Thursday, October 1, 2026
Up and down the lineup, the Plainedge softball team is reliable. Eight of its players were hitting at least .300 during its 8-1 start – all of them underclassmen.
The Red Devils could be dangerous in the Nassau Class A playoffs as their two starting pitchers, junior Savannah Speicher (.488) and sophomore Alexis Fontana (.422), are also their two top hitters for average.
“What I like most is I feel everyone in the lineup always is someone to count on,’’ Fontana said. “When someone gets up in a tough situation, it’s always like “Good, this person is up”. Everyone in our lineup can get a hit or do what we need them to do.’’
Also an outfielder, Fontana hits second in the order as a line-drive/gap hitter while Speicher hits for power. On the mound, they also have different styles.
“They have different qualifies about them,’’ Plainedge coach Danielle Fazzolare said. “Savannah has more speed and Alexis is more a movement pitcher.’’
Fontana thinks it makes for a tricky arms tandem. “As pitcher, I do well because I’m consistent in tough situations,’’ Fontana said. “I’m able to battle and not get nervous on the mound.’’
Speicher was the winning pitcher on April 22 when Plainedge avenged its season’s lone loss with a 7-3 victory over Plainview. Plainedge trails Plainview by a half-game in the race for the Conference 2 regular-season crown.
“It was a big outing,’’ Fazzolare said. “(Savannah) didn’t have a lot of strikeouts but a lot of groundballs to keep them at bay.’’
Speicher, an All-County player, also ignites the lineup. “She can hit extra bases and can hit homers,’’ Fazzolare said. “She’s consistent and knows how to hit in different situations. She’s our go-to hitter.’’
In the huge Plainview win, the power came off the bat of eighth-grader, Charlotte Welsh, who had been adjusting to varsity. Welsh belted a two-run homer to key the triumph and boost her morale. Plainview had beaten Plainedge on April 13.
The Eaton sisters are more reasons to feel heartened about softball in North Massapequa.
Junior Imogen Eaton is hitting .400 while her young sister, freshman, Kaitlyn, is batting .395. Imogen hits leadoff while Kayla hits ninth. The 9-1 combo works.
“Imogen is hot at the plate and she’s very solid as an infielder at shortstop and outfield,’’ Fazzolare said. “They’re very fast. I like having one of them behind the other (in the lineup). They make things happen on base.’’
The other .300-plus hitters are freshman Emma Ludwig (.375), junior Meghan Moore (.359), sophomore Toni Testa (.333), and junior Kayla Gately (.317.)
“I’m very excited,’’ Fontana said. “ We definitely will do really good the rest of the season based on how we’ve done.’’
The next key game is this Saturday versus Mineola and then the playoffs will come soon enough. Last season, Plainedge advanced to the second round after beating Clarke. But the Red Devils got stopped by Seaford.
“We need to have strong defense, but scoring runs is how you win games,’’ Fazzolare said. “We have good bats. We’re looking to stay consistent at the plate. We are capable of hitting well, but the key is being selective at the plate and not helping pitchers out.’’
