Massapequa world softball champs throw ceremonial first pitches at Mets game
Massapequa Little League Softball World Series Champion pitchers Olivia Feldman and Alexis Fontana throw out a ceremonial first pitch before an MLB baseball game between the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Angels at Citi Field on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The feeling of being a world champion is taking some time to set in, but that hasn't stopped the well-deserved celebration.
It’s been two weeks since Massapequa International won the Little League Softball World Series. Their victory lap made another stop on Saturday night when the Mets invited them as special guests for their game against the Angels.
The Massapequa girls watched batting practice on the field, where Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor signed baseballs and posed for pictures with the team, and Buck Showalter stood next to them during the national anthem.
Olivia Feldman and Alexis Fontana, who pitched in Massapequa International’s 5-2 win over North Carolina to claim the World Series on Aug. 13, threw the ceremonial first pitches of the game.
“It was really fun, I was just shaking,” Feldman said. “I was so scared I was going to throw it in the dirt or high.”
They tossed them underhand, as they did in Greenville, North Carolina, to claim the title. The Massapequa girls became the first team from New York to win the Little League Softball World Series since the annual tournament began in 1974.
“As a coach, I felt so proud to stand out there and see the girls throw the first pitch at Citi Field after watching them win a world series,” manager Rich Eaton said. “Just what that means for everyone here, all of their parents, all of the girls on the team.”
Massapequa Little League Softball World Series Championship players pose for a photo before an MLB baseball game between the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Angels at Citi Field on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Feldman and Fontana split pitching duties during Massapequa International’s trip through the championship bracket. Massapequa International went 4-0 at the World Series and allowed 2.5 runs per game behind Feldman and Fontana.
“I’m very happy that I got to do it with her, especially because we both pitched,” Fontana said about the first pitch. “It’s a memory that we’ll never forget.”
So far, Massapequa International’s celebration tour has featured a first pitch at a Long Island Ducks game, a jewelry haul at Good Old Gold in East Massapequa and multiple television guest spots. They also rang the bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Friday morning.
“It’s been fun going to different places, visiting people that were cheering us on throughout our whole route of playing,” Feldman said.
Fontana added, "Now that we’re running around and going places, it’s starting to sink in."
The party continues in a parade on Monday beginning at Brady Park in Massapequa Park at 5:30 p.m.
“It was the best summer of my life, I don’t know if it’s settled in yet,” Eaton said. “To know that we’re the best Little League team in the world, no, that hasn’t sunk in yet.”
