Calhoun splits playoff games

Calhoun had its ace, junior Nicole Imhof, in the circle and a two-run lead against No. 2 Oceanside entering the seventh inning of their second-round Nassau Class AA softball playoffs last Friday, but the Lady Sailors made good use of their final at bat. They turned a few soft hits into three game-winning runs, the last driven in by a single up the middle in the 3-2 decision. Calhoun scored its two runs in the first inning when Imhof smacked a two-run, opposite-field home run.

“We played a perfect game for most of the game,” coach Jason Boland said. “There were a couple of plays in the seventh inning where things fell the wrong way.

“Oceanside has a couple of [girls] that can bunt and slap,” he added. “Instead of beating Nicole the traditional way with ground and pound they had a few little hits, forced the defense to make [some plays] and took advantage of some hops. That’s the thing about Oceanside. They can find more than one way to beat you.”

For the seventh-seeded Lady Colts (8-12 overall), the loss was an end to another banner season, including their first at the Conference A-I level, an exclamation mark on a recent rise through the Nassau County conference ranks. Calhoun pounded out a 13-1 victory over No. 10 Hicksville in the first-round of the playoffs on May 13, led by sophomore Jordan Walley’s 3-for-3 day at the plate that included five runs batted in. “Everything came together in the Hicksville game,” Boland said.

Imhof shined all season in the circle, earning All-County honors for the fourth time after racking up 168 strikeouts in 126 and two-thirds innings pitched, including 10 batters in 10 of her 19 starts. She allowed less than a hit per inning (118) and pitched 18 complete games. At the plate, Imhof finished second on the team with a .464 batting average, drove in 17 runs and struck out just five times.

Senior All-County catcher Joanna Marmo led the hit parade this season, leading the team in batting average (.479), home runs (five) and runs batted in (33) and hit almost as many doubles (11) as the rest of the team combined (16). “She’s the catcher every other coach wants on their team,” Boland said. “She’s the glue that holds everyone together.”

Senior Lauren Trimarco, a five-year member of the varsity team, earned All-County Honorable Mention, and hit .357 with a team-high four triples. Walley took home All-Conference honors and finished second to Marmo in both home runs (four) and RBIs (20). Senior Allie Abbene, also a five-year varsity player, capped her career with a .296 average out of the leadoff spot. “Each senior took the loss tough because it’s the end of their career but it’s special to have a five-year career,” Boland said of Trimarco and Abbene.