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Archive for May, 2008

Ali Gardiner & Florida beat UCLA

May
31

Former John Jay standout Ali Gardiner, who was recently named an all-American, and her Florida teammates have eliminated UCLA from the College World Series with a 2-0 victory. Florida will play Texas A & M Sunday, 1 p.m. on ESPN.

Gardiner went 1 for 3, including a two-out single in the seventh that led to Florida’s insurance run.

Florida is ranked first in the country and UCLA is second.

Posted by Tony Pinciaro on Saturday, May 31st, 2008 at 7:24 pm | del.icio.us Digg
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First-round scores and quarterfinal matchups

May
30

The first sectional upset has been posted as No. 14 Ursuline beat No. 3 John Jay, 2-1. Kristie Vitulli singled in two runs with two outs in the top of the sixth inning to give Ursuline a 2-0 lead. John Jay answered in the bottom of the sixth on an Amanda Mangione RBI single.

Ursuline’s Taylor Pirone scattered five hits and struck out six. John Jay’s Gaby Torzillli, who will pitch for Syracuse next year, surrendered two hits and struck out 11 to close her brilliant career.

Class AA:

No. 1 RC Ketcham 6, No. 16 Clarkstown South 0
No. 8 White Plains 6, No. 9 Clarkstown North 1: Sandra Mastranegelo smacks a two-run double and then unloads a mammoth two-run homer. Lauren Sputo tosses a 1-hitter with 10 strikeouts.
No. 5 Yorktown 9, No. 12 Mahopac 1: Yorktown led 2-1 through five before exploding for seven runs in the sixth, highlighted by a Cassie Reill-Boccia grand slam.
No. 4 John Jay-East Fishkill 7, No. 13 Carmel 5: Carmel scored five runs in the fifth inning to take a 5-2 lead, but JJEF answered back with four runs in the bottom of the inning.
No. 6 Arlington 6, No. 11 Yonkers 0: A no-hitter here.
No. 7 North Rockland 3, No. 10 Suffern 1: Samantha Welsh went 4 for 4, including a triple and scored a run and Tiffany Alliano had two hits and an RBI as the Red Raiders won their 11th straight game. What a shame these two excellent teams had to meet in the first round.
No. 2 Scarsdale 2, No. 15 Mamaroneck 1, 8 inn.: Rosaria Collara doubles to lead off the bottom of the eighth, is sacrificed to third by hard-hitting Chelsea LoBue and scores on Devin McClintock’s fielder’s choice.

Class A:
No. 1 Pearl River bye
No. 8 Harrison 5, No. 9 Pelham 2: Brianna Scapperoti had three hits and and RBI and Sam Mumola, who will play at Pace University next year, had two RBI.
No. 5 Hen Hud 6, No. 12 Nyack 0: Niki Tamburri tosses a two-hitter and strikes out nine. Heather Clausen and Tamburri each had two hits and an RBI and Rachel Buckner drove in two runs.

No. 4 Lakeland 6, No. 13 Our Lady of Loourdes 0: Brittany Lischinksy allows four hits and strikes out eight. Katie Schmier had two hits and an RBI.
No. 3 Eastchester 7, No. 14 Ardsley 1: Janine Lalli had three hits, scored twice and had an RBI and winning pitcher Noelle McDonough surrendered three hits and fanned 10 in its 15th straight win.
No. 11 Rye 6, No. 6 Sleepy Hollow 4: This is Rye’s first sectional win in at least 10 years.
No. 10 Brewster 5, No. 7 Beacon 2: Kelly Bentson had two hits and an RBI and Kristen Sliman smacked a two-run double as the Bears avenged two regular-season losses.
No. 2 Tappan Zee bye

Class B:
No. 8 Hastings 6, No.9 Putnam Valley 5
No. 7 Dover 9, No. 10 Briarcliff 2: Meghan Hewitt had two hits and an RBI

Tuesday, June 3
Quarterfinals
Class AA

No. 8 White Plains at No. 1 R.C. Ketcham, 4:30 p.m.: The teams met two weeks ago in the Ketcham tournament and the game was taken by Ketcham. Don’t be shocked if Ted O’Donnell and his players, led by senior catcher Sandra Mastrangelo, take this game.
No. 5 Yorktown at No. 4 John Jay-East Fishkill, 4:30 p.m.: Imagine this. These two excellent teams are meeting in the quarterfinals. This is reminiscent of last year when seventh-seeded Tappan Zee faced second-seeded Pearl River in a Class A quarterfinal. Both teams had tricky first-round games with John Jay rallying from a 5-2 deficit in the fifth inning with four runs.
No. 14 Ursuline at No. 6 Arlington, 4:30 p.m.: The Koalas and Taylor Pirone did it once, upsetting No. 3 John Jay.
No. 7 North Rockland at No. 2 Scarsdale: The Raiders survived a first-round game with Mamaroneck while North Rockland decisioned archrival Suffern.

