Sports
Mineola Softball Drops Heartbreaker to West Hempstead
Lady Mustangs overpowered by 11 runs in sixth inning.
After a substantial victory on , the varsity softball team (1-0) hit the field with high spirits Monday afternoon at West Hempstead High School in a makeup game which was rained out last week.
Despite Mineola’s early lead, the West Hempstead Lady Rams (2-1) came out on top with a score of 11-2.
The Lady Mustangs were able to shut out West Hempstead for five full innings but the Lady Rams retaliated with an 11-run streak in the bottom of the sixth.
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“They played well,” Mineola head coach Melissa Skupp said of her team. “I do not think we had mental errors, West Hempstead hit the ball in the sixth inning.”
Mineola senior Christina Palmenteri had a base hit to lead off the game, followed by fellow captain Tracy Reardon. Krystie Kern and Valerie Fischer both racked in an RBI when their sacrifice hits sent Palmenteri and Reardon running past home plate.
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The two early runs were all the Lady Mustangs could secure for the day, maintaining it with a strong defensive plays.
“They made great catches in the out field,” Skupp said.
In the third inning with a runner on first and two out, West Hempstead sent the ball soaring and centerfielder Reardon running nearly 30 feet to end the inning with a phenomenal catch.
“She tracked the ball very well and ran as hard as she could and made an amazing catch,” Skupp said.
Still scoreless, the Lady Rams loaded the bases in the fourth and sent a ball flying into right field with two outs and into the glove of Shannon Maloney.
The score sat still at 2-0 in the Lady Mustangs favor until the sixth inning. The Lady Rams would plate six runners in a rally where a two-run double from Lisa Nappi put West Hempstead ahead 6-2. West Hempstead carried on to score an additional five runs in the frame.
Mineola could not manage a comeback of their own as West Hempstead reliever, junior Paige Bettineschi threw a one-hitter with seven strike outs to close the game.
The Lady Mustangs will next host Roslyn at .
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E Mineola Lady Mustangs 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 West Hempstead Lady Rams 0 0 0 0 0 11 0 11 6 0
Mineola Batting Statistics
Player
PA
AB
H
1B
2B
3B
SAC
BB
K
RBI
Runs
BA
OB%
SLUG
SB
Christina Palmenteri
5
3
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
1
.000
.400
.000
2
Tracy Reardon
5
3
3
2
1
0
0
2
0
0
1
1.000
1.000
1.333
5
Kathryn Priolo
4
4
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
.250
.250
.250
1
Krystie Kern
4
3
1
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
.333
.250
.333
0
Erin Etherson
4
2
1
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
.500
.500
.500
1
Valerie Fischer
4
3
3
1
1
1
0
1
0
1
0
1.000
1.000
2.000
2
Lauren Fischer
4
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
.000
.000
.000
1
Shannon Maloney
4
3
2
2
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
.667
.500
.667
0
Adriana McKeever
4
2
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
.000
.500
.000
0