Bats spark West Hempstead

Staring down the barrel of a third straight loss against Nassau Conference A-III softball rivals, West Hempstead got the bats going in a big way in the bottom of the sixth inning against Mineola to earn an 11-2 victory April 4. 

All of the runs for the Lady Rams (3-5 overall, 1-2 in conference play) came in their final at-bat. Junior Rebecca Ruggiano singled, tripled and drove in three runs in the inning and junior Lisa Nappi, who hit safely for an eighth consecutive game, swatted a two-run double for a 6-2 lead. Junior pitcher Paige Bettineschi was masterful in the circle, allowing one hit while striking out seven.

“We had been struggling to find clutch hits,” West Hempstead coach Chris Van Kovics said. “It was nice to break out the bats. Hopefully it’s a game we can build on.”

Last spring, the Lady Rams won a conference championship and qualified for the Class A playoffs. This year, Van Kovics said a return to the postseason is on their radar despite a junior-led roster. “Three out of seven teams in our conference make the playoffs,” he said. “We’re shooting for it. Most years it comes down to pitching and defense. We can’t kick the ball around and give teams extra outs.”

Bettineschi comes off an All-Conference campaign and will see the majority of work in the pitching circle. She throws an assortment of pitches and makes hitters earn their way on base. “She’s doing a nice job,” Van Kovics said. “She keeps us from allowing big innings.” The coach said he may call upon junior Laura Boehm to protect leads in close games. Boehm, who also plays first base, has a different throwing motion than Bettineschi and features a fastball with zip.