The Mineola softball team gathered as a group for the first time in January, when head coach Monique Wink told them something with confidence.
“There’s no reason you shouldn’t be competing in a Nassau County championship,” Wink told them. “Now just because you should, doesn’t mean you will. But you absolutely can be there.”
Wink never stopped believing that, as her young team with only two senior starters struggled mightily during the regular season, enduring a 13-game losing streak that seemed to torpedo the year.
But just get to May 17, Wink kept telling her team, and the playoffs can be a different story.
And look at them now. Behind a couple of brilliant pitching performances from sophomore pitcher Autumn Malone, the Mustangs are Class A county champs.
In the deciding Game 3 Monday against Seaford at Farmingdale State College, Malone tossed a complete-game one-hitter, and crushed a two-run home run to right in the sixth inning, powering the Mustangs to a 5-0 win and their first county title since 1998.
For Mineola (8-17), nothing that happened during the losing streak matters anymore. It is county champs, and it’s a very worthy title considering how they played against Seaford.
The Mustangs now face Suffolk champs Miller Place on Thursday, June 5, at 4 p.m. at Farmingdale State.
“We had a really competitive schedule, and there were so many games this year where we were right there, and they just went the other way,” Wink said. “But we kept telling the kids, keep grinding, keep pushing, it’s all for May 17 (the start of the playoffs), and everything will fall into place.”
Which is exactly what happened. After losing Game 1, 4-1 to two-time defending county champs Seaford on Thursday night, Mineola rallied.
Its defense was stellar through the next two games, with 10th grader Cassidy Fitzgerald vacuuming up everything that came her way, center fielder Sage Rowan making two big catches on Monday, and the rest of the fielders playing flawless defense.
“My defense was incredible back there,” Malone said. “Sage had a few great catches, Cassidy was great, just everyone. I have so much confidence that they’ll make plays.”
“She’s a pitch-to-contact pitcher, which is perfect for our team,” said Wink, in her third year as coach.
Just to get to Game 3 Monday, Mineola needed to squeak out a win Friday in Game 2. Malone and Seaford’s Rylie Betz both were outstanding through four innings, with Seaford holding a 1-0 lead, but once the Vikings switched to pitcher Skyler Secondino, the Mustangs were able to scratch out some runs.
An RBI single from Amanda Baker tied the score, setting the stage for heroics from Autumn Malone, the standout pitcher, who got in and out of trouble all day Friday.
In the bottom of the ninth, Mineola got a leadoff single from Plunkett, and she took second on a steal.
After Malone tried and failed to bunt twice, she smacked a low liner to center field that just eluded Seaford’s Kaitlin Young, allowing the winning run to score and forcing a Game 3.
On Monday, offense was again hard to come by. Secondino and Malone were both terrific, but in the second inning Mineola drew three walks, and with two outs, rightfielder Keira Santaniello looped a single to center that scored two to give Malone some breathing room.
“I heard contact and just ran, I had no idea where it went,” Santaniello said.
Malone then erased all doubt over the outcome with a crushing two-run blast off Betz in the sixth, giving Mineola a 4-0 lead.
For Seaford (15-9), the two-time defending champs, the season ended one game short of where they wanted to go, but still was a positive season.
““We weren’t able to get the offense going in enough time today,” coach Joe Nastasi said. “We battled throughout the entire year, and put up a good fight today, the best we could. Very proud of the girls’ effort. But all credit to Mineola and Autumn Malone, they were very very good in this series.”
For Santaniello, the youth of the Mustangs team has been nothing but positive.
“All these younger girls play travel ball, and they’re great leaders and helping us older players,” Santaniello said. “Autumn, Cassidy, all of them, just great leaders and always helping us out.”
“These kids are just great kids, didn’t get nervous or anything,” Wink said. “I love that I get to keep coaching them for at least a few more days.”