Tuesday, June 3
Quarterfinals
Class A

No. 8 Harrison at No. 1 Pearl River, 4:30 p.m.: A tough spot for Harrison, but the Huskies will give Pearl River a good game.
No. 5 Hen Hud at No. 4 Lakeland, 4:30 p.m.: Round three takes place at Lakeland. Hen Hud took the regular-season set. I definitely suggest this game as one worth attending.
No. 11 Rye at No. 3 Eastchester, 4:30 p.m.: Eastchester handled Rye, 7-1 during the regular season.
No. 10 Brewster at No. 2 Tappan Zee, 4:30 p.m.: Tappan Zee comes off of a first-round bye and faces 10th-seeded Brewster. it almost doesn’t seem fair considering Brewster is not your ordinary 10 seed. If you’re in Rockland make your way down the Palisades or Route 303 to watch this excellent game.

Tuesday, June 3
Quarterfinals
Class B

No. 8 Hastings at No. 1 Albertus Magnus, 4:30 p.m.: The Falcons will be angry because the Yellow Jackets beat them at Albertus during the regular season.
No. 5 Westlake at No. 4 North Salem, 4:30 p.m.: Even though North Salem is the home team, Weatlake is rolling, having won 12 of its last 14 games.
No. 6 Rye Neck at No. 3 Kennedy, 4:30 p.m.: Devin DiSiena will be the difference for Kennedy. The fireballing windmiller has 200 strikeouts on the season.
No. 7 Dover at No. 2 Dobbs Ferry, 4:30 p.m.: Even without No. 1 windmiller pitcher Jackie Crews, the Eagles will find a way to win.

Tuesday, June 3
Semifinal
Class C

No. 3 Blind Brook at No. 2 Haldane, 4:30 p.m.: Too much Chelsea Lisikatos will shut down Blind Brook.

Posted by Tony Pinciaro on Friday, May 30th, 2008 at 6:56 pm | del.icio.us Digg
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White Plains 6, Clarkstown North 1

May
30

Senior five-year starting catcher Sandra Mastrangelo smoked a two-run homer and also had a two-run double in the 6-1 first-round win over a short-handed Clarkstown North.

The Rams were without four players.

Lauren Sputo tossed a one-hitter and struck out 10 for White Plains.

Posted by Tony Pinciaro on Friday, May 30th, 2008 at 4:28 pm | del.icio.us Digg
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First-round projections

May
28

Friday, May 30
First round
Class AA
No. 1 R.C. Ketcham over No. 16 Clarkstown South: The 16th seed is much better than its 9-11 record and will give Ketcham a good game.
No. 8 White Plains over No. 9 Clarkstown North: A 1:30 p.m. start to accomodate the ninth seed on prom night, Lauren Sputo and Sandra Mastrangelo get the nod.
No. 5 Yorktown over No. 12 Mahopac: The defending Class AA champions have too much Cassie Reilly-Boccia and Kasy O’Connor.
No. 4 John Jay-East Fishkill over No. 13 Carmel: The third meeting of the season results in a sweep for coach Bonnie Schilling and her girls setting up a Yorktown-John Jay-East Fishkill quarterfinal Tuesday.
No. 3 John Jay over No. 14 Ursuline: The Koalas beat John Jay, 2-1 during the regular season behind Taylor Pirone, but John Jay has been unbeatable since and Gaby Torzilli is a strike-out machine.
No. 6 Arlington over No. 11 Yonkers: Playiing Arlington is always a difficult task, but it is even harder for Yonkers which is facing a long bus that could take half a day.
No. 7 North Rockland over 10 Suffern: The teams split the season set, each winning 2-1 on their respective home field. It will be another great game. I have to give the nod to North Rockland because they are home. It is a shame that these two teams are meeting in the first round. They are a combined 31-11.
No. 2 Scarsdale over No. 15 Mamaroneck: The second seed swept the regular-season set behind Nicole Lee shutouts.

