Nassau Softball Top Ten (April 24)

The top ten softball teams in Nassau County based on games played through April 23...

1. MacArthur (9-2, 6-1) – We’ve learned that MacArthur is not unbeatable.  The Generals lost their first conference game last week, falling 8-6 to Mepham.  Briana Lombardo helped them rebound with a clutch two-out triple to drive in the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh inning in a 5-3 win over Oceanside.   

2. Island Trees (10-2, 6-1) – IT fell behind Clarke for the top spot in Nassau Class A for a while but they are back on top after a three-game winning streak.  Quite the week for sophomore pitcher Alannah Basile.  She threw the first of what will likely be many no-hitters in her career, blanking New Hyde Park 7-0.  She went the distance in a 4-1 win over Seaford, allowing one run with 11 strikeouts.  She capped the week with a 2-0 win over Sam Giovanniello and Floral Park in which she struck out nine and also drove in both runs for Island Trees.

3. Plainedge (9-1, 6-1) – Five-game winning streak for Plainedge, which now has a share of first-place in Conference I. Back-to-back impressive victories with a 4-3 win over Floral Park, behind Kim Nowak’s game winning single in the ninth, and a 3-1 win over Clarke, behind homers by Dolores Diemicke and Taylor Curran.

4. Carle Place (10-3, 5-1) – The New York State softball rankings were released last week and sitting at the very top in Class B was Long Island’s very own Carle Place. Ashley Cole has been on a tear, capped by the 17 strikeout, no-hitter she tossed in a 5-0 win over Glen Cove.  Another highlight from the week was catcher Leanne Iannucci becoming the program’s all-time hits leader.  But CP had its seven-game winning streak snapped by North Shore, which won 2-0 thanks to a gem by pitcher Lexi Marshall, who allowed one hit and struck out 17 batters.

5. Massapequa (9-3, 5-2) – Four-game winning streak for Massapequa includes a 12-0 win over Syosset (Emily Gaeta hit a pinch-hit grand slam), a 6-5 win over Island Trees (Kim Giurlando carried a no-no into the sixth), a 7-6 win over East Meadow (Gaeta hit a two-run homer in the sixth) and an 8-3 win over Long Beach (Renee Vaiano had a 3-for-4 day).

6. Floral Park (7-4, 4-3) – The week started off promising as Sam Giovanniello outdueled Clarke’s Sarah Cornell in a highly anticipated pitching match-up, in which FP won 5-3. But Floral Park dropped its next two games to the top two teams in the conference, losing 4-3 to Plainedge and 2-0 to Island Trees.

7. East Meadow (6-4, 5-2) – Sandwiched between a 4-0 win over Long Beach, in which Kerri Shapiro tossed a three-hitter with 10 strikeouts, and a 7-2 win over Syosset, in which Shapiro blasted a three-run homer and Marisa SanAntonio went 3-for-3, is a 7-6 loss to Massapequa.

8. Mepham (5-4, 3-3) – Mepham jumps into the top 10 after a 3-0 win over Oceanside, behind a shutout from Toni Valeriano and a 4-for-4 performance by Casey Thomas, and a very impressive 8-6 win over top-seeded, unbeaten MacArthur thanks to a career-day by Alexis Ferrero, who went 4-for-4 with two home runs, a double, a triple and seven RBIs.  She hit a grand slam in the top of the seventh inning to seal the  win.

9. Clarke (6-4, 3-4) – Very rough week for Clarke. After beating Island Trees on April 12 to take over sole possession of first-place, they have now dropped four close games in a row. Expect Sarah Cornell, Alyssa Colletti, Danielle Ferrara and company to bounce back.

10. Farmingdale – The Dalers take advantage of Oceanside’s three-game losing streak and crack the list. Farmingdale continues to dominate Conference II and Kat Zabielski (pictured) continues to display her power, homering in a 19-5 win over Port Washington and a 9-4 win over Plainview JFK. However, Farmingdale’s losses to Island Trees and Mepham are alarming so it will be interesting to see how Farmingdale fairs against the Conference I teams when the postseason rolls around.