Jessica Mauro, center with helmet, of MacArthur is surrounded at home...

Jessica Mauro, center with helmet, of MacArthur is surrounded at home plate after her home run during a Nassau Conference I softball game against Mepham in Levittown on Thursday, April 21, 2022. Credit: Peter Frutkoff

After watching her teammate Chiara Nappo hit MacArthur’s second home run of a breakout fifth inning, Jess Mauro stepped into the batter’s box, turned toward the home plate umpire and openly pondered.

“I said to him, ‘How do you top that?’” Mauro recalled.

Moments later, Mauro also rounded the bases after belting a homer of her own over the centerfield wall in MacArthur’s 7-1 home victory over Mepham in a Nassau I softball game on Thursday morning.

“I had two strikes and had been throwing my hands at the outside pitch,” Mauro said. “I had a strikeout on one in the previous at-bat. And when you swing you just feel it. It was a great feeling.”

Mauro had a strong day on the mound as well, allowing one run on five hits in a complete game.

“I think my screwball was working well today, just changing planes,” Mauro said. “We brought the changeup in a little bit later, which I love and is my favorite pitch.”

“She’s great,” MacArthur coach Bob Fehrenbach said. “She battles and just keeps hitters off balance. She’s pitching really well this year.”

In their first meeting since Mepham (5-1) defeated MacArthur in last season’s Nassau Class A championship series, the Pirates led 1-0 entering the bottom of the fifth following a solo home run from Hailey Guerrero in the top of the frame.

MacArthur’s offense had produced only two baserunners until Nicole Stuckenschneider followed up Hailey Feiler’s leadoff single with a two-run homer to center, putting the Generals ahead 2-1.

“I think once Hailey got on base it really started the momentum,” Stuckenschneider said. “We all just wanted to pick each other up and keep going. I wasn’t really thinking, just get a good pitch and drive it. And it worked out.”

MacArthur (5-2) tacked on two more runs later in the inning with an RBI groundout from Presley Borne and RBI single by Taylor Brunn. Nappo and Mauro’s blasts then extended the lead to 7-1.

Mauro held Mepham at bay from there, limiting them to just three baserunners the rest of the way. She said defeating the defending Long Island Class A champions could pay huge dividends down the line.

“It feels great,” Mauro said. “We’re going to see them again, so I think it’s a very big confidence-booster for us to not go in defeated. It’s nice to see them earlier to know what to expect and I think it gives us a nice outlook on how the rest of the season is going to go.”

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