Final: John Jay-East Fishkill over John Jay. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, JJEF coach Bonnie Schilling always has her girls prepared for sectionals by playing the toughest non-league schedule she can find. Gaby Torzilli will keep John Jay in the game with her right arm slinging heat, but the Patriots will find a way.

Friday, May 30
First round
Class A
No. 1 Pearl River bye
No. 8 Harrison over No. 9 Pelham: One of the best first-round games in any class, the teams are evenly-matched featuring strong pitchers in Harrison’s Ashley Marino and Pelham’s Kerry Davis. Harrison gets the nod because they are home.
No. 5 Hen Hud over 12 Nyack: The defending Class A titlists were buoyed by the return of shortstop Shanna Brown, who is outstanding offensively and defensively.
No. 4 Lakeland over No. 13 Our Lady of Lourdes: The Hornets finished strong, sweeping Yorktown. Brittany Lischinsky is one of the most underrated pitchers in Section 1.
No. 3 Eastchester over No. 14 Ardsley: Too much offense for Ardsley to contend with.
No. 6 Sleepy Hollow over No. 11 Rye: Deanne Lindsay pitches Sleepy Hollow to a quarterfinal round matchup with Eastchester.
No. 10 Brewster at No. 7 Beacon: Even though Beacon swept the two-game regular-season set, Brewster coach Michelle Gosh has made the adjustment and will not be beaten for a third time. In Kim Bentson, Gosh has one of Section 1’s finest players, who has been flying under the radar.
No. 2 Tappan Zee bye

Final: Pearl River over Tappan Zee These teams met in the quarters last year with Tappan Zee prevailing 2-1. Pearl River has one of the best, if not the best, lineup in Section 1. Coach Mike Carlacci’s girls hit 1 through 9. Pearl River can also offset Tappan Zee speedster/initiator Brittni Alexander with its tandem of Kelly McMorrow and Lorraine Schule.

Friday, May 30
First round
Class B
No. 1 Albertus Magnus bye
No. 8 Hastings over No. 9 Putnam Valley: Mira Lieman-Sifry just keeps producing, both with her bat and right arm when she is in the circle.
No. 5 Westlake bye
No. 4 North Salem bye
No. 3 Kennedy bye
No. 6 Rye Neck bye
No. 7 Dover over No. 10 Briarcliff: After a difficult start to the ‘08 season, Briarcliff turned it on, but playing at Dover will be a hard task to overcome.
No. 2 Dobbs Ferry bye

Final: Albertus Magnus over Kennedy Take your pick of windmillers—Erin Flaherty, Maura Power or Rosie Coyne. Any of the three can pitch Albertus to a win. Flaherty is also an excellent hitter. Devin DiSiena has had a phenomenal year for Kennedy, but she and her teammates will have to be perfect against any of the three.

Class C

No. 1 Valhalla bye
No. 2 Haldane over No. 3 Blind Brook

Final: Haldane over Valhalla The 2007 sectional runners-up beat Valhalla, 7-4 during the regular season, scoring five runs combined in the sixth and seventh innings.

Posted by Tony Pinciaro on Wednesday, May 28th, 2008 at 10:45 pm | del.icio.us Digg
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Error in Class AA seeds

May
28

I just learned that the Class AA seeds had to be revised because Arlington’s record was misread. As a result, Arlington jumps to the sixth seed and will host No. 11 Yonkers; North Rockland goes from the 6th seed to the 7th seed and will host No. 10 Suffern and White Plains goes to the eighth seed and will host No. 9 Clarkstown North at 1:30 pm. Friday.

White Plains is playing at 1:30 p.m to accomodate Clarkstown North, which has its prom Friday.

Posted by Tony Pinciaro on Wednesday, May 28th, 2008 at 4:08 pm | del.icio.us Digg
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Sectional seeds and first-round pairings

May
28

The seeds and pairings are in. All first-round games are being played Friday. However, the Arlington-Clarkstown North game has been moved to Thursday. Here is the complete schedule for each class:

There are a few surprises and some outstanding Class AA first-round games.

Friday, May 30
First round
Class AA

No. 16 Clarkstown South at No. 1 R.C. Ketcham, 4:30 p.m.
No. 9 Clarkstown North at No. 8 White Plains, 1:30 p.m.
No. 12 Mahopac at No. 5 Yorktown, 4:30 p.m.
No. 13 Carmel at No. 4 John Jay-East Fishkill, 4:30 p.m.
No. 14 Ursuline at No. 3 John Jay, 4:30 p.m.
No. 11 Yonkers at No. 6 Arlington, 4:30 p.m.
No. 10 Suffern at No. 7 North Rockland, 4:30 p.m.
No. 15 Mamaroneck at No. 2 Scarsdale, 4:30 p.m.

