After a good year for the New Hyde Park Little League and the girls softball program, two teams were selected to compete in the Little League Williamsport Tournament.
The New Hyde Park Little League Girls 10U Minor Division entered its all-star team into the 2013 Williamsport Tournament.
NHP drew Garden City South for its first game of the tournament, played at Whalen Field in Malverne June 26. Although it was a close game, NHP fell to GCS, 11-7. The game was 7-6 in the top of the sixth inning when Garden City’s J. Piotrowski (GCS) hit a grand slam to take the lead 11-6 and NHP could only comeback with their bats to score one in the bottom of the inning. It was a hard-fought game that went back and forth. Megan Bleeker pitched two innings with three Ks, followed by Claire Mikowski, who racked up eight strikeouts. Paige Jones went 2-for-3 with a single and a triple, two runs scored and three RBIs. Katie Hopkins had four walks and two runs scored.
NHP’s second game took place on June 28 against Malverne at Rath/Pistillo Fields in Franklin Square. NHP started the game off with three singles and two runs in the first. Malverne was allowed only two hits and three runs the entire day, while New Hyde Park pitcher Megan Bleeker again racked up 13 strikeouts and allowed only three runs. C. Mikowski closed with eight pitches to retire three batters. P. Jones again had a single and double with two runs scored and one RBI, while Mikowski had a double and two runs scored. Katie Hopkins had two singles and a double and three RBIs and Ashley Rullo had two singles and a double and scored one run. NHP ousted Malverne 8-3 and advance to the quarterfinals to face off again against Garden City South. The winner of this game would face Franklin Square in the semifinals and have the chance to advance to the NY Section V Williamsport Tournament and claim the NY District 29 Championship.
NHP’s third game was played against GCS on July 2. This was a back-and-forth battle all day. The first inning ended 2-2, then in the third, GCS went up by three to make it 5-2. In the third inning, NHP ran through its lineup plus two more batters to take a 7-5 lead and hold GCS to no runs and only four batters with a total of seven strikeouts through three. During the fourth and fifth innings GCS scored one run each to tie the game 7-7.
The game was deadlocked in 7-7 tie heading into the bottom of the sixth, with GCS’s No. 5 hitter Arianna Millan at the plate. But with bases loaded and an 0-1 count with one out, the sky opened up and the remainder of the game was postponed until the next day. When play picked up with bases loaded, one out and an 0-1 count to Millan, NHP pitcher Claire Mikowski worked the count full and tossed a pay-off change up to strike out Millan.
Now with two outs and the bases still loaded, Mikowski faced their Malverne’s No. 6 hitter, who had two strikeouts and a walk in her previous at bats. NHP moved its infield up next to the pitcher and the outfield to the infield positions. With the defense equally spread among the infield, a full count, bases loaded and the game tied at seven, Morales (GCS) made contact with a Mikowski fastball. The lined shot squeaked between three players to plate the winning run. Garden City South walked away with the win, 8-7, and the right to proceed to the semifinals against Franklin Square.
New Hyde Park is ousted and takes 3rd in the NY District 29 Williamsport Tournament. Congratulations to GCS, which went on to win the NY District. 29 championship and proceeded to compete in the NY Section V Williamsport tournament.
Congratulations to the NHPLL 9/10 All-Star Team for representing New Hyde Park, NHPLL and competing in the Little League International Williamsport Tournament. Good Luck to Katie Hopkins, Marisa Ogden, Megan Bleeker and Maria Lodato, who will be moving up to the Major League Softball program in 2014. The 2013 9/10 team consists of Manage, Bino Rullo, Coaches TJ Jones, Mauren Ogden, George Hopkins and Jason Torres, volunteer Monique Roberge and Team Members Ashley Rullo, Paige Jones, Marisa Ogden, Katie Hopkins, Isabella Torres, Claire Mikowski, Julia Kurzrock, Emily Locker, Sophia Giamarino, Sophia Kasimatis, Erin Batting, Maria Lodato and Megan Bleeker.
The 12U Major Division placed second (2nd) in NY District 29 Williamsport Tournament and a big congratulations goes to them and their manager Kevin Mikowski. Eleven of the 12 girls on this Major Division team will be returning for the 2014 season. We look forward to seeing them return and meeting their goals for the 2014 Little League Williamsport Tournament.
