The New Hyde Park Little League softball girls 11/12-year-old-team punched their ticket to the Little League Softball World Series for their age division in Portland, Ore. next week with an impressive seven-game run in the Eastern Region Championship and a climactic 4-1 victory over a team from Robbinsville, N.J. in the championship game last Friday night.
The win against Robbinsville avenged a 1-0 loss – the only game they lost – in the round robin play preceding the elimination round. New Hyde Park outscored opposing teams from Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania 14-2 in the opening round, including an 8-0 win over Delaware featuring a perfect game from pitcher Jenny Hickey.
They topped teams from Massachusetts 7-0 and Connecticut 6-0 in the quarter finals and semi-finals before beating Robbinsville for the regional crown.
“It was just amazing. The pitchers were unbelievable. We played really well against come tough competition,” said New Hyde Park head coach Tom Donnelly.
Pitchers Melissa Ward and Hickey, who pitched a perfect game against Connecticut, each recorded three wins in the tourney, with the team’s pitching staff finishing the seven-game stretch with 0.14 earned run average.
“It’s a really good accomplishment but I couldn’t have done it without my defense and my catcher,” Hickey said of her perfect game.
Ward, who had faced the Robbinsville team in the opening round, said she felt confident New Hyde Park would prevail in the rematch.
“After the first game, I knew that we were really like equal teams,” she said.
The New Hyde Park team had the same core of players as the one that won a regional tournament in 2010 for nine and 10 year olds. But there was no World Series to advance to beyond that.
Last year, New Hyde Park was stopped in the state semi-finals. Now the girls, many of whom have played together for six years, are set to step up to another level in Portland.
“It’s a really great feeling. We’ve always dreamt of it, but we didn’t think it would come true,” Hickey said.
With the exception of the 1-0 loss, the team’s offense was consistent throughout the tournament.
Right fielder Hannah Arkin batted at a .643 pace, leading the team with eight runs scored and seven stolen bases. Catcher Ann Grimshaw, the team’s acknowledged power hitter, hit .476 and drove in several key hits. First baseman and leadoff hitter Kayla Fitzpatrick hit .385 and scored six runs.
Third baseman Maggie Donnelly led the team with six RBI in the tourney, also hitting .385, despite missing most of two games after being struck with a pitch above the ankle.
“They did a really good job of picking me up,” Donnelly said.
But it was the team’s adept base-running that led to its victory, along with the consistent at-bats.
In the championship game, Hickey beat out a ground single to enable a run to score from third. In the key three-run 5th inning in the final game, Hickey’s ground ball to second enabled Arkin to score from third, while speedy outfielder Emma Nidermaier scored from second base on a throwing error on the play. Leadoff hitter Fitzpatrick scored on a ground out by Ward.
“We have speed everywhere. We beat the with our speed,” Donnelly said.
Grimshaw said the victory and the prospect of competing in the World Series feels “really good.”
“It’s a big accomplishment that we’re one of the best teams in the world. I think we should do really good in it if we don’t make any errors,” Grimshaw said.
She did her part in the regional tournament, recording eight assists as she threw out seven runners, eliminating their opponents’ running game.
“I’ve been working on strengthening my arm to get the ball quicker to the second baseman,” Grimshaw said.
Left fielder Gabby Morales also played a strong series on both sides of the ball, with three key RBI and a great running catch in the semi-final contest.
Hitting coach Tom Grimshaw said the team exuded confidence going into the regional tourney.
“They thought they could do it and they did,” he said.
Donnelly said the team is quietly confident as they prepare for their world class opponents in Portland.
“We just have a solid team. They’re gritty. They’re tough. They have an edge on so many teams because we’re more battle-tested,” he said.
The New Hyde Park girls open up against a team from the Phillipines in the opener of the World Series which comprises ten teams organized in two groups. The top four teams in group play will compete for the crown.
The team will receive some new equipment for the tourney, and new uniforms as little league representatives of the eastern region. And they’ll be trading New Hyde Park Little League with their opponents from other states and countries.
Maggie Donnelly said being part of one of the 10 best teams gives her a special feeling inside that she couldn’t entirely articulate.
“No softball team from New Hyde Park has ever gone this far, so that’s pretty cool,” she said.
