MacArthur's offense awakens to claim Nassau Class A softball championship with Game 3 victory vs. Clarke
Hailey Feiler of MacArthur bats during Game 3 of the Nassau Class A softball finals at Mitchel Field, on Tuesday, May 30, 2023. Credit: NEIL MILLER
Hailey Feiler has waited five years for this moment. Stepping up to the plate with two outs and two on in the fourth inning, she knew it was time to get the job done.
“I knew I was due,” Feiler said. “I was up twice with runners in scoring position last game and didn’t get it done, so I knew it was time.
Feiler hit a go-ahead, two-RBI double as No. 1 MacArthur defeated No. 2 Clarke, 12-5, in Game 3 of the Nassau Class A softball final at Mitchel Field on Tuesday. The win clinched MacArthur’s first county championship since 2017.
After scoring two runs in the first two games of the series, a four-run deficit seemed monumental for MacArthur. Olivia Wanser’s grand slam in the first inning placed MacArthur in a precarious position.
“In the eighth grade Taylor Brunn pitched two games and allowed a grand slam in each,” MacArthur coach Bobby Fehrenbach said. “Those were the only runs she allowed and we won both games, so I knew she’d settle in.”
MacArthur answered in the bottom of the inning when Brunn’s single drove in Gianna Spaventa. A single by Feiler and a walk by Nicole Stuckenschneider loaded the bases, and Sofia Anderson cleared them with a two-out double tying the score at 4.
“I knew with the bases loaded it was our moment,” Anderson said. “I calmed myself and went in with a new approach than I had the past few days. It worked out.”
Clarke (15-10) took a 5-4 lead in the fourth after Amanda Chavarria’s single drove in Julia Khasha. Clarke got another runner on after an error, but Feiler snagged a liner and stepped on first for an inning-ending double play.
Gabby Silvestri walked to lead off the fourth and Savannah Brennan followed with a single. Hailey Trapani hit a single to drive in Silvestri, tying the game at 5. Two batters later, Feiler’s double gave MacArthur a 7-5 lead.
Feiler got her third RBI with a sixth-inning single to make it 10-5. Anderson capped off her day with two-run single to give MacArthur a 12-5 lead. Feiler finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs and Anderson went 2-for-4 with five RBIs.
“Anything is possible, they could’ve hit another grand slam,” Feiler said. “We knew we had to keep putting runs on the board.”
MacArthur (25-1) will face Suffolk A champion Bayport-Blue Point in the Class A Long Island championship on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Farmingdale State.
“I’ve been saying from the start that we would go all the way,” Anderson said. “I knew this group was special and I’m glad we got it done.”
Christopher Matias covers high school sports for Newsday after spending time in Athletic Facilities and Operation at St. John’s and in Sports Information at CUNY York college.