Tuesday, June 3
Quarterfinals

No. 9 Clarkstown North-No. 8 Arlington winner vs. Clarkstown South-No. 1 R.C. Ketcham winner, 4:30 p.m.
No. 12 Mahopac-No. 5 Yorktown winner vs. No. 13 Carmel-No. 4 John Jay-East Fishkill, 4:30 p.m.
No. 11 Yonkers-No. 6 North Rockland vs. No. 14 Ursuline-No. 3 John Jay winner, 4:30 p.m.
No. 10 Suffern-No. 7 White Plains winner vs. No. 15 Mamaroneck-No. 2 Scarsdale winner, 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, June 5
Semifinals
To be determined, at higher seed, 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, June 7
Final
Semifinal winners, at North Rockland, 2:45 p.m.

Friday, May 30
First round
Class A
No. 1 Pearl River bye
No. 9 Pelham at No. 8 Harrison, 4:30 p.m.
No. 12 Nyack at No. 5 Hen Hud, 4:30 p.m.
No. 13 Our Lady of Lourdes at No. 4 Lakeland, 4:30 p.m.
No. 14 Ardsley at No. 3 Eastchester, 4:30 p.m.
No. 11 Rye at No. 6 Sleepy Hollow, 4:30 p.m.
No. 10 Brewster at No. 7 Beacon, 4:30 p.m.
No. 2 Tappan Zee bye

Tuesday, June 3
Quarterfinals
No. 9 Pelham-No. 8 Harrison winner at No. 1 Pearl River, 4:30 p.m.
No. 12 Nyack-No. 5 Hen Hud winner vs. No. 13 Our Lady of Lourdes-No. 4. Lakeland winner, 4:30 p.m.
No. 11 Rye-No. 6 Sleepy Hollow winner vs. No. 14 Ardsley-No. 3 Eastchester winner, 4:30 p.m.
No. 10 Brewster-No. 7 Beacon winner at No. 2 Tappan Zee, 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, June 5
Semifinals
To be determined, at higher seed, 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, June 7
Final
Semifinal winners, 5:30 p.m., at North Rockland

Friday, May 30
First round
Class B
No. 1 Albertus Magnus bye
No. 9 Putnam Valley at No. 8 Hastings, 4:30 p.m.
No. 5 Westlake bye
No. 4 North Salem bye
No. 3 Kennedy bye
No. 6 Rye Neck bye
No. 10 Briarcliff at No. 7 Dover, 4:30 p.m.
No. 2 Dobbs Ferry bye

Tuesday, June 3
Quarterfinals
No. 9 Putnam Valley-No. 8 Hastings winner at No. 1 Albertus Magnus, 4:30 p.m.
No. 5 Westlake at No. 4 North Salem, 4:30 p.m.
No. 6 Rye Neck at No. 3 Kennedy, 4:30 p.m.
No. 10 Briarcliff-No. 7 Dover winner at No. 2 Dobbs Ferry, 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, June 5
Semifinals
To be determined, at higher seed, 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, June 7
Final
Semifinal winners, at North Rockland, 5:15 p.m.

Class C
No. 1 Valhalla bye
No. 3 Blind Brook at No. 2 Haldane, time and date to be determined

Saturday, June 7
Final
No. 3 Blind Brook-No. 2 Haldane winner vs. No. 1 Valhalla, 3 p.m., at North Rockland.

Posted by Tony Pinciaro on Wednesday, May 28th, 2008 at 1:05 pm | del.icio.us Digg
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Sectional seeding meeting Wednesday, 9:30 a.m.

May
27

Once I return from the sectional seeding meeting I will post the seeds and matchups on the blog.

It will be interesting to see how Class AA breaks down with the seeds. There will be some excellent first-round matchups, which commence Friday, May 30.

More to come Wednesday.

Posted by Tony Pinciaro on Tuesday, May 27th, 2008 at 11:01 pm | del.icio.us Digg
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College softball signings

May
25

The Journal News has set up a website for seniors to let us know where they will be playing next fall. Here is the address:

www.nyjnews.com/college/signings.

Posted by Tony Pinciaro on Sunday, May 25th, 2008 at 11:35 pm | del.icio.us Digg
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Sectional thoughts

May
25

With one day (Tuesday) remaining in the regular season, the sectionals have all but taken shape. The sectional seeding meeting is Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. Any outbracket games will be played Thursday with the first round in Class AA, Class A and, possibly, Class B (depending on the amount of teams entered) going Friday.

