HIGH SCHOOLS / SOFTBALL PREVIEW / DIVISION OUTLOOKS: [SUFFOLK Edition]
REPORTED BY JASON MOLINET. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 01 Apr 1999:
DIVISION II Favorite – East Islip (21-3), coach Al Olita, 1st year. Top Contenders
– Floyd (13-9), Bellport (14-8), West Islip (13-8). Key Players – Bellport senior RHP Katie Anderson (11-3, 2.35 ERA), junior CF Erin Molloy (.385, 28 RBI); East Islip senior SS Carri Raffone, (.444, .775 slugging percentage), junior C Veronica Richardson (.441, 20 runs); Floyd senior LF Jennifer Graham (.370, 28 SB), senior C Danielle Shea (.320, 20 SB), junior SS Lisa Stoia (.425, 17 RBI); Longwood junior SS Danielle DeGiorgio (.623, 6 HR); Patchogue-Medford sophomore C Krystle Scala (.426, 20 RBI); West Islip senior CF Jenn Forst (.265, 14 SB); Ward Melville senior SS Krysta Johnson (.274, 19 runs). Key Games – East Islip at West Islip, April 14, 4 p.m.; East Islip at Floyd, April 22, 4 p.m.
Longwood 6, Centereach 4: Junior third baseman Dana Calvano (2-for-3) singled home Danielle DeGiorgio, who had doubled, to snap a 4-4 tie in the fourth inning. Jillian Sollectico struck out seven for the win. WP – Sollecito. LP – Peras. March 26
Longwood 17, Newfield 0: Senior Jillian Sollecito threw a no-hitter with three strikeouts and two walks. Dana Calvano (three RBI), Danielle DeGiorgio and Jennifer Rios all homered for the Lions, and Nicole Willig went 2-for-4 with four RBI. WP – Sollecito. LP – Frevola. HR – Calvano (L), DeGiorgio (L), Rios (L). –Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 31 Mar 1999
Longwood 16, Connetquot 0: Danielle DeGiorgio went 4-for-4 with a home run, triple and four RBI for Longwood. WP – Sollecito. LP – Spruce. HR – DeGiorgio (L). – April 7
Longwood 10, Hampton Bays 1: Jackie Legnon went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and Jillian Sollecito threw a one-hitter with seven strikeouts for Longwood. Sollecito also went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI and Nicole Willig added three RBI and a run scored. WP – Sollecito. LP – Maloney. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 09 Apr 1999:
East Islip 8, Longwood 0: Veronica Richardson’s three-run homer keyed a four-run third to give East Islip a 5-0 lead. Nicole Swistun threw a three-hitter with nine strikeouts for East Islip (1-0). Longwood is 0-1. WP – Swistun. LP – Sollecito. April 14
Longwood 12, Copiague 0 (5 inns.): Dana Calvano was 2-for-4 with five stolen bases for Longwood in a game shortened because of rain. WP – Sollecito. LP – Kerr. April 17
DiGiorgio Delivers for Longwood. Danielle DiGiorgio scored on a passed ball in the bottom of the 10th to give Longwood a 7-6 win over Half Hollow Hills (1-3) in a Division II game. The Lions (3-1) trailed 5-0 going into the fifth, but Amanda Biscardi’s RBI single capped a five-run rally to tie it. April 22
Longwood 5, Patchogue-Medford 4: Danielle DeGiorgio‘s single scored Dana Calvano in the top of the seventh to give Longwood the 5-4 lead. In the sixth, the Lions scored four runs, capped by Nicole Willig’s two-run homer, which tied the score at 4. Calvano went 3-for-4 with an RBI for Longwood (4-1). PM is 3-1. WP – Sollecito. LP – Caron. HR – Willig (L). – April 23
Moore Keys Bellport Win: [SUFFOLK Edition]
Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 28 Apr 1999
Amanda Moore isn’t the ace of the Bellport softball team. At least not yet. But the sophomore righthander pitched like a front-line starter in yesterday’s 8-1 win over visiting Longwood in a key Division II game.
