The Massapequa High School softball team battled to the very end, but it wasn’t enough as it was eliminated by East Meadow High School 2-0 at the Mitchell Athletic Complex Thursday.
Kerri Shapiro was tough to solve for the Chiefs, as she did not allow a hit through the first six innings for East Meadow. Massapequa did get the tying runs on base in the seventh with two outs, but Elizabeth Doherty grounded out to first base to end the game, and ultimately, the Chiefs’ season.
“I am very proud of how hard these girls played,” Massapequa Coach Steve Donovan said. “They showed a lot of heart.”
The Jets got Shapiro the lead after two were out in the bottom of the first. Madison West drew a walk, and then Shapiro singled. Dina Larosa came up with a big two out hit to score West with what would be the game-winning run.
"Walks will kill you," Donovan said. "We gave them an extra chance, and they burned us."
While Shapiro was continuing her masterpiece, Renee' Viano was not far behind for Massapequa. In fact, she struck out 10 batters and scattered seven hits through her complete-game effort, and she managed to stop the Jets from adding to their lead until the home sixth.
After Taylor Conti doubled, Clarke Travis bunted her over to third with two outs. Emma McKillop came up with yet another two-out knock for East Meadow, which increased their lead to 2-0.
With the win, East Meadow moves on to face MacArthur in the conference finals starting Monday.
"We're very excited," East Meadow Coach Stewart Fritz said. "It will be great."
Donovan told Patch that he has faith that Massapequa will bounce back next season, as Viano and many other key players will be returning.
“The future is definitely looking bright for this program,” he added.
Teams 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E Massapequa 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 East Meadow 1 0 0 0 0 1 X 2 7 0WP: Kerri Shapiro, LP: Renee' Viano, RBI: Dina Larosa, Emma McKillop
What do you think of the season Massapequa had? Tell us in the comments.
