Hicksville rallies past Long Beach

Seventh-seeded Long Beach entered the Nassau Class AA softball playoffs struggling on offense and mired in a three-game losing streak, but came out swinging in last Friday’s opening-round matchup against No.10 Hicksville and scored four runs on six hits in the first three innings.

But while the bats came through for the Lady Marines, the defense was another story. They had a tough day in the field with four errors, leading to three unearned runs, and saw the Lady Comets score the decisive in a 5-4 victory in the top of the seventh on a passed ball. Alex Gaudelli’s heads-up play won it for Hicksville, which advanced to face defending county champion MacArthur in the quarterfinals.

“She’s not our fastest kid by any stretch, but as soon as she saw the pitch head to the backstop she made a break for home,” Hicksville coach Rich Hinnerschietz said. “It was just great instinct on her part. I was looking to tell her to get back to the base, but the next thing I knew she was halfway home.”

Gaudelli reached on an error with one out to give the visitors runners on first and second. A fielder’s choice groundout to Long Beach sophomore pitcher Kelsey Larson erased the lead runner, putting Gaudelli at second and Emily Hendricks at first. They advanced to third and second, respectively, on a passed ball that led to the decisive run.

“I thought we played hard and hit well, but I feel we let this one get away,” Long Beach coach Carmine Verde said. “You can’t give teams extra outs, especially in the playoffs. Give Hicksville credit because they capitalized, but we were our own worst enemy today.”

After Larson, the team’s All-County shortstop until late April, allowed an unearned run in the top of the first, the Lady Marines (5-14) answered in their initial at-bat with a run on three hits. Toni Larson and Heather Weinstein singled with one out, and with two down Rachel Brenner blooped a single over second base to drive home Weinstein to make it 1-1.

It stayed that way until the home half of the third. Kelsey Larson opened with a single and was sacrificed to second. Weinstein reached on an infield single, and Larson raced home with the go-ahead run after the Lady Comets tried to get the out at first. Brianna Rivera followed with a single, and then with two out Tara Shouldis hit a clutch two-run single up the middle to score Weinstein and Rivera to make it 4-1. 

Hicksville bounced back with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth to get within 4-3 on a sacrifice fly by winning pitcher Danielle Anzalone and a run-scoring single by Liz Lavin. It pulled even in the fifth when a two-out error extended the inning and led to a tying single off the bat of Gaudelli.

“We have great respect for Long Beach,” Hinnerschietz said. “They beat us by a run during the regular season and we expected another close game.”