Miller Place outlasts Seaford in LIC

The sixth inning of the Long Island Class A softball championship game Thursday afternoon epitomized the amazing seasons for Seaford and Miller Place.

Hitless through five and trailing by three runs, Seaford pounded out five hits and scored four times to take the lead. But Miller Place answered with four runs of its own in the bottom of the frame, with freshman catcher Delaney Schleider singling home the eventual game-winner in a 7-4 victory at Martha Avenue Recreation Park in Bellport.

Schleider went 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs and pitcher Ava Zicchinelli struck out 10 as the Panthers won their first-ever L.I. title. Seaford junior Skylar Secondino went 2-for-2 with two walks and senior Alyssa Rodriguez singled home the tying run with two outs in the sixth and scored the go-ahead run on eighth-grader Rylie Betz’s single.

“The way we battled showed the girls’ determination,” Seaford coach Joe Nastasi said. “Even though we lost, you can see the energy they still have in the dugout after the game. It’s a great, tight-knit group of 18 girls that I can’t say enough about.

“We have no regrets,” he added. “We had a tremendous season.”

The Vikings, who will carry back-to-back Nassau County championships into next spring, were in trouble through five innings with Zicchinelli dominating in the circle. Then senior shortstop Alexa Villeck led off the sixth with a rope single, and everything changed. Secondino followed with another hard-hit single and a perfectly placed bunt by junior Kaitlyn Young resulted in a single and throwing error, allowing Villeck and courtesy runner Jayne Singleton to score.

“First and second and none out, we are bunting there every time,” Nastasi said. “It’s an automatic bunting situation for us. We’ve done it all season long. We want to give ourselves high-percentage chances to score and we needed to chip away at their lead.”

A sac bunt by junior Katie Young advanced Kaitlyn Young to third. With one out, Rodriguez hit a line drive single to left to make it 3-3. Then with two outs, Betz delivered a clutch single and Seaford had its only lead.

The Panthers, however, came right back with four runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth. No. 9 hitter Sadie Hoffmann set the table with a single and scored the tying run. Zicchineli scored the eventual winning run on an error.

“Seaford made a change in its offensive philosophy and made a nice comeback,” Miller Place coach Matt Timmons said. “They were patient early and came out swinging late. We were able to come right back with an answer. Sadie got us going and our top four hitters did what they’ve done all season.”

The Vikings finished 15-6.

“Miller Place found a way and credit to them,” Nastasi said. “Sometimes things don’t go your way and that’s part of sports and part of life, too. Our girls walked off this field knowing they gave it their all.”