North Bellmore North Merrick Little League girls goes far

The girls of the North Bellmore North Merrick Little League U10 enjoyed a successful season this year.

At the local level, they beat out the Massapequa Little League and the Bellmore Merrick Little League, making them the District 31 champions. They were crowned champions of Section 4W after defeating the Floral Park and Oceanside little leagues.

The team traveled up to Rochester for the state tournament and played a couple of close games against Pine Plains and Pine Bush, with a 7-8 and 1-2 score, respectively. Though they came up short in the first two, they continued to play hard, said Coach Michael Rut. They finished out with a big win against Smithtown Little League, 12-2, placing them in the semifinals.

On July 25, the team lost to Mid Island.

“The girls had made it from starting off playing a neighboring town to being in the top four best teams of New York State,” Rut said. “Even though the team lost in the semi-finals, the girls played a great game and never game up. I was proud to be part of this team with these great girls who not only play for fun, but you can see they all truly love the game.”

“We have had the opportunity to coach a majority of these girls since they started in Little League about five to six years ago,” said Coach Robert Fink. “Watching them grow in this sport and make the progress they have during this timeframe has been amazing. The coaching staff couldn’t be prouder of all their hard work, dedication and achievements along the way. This is only the beginning for these girls and we can’t wait to see what the future brings.”

Players included Emma Pulliza; Emily Stein; Josie Matz; Vanessa Delutri; Sofia Costalas; Kaitlyn Ciuffo; Ava Fink; Liz Heine; Bree McGovern; Mackenzie Rut; Emma Kearney and Laci Linekin.