Floral Park falls in softball semifinal

WATERLOO, N.Y. - With her eye black smudged by sweat, and fighting back tears, the normally effervescent Sam Giovaniello was short on words.

"It was a little inside," the sophomore uttered.

It was her curveball, which hung a tad on the inside corner, and Jamie Degennaro lined a double to the left-centerfield gap to drive in two runs in the bottom of the sixth. That was all the scoring as Pearl River dethroned defending champion Floral Park, 2-0, in the Class A state softball semifinal at Waterloo High School yesterday.

"They came up with the big hit," said Giovaniello, who last year blanked Pearl River in the state final. "Not much to say."

Giovaniello, who fanned 14, had dominated to that point with her sharp curve and signature changeup. She carried a perfect game into the fourth inning when Kristyn Neroda beat out a dribbler to short for an infield single. The runner was immediately caught stealing and Giovaniello struck out the next seven batters.

Trouble came with two outs in the sixth. With an Ichiro-like slap swing, Gemma Mahoney fouled off several changeups and risers, eventually working a 10-pitch walk. Neroda then walked to set up Degennaro.

"Honestly, we were kind of scared," Degennaro said. "She's an amazing pitcher and I actually wasn't too confident I would get a hit."

SEE PHOTOSPearl River 2, Floral Park 0

Floral Park (20-5), which had seemingly wielded a wand late in games this postseason, couldn't muster much against Katie O'Flynn. She meticulously worked her cutter to the inside, striking out six and holding the Knights to three hits and a walk.

"What makes this so special is we beat a great and scrappy team," said O'Flynn, the losing pitcher on that field a year ago. "God knows we'll probably be facing them again next year."

Floral Park threatened in the sixth when Lindsay Trifon (2-for-3) smacked a one-out triple and Melissa Correa walked. But a pop up and strikeout ended the frame.

Knights coach Dan Sackman has often lauded his team for its buoyancy, its ability to brush off adversity like dirt on the shoulder. The girls would rebound before the midway point of their 330-mile ride back home, he insisted.

SEE PHOTOSHigh school sports -- June

What they may reflect on is the ride they took to Waterloo - the figurative one - that began with them entering the Class A playoffs as the top seed, having beaten six-time conference champ Seaford in the regular season finale. They edged Plainedge for the Nassau championship in a series that saw three 1-0 scores. The Knights then earned the trip north by defeating Eastport-South Manor for the Long Island title. As well, the team has just two seniors.

"We have a really young team and they've been up here twice," said Sara Yackel, who, along with Trifon, will attend Quinnipiac. "That's what you take with you, knowing your teammates will be back next year."