By TONY BELLISSIMO
The Lady Mules have won six of 15 games this spring and gave Conference ABC-IV-leading Cold Spring Harbor fits in each of two meetings.
“We’ve taken a considerable step forward,” coach Jen Gibbons said. “We’re more competitive in games and winning our share. We also have a JV for the first time in the eight years I’m working in the district, so it’s nice that kids don’t have to go from the middle school team to varsity. Things are moving in the right direction.”
Poor weather conditions has put a strain on the scheduling and forced many teams to plan a doubleheader, but Malverne should be as prepared to handle the overload as anyone. That’s because Gibbons has three capable pitchers to choose from in juniors Ashley Simos, Vittoria Sforza and Nicole Puma. “I’m comfortable with any one of them pitching,” Gibbons said. “The best thing about having three pitchers is nobody will burn out. They’re all great defensively.”
Simos plays first base when she’s not in the circle, Sforza at shortstop and Puma primarily at third base. They’re also counted on to provide offense. Simos has three years of pitching experience and already has four wins this spring, including a pair against Westbury. Puma beat Roosevelt, and Sforza gave Cold Spring Harbor all it could handle in a recent setback.
Handling the staff is sophomore catcher Desiree Figueroa, who has shown a great deal of improvement from last year when she was used as a designated hitter but didn’t work much behind the plate. Juniors Dana Manza and Briggette Villegas are sharing time at second base and sparking the offense from the leadoff spot, and senior Melanie Wade plays whichever infield corner position has a need due to the pitching rotation. Wade, a four-year varsity performer, leads the Lady Mules in RBI. The outfield is filled by junior Rachel Wakeford in center, seniors Julie Gundersen and Patrice Cummings, and sophomore Sarah St. John.
“We’ve been pretty solid with the bats,” Gibbons said. “We’re more aggressive on the bases than we used to be.”
Simos and Wade have come up with some of the biggest hits of the season so far. Simos hit a walk-off grand slam to beat Westbury, 12-8, on April 4, and Wade’s two-run triple in the top of the seventh beat the Green Dragons 10-8 on April 24. Wade and Wakeford hit home runs in a blowout victory over Roosevelt on April 30, and Puma (five RBIs, three-hit pitching performance) did it all in a convincing win over the Rough Riders a week earlier.
“The girls believe in themselves,” Gibbons said. “I don’t think there’s a team in the conference we can’t beat.”
As long as the skies cooperate, Malverne will conclude its season with home-and-home games against Jericho. The Lady Mules will be home on Thursday before hitting the road for Friday’s finale. The start time for both is 4:30 p.m.
Comments about this story? TBellissimo@
liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
