Carey rolls into softball finals

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Following last year’s bitter loss in the Long Island Class A softball title game, Carey’s Lady Seahawks spent a little time licking their wounds, and then vowed to give it another shot in 2015. Now, after a two-game sweep of intra-district rival New Hyde Park last week, they stand two wins away from their second straight county title, and an opportunity to once again play for Long Island supremacy.

Senior Sam Romanello had a pair of doubles and three RBIs to lead Carey to a 13-1 rout in game two of the Nassau Class A semifinals on May 19. With the win, the top-seeded Lady Seahawks, who improved to 20-2, advanced to the finals, where they will meet No. 2 Clarke.

Carey has been nearly perfect in the playoffs, outscoring its opponents 51-1. The only run yielded by senior pitcher Jenna Turato in the postseason was unearned.

Turato is not the prototypical ace. She dominates hitters much the way Greg Maddux mowed them down during his 23-year major league career, and does so with the same cerebral, bulldog mentality. She has given up just nine hits over the first four playoff games, yet she hasn’t had an outing with double-digit strikeouts.

Carey coach Anthony Turco said he loves Turato’s poise and determination in the circle. “Jenna is not going to blow people away,” Turco said. “She gets people out with her intelligence. She bought into this approach and hasn’t wavered from it. Jenna hits spots, keeps batters off balance, and trusts her defense.”

After a 12-0 win over Manhasset in the opening round, Carey took on No. 8 Glen Cove. Rebecca Vilchez, one of the toughest outs in the county, went 3 for 4 and knocked in a pair of runs to lead the Lady Seahawks to a 13-0 victory. Sophomore Brianna Pinto was 2 for 4, and launched a three-run homer in the second inning. Turato struck out six and allowed just three hits.

The Lady Seahawks continued their dominance in the opening game against New Hyde Park. Romanello, who has seven hits in her last eight at-bats, went 4 for 4 with a home run and four RBIs. Turato was stingy, yielding just a hit and a walk over six innings. Vilchez had two hits, including a three-run homer, to get things going in the bottom of the first.

Clarke, which handed Carey one of its two losses during the regular season and comes into the finals with a 19-2 record, is led by pitcher Sarah Cornell. The Lady Rams, who swept Plainedge in the semifinals, have won 16 straight games. Cornell has averaged 14 strikeouts per game in 2015.

“The girls are confident and I’m confident,” Turco said. “They expect to be successful. We’re clicking on all cylinders, and we’re very much looking forward to this series. Clarke is a scrappy team, and obviously has a talented pitcher. We’ll be prepared. It’s not going to be easy, but we’re feeling very optimistic.”

The best-of-three championship series opens on Thursday, May 28, at Hofstra University, at 3 p.m. Game two is set for Friday at 6 p.m., and if necessary, the title will be decided on Monday at 3 p.m.