Carey wins playoff opener

Despite a sluggish finish, which saw Carey drop four of its last five regular-season games, the Lady Seahawks earned the No. 5 seed in the always competitive Nassau County Class AA softball playoffs. Carey drew No. 12 Port Washington, a team that finished with a record of 14-1 and won the Conference AA-III title.

The Lady Vikings were no match for the Carey nine, as the Lady Seahawks got timely hitting, outstanding pitching, and well-executed small ball to come away with a 5-0 home win in last Friday’s opening round.

Sophomore Jenna Turato struck out 13 batters and yielded only a fourth inning double to center fielder Sara Marinelli. Sophomore Alyssa Jacobs had a pair of hits, an RBI, and scored a run to lead the offensive attack. It was Turato’s fourth shutout of the season.

Carey got on the board early when Jacobs lined a two-out double to left center to score senior Erin Gilroy. The Lady Seahawks increased their lead to 2-0 when Gilroy scored on an error.

Port Washington, which came in riding a 13-game winning streak, had its only threat of the game in the fourth inning when it had runners on second and third with two outs. But, Turato jammed the hitter and induced a soft drive to Jacobs at third to end the inning.

Carey put the game away in the bottom of the fifth inning. Senior catcher Shannon O’Connell led off with a single to center. Turato then laid down a terrific sacrifice bunt and reached base when the throw went all the way into right field allowing O’Connell to score.

After Jacobs bunted for a single to put runners at the corners, sophomore Mikayla Morfesi continued the small-ball barrage with a perfect bunt single to bring home Turato to give the Lady Seahawks a commanding 4-0 lead. Sophomore Alyssa Petrancosta’s pinch-hit single knocked home the game’s final run.

Carey backed Turato’s sterling pitching effort with outstanding defense. Morfesi and senior first baseman Ashley Kelly made back-to-back sparklers look easy in the top of the sixth inning.  

Head coach Anthony Turco was happy with the performance. “We really haven’t hit well, so we had to play small ball,” Turco said. “We executed very well at the plate, and did a good job on the bases. The girls work really hard on hitting during the offseason, and all season long, so not getting the bats going certainly hasn’t been caused by a lack of effort.

“With Jenna pitching the way she did, a few runs was all we needed,” he added. “It was a great team effort.”

Carey’s playoff run ended the following afternoon with a 9-2 loss at No. 4 Massapequa. The Lady Seahawks, who finished 6-6 in the county’s toughest conference, had six players recognized by AA-I coaches. Turato earned All-County honors, while Jacobs and sophomore Keva Moore were named All-Conference recipients. O’Connell, senior Alissa Schurr, and Morfesi all picked up All-Division recognition.