Anna Butler, Jackie Nieman team to give Seaford softball victory

The Seaford softball team relies on young players in key positions, with pitcher Anna Butler at the forefront.

But the freshman, who excelled Friday both at the plate and in the circle, has senior catcher Jackie Nieman behind the dish to guide her in the right direction.

Nieman, who celebrated her 18th birthday after Seaford beat host Plainedge, 9-2, in a Nassau ABC-II/III crossover, helped Butler rack up 10 strikeouts in a complete game.

“I love it. I love cheering her on,” Nieman said of being a stabilizing force for Butler. “I feel like it gives her confidence when she’s pitching.”

A blistering fastball mixed with a drop and a changeup kept Plainedge off balance in its season opener. Butler said she went to the changeup late in counts when she needed to put batters away.

“As I got farther through the count and I knew I had two strikes on them, the changeup was my go-to,” she said.

That changeup often induced weak contact, and although Plainedge had seven hits, several were bloopers just over the infield. “She was throwing strikes,” coach Thomas Fioriglio said. “Whatever hits they had weren’t really smoked. She had good command, good control today.”

SEE PHOTOSSeaford vs. Plainedge softball

The Red Devils were kept off the scoreboard until the bottom of the fifth inning, when AlexaMarie Sassi scored from third on what the umpire declared an illegal pitch. Seaford had built a 9-0 lead by scoring five runs in the top of the frame.

Butler, who hit .477 as an eighth grader, doubled in a run in the fifth, and she went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs to pace the Vikings (2-2). Nieman went 1-for-3 with two runs, and Jordan Ragona went 0-for-1 with two walks and two runs.

Seaford lost its first two games this season (4-3 to Clarke and 11-9 to Massapequa) but has since turned the corner with consecutive wins. Nieman, keeping with her role as one of the team’s leaders, said it’s all about mentality.

“I feel like we just have to keep attitudes up,” she said. “Just being positive throughout the whole game.”