate, Hannah Soluri, they called their own game. That intellect, determination, and leadership led to one of the biggest upsets in Long Island Softball history as the Lady Dalers won 2-0.
Farmingdale’s offense shined in the third inning with two outs. Emily Finkel demonstrated her speed after placing the perfect bunt to reach first base. Emily Dorso followed with a double. With two outs and runners on second and third, Kat Zabielski drove a single up the right side of the field scoring two runs.
During the fourth inning, there was a passed ball with a Bay Shore runner on third that tried to score. Farmingdale’s Corrao flew home. She tagged the runner out, at the plate, from the perfect toss by Soluri. After the play, the Lady Dalers defense was unstoppable. Bay Shore continued to battle in late innings but Corrao’s concentration was not altered. She got out of the 5th inning with runners on the corners, striking out the last batter for the third out. Her presence in the circle lifted the entire team and the large crowd, who witnessed an unbelievable performance. Corrao demonstrated the perfect mechanics that led to lightening speed and precise location of her pitches. She was so focused and powerful in the seventh inning that she struck out the entire side. The celebration began as Captains Dorso and Kristie Summus held up the championship plaque. Overall, Corrao along with Soluri struck out 14 and gave up only four hits, and shut out the seven-time NYS championship program.
Another first for the program was the coach bus ride upstate to Queensbury for the NYS finals. The Lady Dalers semifinal match up was against another well-respected program from East Fishkill, John Jay. The Lady Dalers were able to score one in the first inning with two outs. Dorso singled to left and Zabielski walked. Kerri Ossenfort was able to reach on an error that loaded the bases. Jenna Crawford’s walk scored the run in the sixth inning, as the Dalers were in the down pouring rain on defense. John Jay was able to get in three unearned runs that appeared related to the weather. Many questioned why the umpires did not suspend the game, as the other section playoff games were halted due to unsafe conditions. However, the Lady Dalers continued to fight but were unable to score. The final was 3-1 in favor of John Jay. Corrao struck out 16 in another terrific display of athleticism from the circle for the Dalers.
Senior starters, Corrao, Dorso, Summus, and Victoria Kornfeld left a mark on the program for the future. To recap, the 2011 Lady Dalers finished Conference AA-I in second place. They won the Nassau County title, the Long Island Championship, and they finished the NYS tournament as semifinalists. All of which were firsts for the program and something to be proud of, go Lady Dalers!
