New Hyde Park Little League girls enshrined after win

The New Hyde Park Little League girls are now enshrined in the Little League Baseball Museum in Williamsport, Pa.

The 9- and 10-year-olds each signed a baseball to be put on display last Saturday after the team's 5-4 win over the state champion from Connecticut in the Eastern Regional championship in Fleetville, Pa.

New Hyde Park, which went 6-0 against fellow state champs in the tournament, put up four runs in the first inning and Emma Nidermaier stole home in the fifth to score the eventual winning run.

With one out and the tying run on third in the ninth inning, pitcher Jenny Hickey fielded a comebacker to the mound and catcher Ann Grimshaw made an acrobatic tag to throw out the runner at home.

Said New Hyde Park coach Tom Donnelly: "It's certainly a terrific feeling of accomplishment to see them beat so many exceptional teams in the regional tournament."

Commack boys fall short

It was like Christmas morning on an August afternoon for the Commack Little League baseball team. Coach Peter Theodorellis described the excitement of the 9- and 10-year-olds as that of opening presents.

Really, the team's run was a gift. They removed the bow by winning the district title, then ripped through the wrapping when they took sectionals, and tore open the box by claiming their first ever state championship last month. Then, on Aug. 6, they clutched the goody after beating Delaware, 1-0, on Johnny Pohlman's eighth-inning walk-off hit to win the Mid-Atlantic Regional title in Cranston, R.I.

"We're excited, but I don't think it's fully set in yet for them," Theodorellis said. "At 9 and 10, win or lose, they're off to their next adventure. But they had the summer of their lives."

The boys fell short in their quest, losing to New England champ Connecticut, 5-3, in the Eastern final last Saturday. But, flashing the moxie they'd shown all season, Commack (14-3) rallied for all three runs in the sixth on RBIs by Trevor Rosenlicht, Jason Salerno and Jordan Anderson.

"They were disappointed, but they left the field with their heads held up," said Theodorellis, whose team had overcome a late 5-0 deficit in the opening round. "Had they been 12-year-olds, getting this far would've qualified them for ."