Massapequa softball advances to Little League World Series

Massapequa is heading back to the Little League World Series.

This time it will be represented by its Little League softball team.

Massapequa International defeated Pennsylvania’s North Pocono, 7-0, in the Mid-Atlantic Region final Friday night in Bristol, Connecticut.

Massapequa will head to Greenville, North Carolina, to face the winner of Connecticut (New England) vs. Italy (Europe-Africa) on Aug. 7.

After defeating Pennsylvania, 1-0, in the opening round on Sunday, Massapequa  got consecutive doubles by Olivia Feldman, Sienna Erker and Abigail Long during a six-run first inning.

“I’m super-proud of them. I’ve been waiting for them to hit like that all year,” manager Rich Eaton said. “To do it in the first inning of a championship game is unbelievable.”

Emma Brown had an RBI single for a 4-0 lead before Massapequa made an out. Ava Rios capped the inning with a two-run single, driving in Brown and Cassandra VanSchuyler.

Erker (2-for-2, two RBIs) had a leadoff triple in the third before scoring the final run on a sacrifice fly by Long.

Massapequa’s defense was stellar, committing no errors. Feldman pitched four innings and Alexis Fontana went two.

“We’ve been winning on pitching and defense this entire tournament,” Eaton said. “We gave up four runs in one game here but we have three shutouts, so that’s what’s been keeping us going.”

Jocelyn Vandenberg made the play of the game with an over-the-shoulder grab on a fly ball to deep centerfield for the first out of the fourth. She immediately found ESPN’s field camera and swiped her hands across her chest as if she were revealing a Superman logo.

“I ran back on contact and I thought I had a chance to catch it, so I just stuck my arm out and hoped for the best,” Vandenberg said. “I always know where the camera is because I’ve always wanted to make a play like that and have a good celebration. That was just the perfect moment.”