Lady Colts gaining confidence

Even consecutive Conference AA-II losses cannot dampen the spirits or lessen the success Calhoun has already had on the softball field in 2012. The Lady Colts (4-6 overall, 4-5 in conference play) have already ripped off a pair of big rallies in their last at bat and nearly became the first team to hand the defending Nassau Class AA champions, Farmingdale, its first defeat, falling one run shy in early April.

Hicksville, one of two opponents the Lady Colts had previously stunned with a late comeback, won the rematch, 7-3, last Saturday behind 11 strikeouts from pitcher Ashley Longo. In the top of the sixth, Calhoun got the first two hitters on base before Longo settled into a groove and struck out the next three batters. The only blemish for Longo was the two-run homer by freshman Lauren Trimarco that cleared the outfield fence. “They had a couple of base hits against the fence,” Calhoun coach Jason Boland said of the Lady Comets. “We didn’t have the same timely hitting that we did [in the first game].”

The teams also met on April 9, and despite entering the bottom of the seventh trailing by five runs, the Lady Colts rallied for six capped by a three-run double from freshman Allison Abbene, to walk away with a 10-9 win. Sophomore Lauren Savarese blasted a three-run homer earlier in the inning. “We lost two close games early but then we won a couple with comebacks and that showed our true character,” Boland said.

That win was followed up by an equally stunning, 16-15, win over Baldwin on April 11, that featured a five-run rally to tie the game in the bottom of the 10th and two more runs in the 11th. Freshman Joanna Marmo, who leads Calhoun with three home runs and hit a grand slam earlier in the game, drove in the winning run without even having to make contact. She drew a bases-loaded walk that scored Trimarco. The seeds for the two comeback wins had been planted just days earlier in a loss to the defending county champs, who scored five in the seventh to take a 7-6 decision on April 4. “We learned how important it is to close out a game and how tough those last few outs are,” Boland said.

Led by a nucleus of juniors Gianna Saladino and Marisa Marcigliano — who cut down a run at the plate last Saturday by absorbing a big hit and holding onto the ball — as well as Trimarco, Abbene, Marmo and eighth-grade pitcher Nicole Imhof, each win represents a jump in confidence that Boland hopes will resonate over the long-term. “Regardless of where we end up I think it’s such a great thing for the girls to get a taste of what it’s like to be in the playoff hunt,” Boland said.

The Lady Colts host Port Washington on Friday with the first pitch scheduled for 4:45 p.m.