Section 1 softball chairman Tony Toronto sent the seeding criteria to me:

AA School against

Win Tie AA 4 2 A 4 2 B 4 2 C 4 2 D 4 2

A School against

AA 5 2.5 A 4 2 B 4 2 C 4 2 D 4 2

B School against

AA 6 3 A 5 2.5 B 4 2 C 4 2 D 4 2

C School against

AA 7 3.5 A 6 3 B 5 2.5 C 4 2 D 4 2 The seeding position of a team is calculated by: total number of points earned (Section 1 games only) = Section 1 index total number of Section 1 games played The highest index is the top seed in each class.

Now, don’t ask me to seed the teams because I am not sure about all of the records, however, I will project what I think will be the top four seeds.

Here we go:

Class AA:
The top four seeds will probably be John Jay-East Fishkill, R.C. Ketcham, John Jay and Scarsdale. The remainder of the Class AA field will include: Yorktown, Ursuline, Mamaroneck, Yonkers, Arlington, White Plains, Clarkstown North, North Rockland, Carmel, Mahopac, Suffern and Clarkstown South.

Final: John Jay-East Fishkill vs. Yorktown.

Class A:
The first four seeds will be Pearl River, Hen Hud, Easatcehster and Lakeland. The rest of Class A looks like this: Pelham, Brewster, Nyack, Sleepy Hollow, Harrison, Tappan Zee, Beacon, Ardsley and possibly, Our Lady of Lourdes.

Final: Pearl River vs. Hen Hud.

Class B:
The first four seeds will be: Albertus Magnus, Westlake, Dobbs Ferry and North Salem. Class B will be rounded out by Rye Neck, Kennedy, Hastings, Briarcliff and Putnam Valley.

Final: Albertus Magnus vs. Westlake.

Class C:
Three teams will vie for the title with Haldane drawing the top seed, followed by Valhalla and Blind Brook.

Final: Haldane vs. Valhalla.

I will have the sectional pairings posted Wednesday following the seeding meeting.

Posted by Tony Pinciaro on Sunday, May 25th, 2008 at 6:38 pm | del.icio.us Digg
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Pearl River 2, Suffern 0

May
23

Playing back to back games is hard but playing two games in less than 24 hours is extremely hard so I give a lot of credit to both Pearl River and Suffern getting up for this game that began at 11 a.m.

After the Pirates lost in extra innings to Arlington for their second loss of the year, the Pirates were able to get two off of Catrina Delgais to go ahead 2-0 and then win the game.

Katie Scrima pitched the game for the Pirates which I think was a pretty gutsy move because she pitched all nine innings yesterday against Arlington and she pitched one hell of a game. She allowed five hits and struck out 15. One thing that Scrima did that showed how tough she is was in the bottom of the fourth inning. She made the pitches that she had too and when the Mounties had two runners on; Scrima got a key strike out of Jess Crowley to get the second out of the inning.

Catrina battled her but off in the circle allowing one earned run, two hits, three walks and struck out nine. She was able to cool off a very hot hitting offense in the Pirates.

This was a good win for the league III-C champs especially with Sectionals coming up next week and with Eastchester coming in on Tuesday.

I have no doubt in my mind that both will make the Sectional tournament. For the Mounties, the biggest thing that could hurt them in the tournament is clutch hitting. The pitching will be there; but if they can’t get the key hit then they may have a problem against some of the other powerhouses in AA.

Posted by Debbie Schechter on Friday, May 23rd, 2008 at 5:56 pm | del.icio.us Digg
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About this blog
Tony Pinciaro and Debbie Schechter bring you all the latest news and coverage of high school softball in the Lower Hudson Valley.

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About the authors
Debbie Schechter is starting her second year at The Journal News and LoHud.com. She is a graduate of SUNY Brockport with a degree in broadcast communications. She has covered gymnastics and swimming and enjoys all sports.
Tony Pinciaro, who grew up in Silver Lake and is a 1981 Harrison High School graduate, covered the Westchester/Putnam softball beat for six years for The Journal News. This season, he will switch over and handle the Rockland beat. Tony is married with two children, Elena, 9, and Vincent, 6. When he is not covering softball this season, Tony will be cheering for Elena, who will be playing for the Storm in the Nanuet Little League Triple A softball division.

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