This was the second of four games for the Clippers (6-2, 4-1) this week and coach Barry Molloy didn’t want to tire Katie Anderson, a senior five-year starter who throws hard. So he gave Moore the biggest start of her young career and she turned in a command performance, scattering two hits and walking one over five innings while striking out six. Anderson, who pitched the sixth and seventh, gave up Longwood’s lone run.
“She’s been playing more and more,” Molloy said of Moore. “She’ll be our No. 1 pitcher the next two years so we have to get her some work now. This was her biggest win so far.”
The moment of truth for Moore (3-0) came with two Longwood runners on base and two outs in the top of the third inning. Up came junior shortstop Danielle DeGiorgio, one of the most feared hitters in Suffolk. Moore ended the threat by striking out DeGiorgio, who fouled off the first two pitches, with a changeup.
“I just go out there and throw,” said Moore, who also pitched last season. “I love when I’m under pressure. It gives me something extra.”
While Moore silenced Longwood bats, Bellport junior Denise Palermo provided the offense, going 2-for-3 with three RBI. Molloy moved Palermo down to the No. 6 spot in the order and she delivered with an RBI double down the leftfield line with one out in the second inning. But it was Palermo’s two-run triple with one out that keyed the Clippers’ four-run fourth and all but put away the Lions (9-2, 5-2).
“I just look to drive the ball and I have faith it’s going to drop in somewhere,” said Palermo, a returning starter from last season’s Class A playoff team, the program’s first since 1995.
This was supposed to be Longwood’s coming-out party. Two seasons removed from an 0-20 campaign, the Lions seemed poised to make the playoffs for the first time in 12 years. But six errors made Bellport’s day that much easier. “We were looking at this as a battle for second place,” Lions coach Laurie Kozofsky said. “Obviously we have a lot to do. You can’t win a game with {six} errors.” DIVISION I
Northport 14, Longwood 7: Meaghan Waters batted 3-for-3 with five RBI for Northport (2-5). Longwood is 4-3. WP – Haberman. LP – Sollecito. HR – DeGiorgio (L). April 29
East Islip 5, Longwood 1: Nicole Swiftun pitched a one-hitter with 11 strikeouts for East Islip (9-0). Longwood is 5-4. WP – Swiftun. LP – Sollecito. HR – Neenan-McNerney (EI). May 5
Westhampton 5, Longwood 1: Stephanie Buergers (2-for-3) had a two-run double in the sixth as Westhampton scored five runs to erase a 1-0 deficit. Kelly Thorne went 2-for-3 with an RBI for Westhampton (5-5). Longwood is 5-5. WP – Berdinka. LP – Sollecito. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 06 May 1999:
Longwood 19, Copiague 10: Danielle DiGiorgio went 4-for-5 with two RBI to lead Longwood (6-5). Copiague is 0-10. WP – Sollecito. LP – Kerr. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 07 May 1999:
Patchogue-Medford 3, Longwood 1: Cyndy Caron struck out eight, walked two and allowed six hits in a complete game. Crystal Wilson’s two-run single in the top of the third gave Patchogue-Medford (9-3) a 3-0 lead. Longwood is 6-6. WP – Caron. LP – Sollecito. HR – O’Conner (L). Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 12 May 1999:
Seely Dominates. Priscilla Crescione’s single scored Alyson Kanaras with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning to give Half Hollow Hills a 1-0 win over Longwood in Division II. Kristin Seely pitched a two-hitter with five strikeouts and three walks for Half Hollow Hills (7-6). Jillian Sollecito took the loss for Longwood (6-7). Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 13 May 1999
Bellport 3, Longwood 2 (8 inns.): Denise Palermo’s sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth broke a 2-2 tie. Palermo had three RBI for Bellport (11-3). Longwood is 6-9. WP – Anderson. LP – Sollecitos. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 18 May 1999:
Longwood 3, Northport 0: Jillian Sollecito threw a one-hitter and struck out nine for Longwood (7-9). Northport is 3-12. WP – Sollecito. LP – Halberman. HR – DeGiorgio (L). Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 20 May 1999