Farmingdale Softball Beats Massapequa in Semis

It didn’t take long for the Farmingdale softball team to take command of Thursday’s Nassau County Class AA semifinal against Massapequa.

A six run first inning allowed the Dalers to sail towards an 8-3 victory over the Chiefs at Mitchell Field in Uniondale. Farmingdale will face East Meadow in the best-of-three championship series next week.

Twelve Farmingdale batters came to the plate in the lopsided first inning.  Daler pitcher Isabella Corrao led off the inning with a walk, coming around to score on a two run double by Kat Zabielski.

Kim Giurlando relieved Massapequa starter Renee Vaiano, who was chased after just a third of an inning, but she couldn’t stop the bleeding. Seven consecutive Dalers reached base and four scored.  Giurlando finally ended the inning by retiring two consecutive batters.

“It’s just one of those innings,” Massapequa Head coach Steve Donovan said. “When you give a good pitcher six runs, it’s never easy.”

That’s especially true when that pitcher is throwing strikes on a consistent basis. Corrao was dominant, tossing seven innings and striking out 12.

Massapequa tried to get back in the game in the second inning. After loading the bases with one out, they could only muster one run. Corrao struck out the final two hitters to end the threat.

Hero:  Corrao – Even before she was spotted six runs, it was evident that it was going to be a good day for the Farmingdale pitcher. She notched her first two strikeouts of the afternoon with one out and a runner on second in the top of the first inning, not yet knowing that it was a sign of things to come.

Turning Point: Continuing to get hits after Massapequa switched pitchers in the first inning showed that the success wasn’t just a case of capitalizing on a pitcher having a bad day.

Quotable: “These girls didn’t quit all season,” Donovan said. “They believed they could come back and put themselves in some situations and just came up short. We faced a good pitcher and just didn’t get the hits when we needed them.”

“She’s always exceptional,” Farmingdale Head coach Laura Malone said of Corrao. “She’s the best pitcher in the county.”

Bottom Line: Farmingdale put together the first inning by finding holes and hustling. Only one of their seven hits went for extra bases. This was something that couldn’t be stopped with a simple managerial change. The weekend off will allow for a fully rested Corrao to try and duplicate her performance next week.

Key Stat: Corrao recorded multiple strike outs in five of her seven innings.

Who’s Next:  Nassau County Softball Class AA Final- Game 1: No. 2 Farmingdale vs. No. 4 East Meadow, Monday at 4 p.m. @ Mitchel Athletic Complex.  

Box Score: 

WP: Corrao

LP: Vaiano