Rams endure rough patch

Coming off a stellar season, the West Hempstead Rams, the defending League ABC-V Conference VI softball champions, figured opponents would be gunning for them this spring. The Rams, who finished 14-2 a year ago, haven’t had the type of success they were hoping for in 2011. 

The combination of not getting timely hits, struggling for an inning or two on defense, and the need to make numerous position changes has led to an up and down year. After a 5-1 loss to Hewlett, the Rams are 3-6 in Conference A-III, 4-9 overall. They have lost four straight games.

Head coach Chris Van Kovics is at a loss when it comes to the current state of his team. “For one reason or another, we’re just not putting together complete games,” Van Kovics said. “Some games we just can’t get the clutch hit in big spots, other games the defense has an off inning. We took a step up in competition this year, so we knew it wouldn’t be easy. We’ve had to shift a lot of players to positions they’re not that comfortable with. We have to keep battling.”

After dropping a pair of nail biters in the opening week of the season, the Rams got in the win column with a 20-8 win over Wheatley. Santina Nikolaidis, the team’s top power threat, had a memorable day. The senior first baseman/centerfielder hit for the cycle, going 5-for-5 with six runs scores and four RBI. Junior pitcher Paige Bettineschi earned the win.

Bettineschi, who was 5-1 in the circle as a sophomore, is 4-3 on the season. She had complete game shutouts against both Hewlett and Roslyn. In the 11-0 victory over Hewlett, Bettineschi threw a two-hitter and struck out five. Junior catcher Lisa Nappi was 2-for-4 with a homer, three runs scored and a pair of RBI.

Noreen White, who plays third base, has been on fire all season long. The junior is currently riding a seven-game hitting streak with multiple hits in six of the seven games. White, who is outstanding at the hot corner, is a heady player who knows the strike zone and has a knack for hitting singles and doubles. White was 4-for-4, scored four runs, and knocked in a pair to lead the Rams to a 12-0 rout of Roslyn.

Laura Boehm has been a hard-luck pitcher. The hard-throwing Boehm has pitched well, but the revamped defense has had some tough moments behind her. Junior second baseman/outfielder Toni-Ann Rodriguez has been another bright spot and is a tough out at the top of the order.

Van Kovics still likes the look of his program. “The junior varsity has lost only one game, so there are players ready to step in who have some potential,” he said. “We have most of the girls back next season, so the program should be ok.”