Carey moves into semifinals

Prior to the 2014 softball season, Carey coach Anthony Turco let it be known that his team had grown weary of being just another good one. The Lady Seahawks were looking to be among the elite in the county.

After a solid regular season, and a pair of shutouts in their first two playoff games, the Conference AB-I champions have put themselves in position to stake their claim as one of the top teams in Nassau. 

With last Saturday’s 1-0 victory over No. 9 Mineola, top-seeded Carey advanced to the semifinal round of the Class A playoffs. Junior Ruth Rodriguez drove a two-out single to right center to bring home sophomore Sam Romanello with the game’s only run in the bottom of the third inning. Pitcher Jenna Turato allowed just two hits and struck out 11.

Turco wasn’t surprised Mineola gave his team all it could handle. “When you get to this point, it’s not uncommon to face a pitcher who mixes it up and gets the batters off balance,” Turco said. “We hit a lot of balls right at them. We had opportunities to score, but their pitcher did a nice job mixing it up. I give her a lot of credit.”  

The Lady Seahawks will take on No. 4 Plainedge in the best-of-three semifinal round. Carey knocked off the Lady Devils 4-3 and 5-2 when the teams met during the regular season. Plainedge advanced with a 7-5 win over New Hyde Park.

As is often case, pitching and defense were the keys for Carey. Freshman right fielder Brianna Pinto set the tone early by tracking down a drive in the gap in the top of the first. Turato was sensational in the circle. The junior hurler allowed a pair of singles and didn’t allow a walk while registering her third shutout of the season. It was the 16th straight victory for the Lady Seahawks.

In the opening round game, No. 16 Locust Valley was completely overmatched. Romanello, who has six hits in her past 10 at bats, was 3-for-4 with a home run, triple and five RBI to lead Carey (17-2) to a 12-0 win. Turato allowed three hits and struck out nine. Sophomore Rebecca Vilchez, who has come up with big hits in big spots all season long, was 2-for-3 with two RBI. 

Carey, which has outscored opponents 114-30 during the winning streak, has received tremendous production from the top of its order. Pinto and sophomore Amanda Ulzheimer are both hitting over .400 and have been outstanding at setting the table for the middle of the order.

Turco believes his team is ready for the next step. “Plainedge hits the ball well, but so do we,” he said. “Usually it comes down to doing the little things in the playoffs; bunts, moving runners up, sacrificing, and making plays. The girls have completely bought into the team concept, and will do whatever it takes to get it done.”