By STEVE SINISKI
Senior Pitcher Danielle Iovino continues to rack up swings and misses from opposing hitters and has helped lead the Lady Rams to a 4-2 start in League II-Conference II play.
She dabbled with a perfect game through four innings of last Friday¹s 11-4 victory over West Hempstead and allowed only an infield single in the fifth inning. ³She¹s working her pitches a lot more and her curves spinning nicely,² coach Chrissy DeMott said of her ace, who¹s developed a five-pitch repertoire to choose from. ³And her walks are down a lot from last year.²
Through the first eight games overall, Iovino pitched 51 innings, allowed only 28 hits and 20 walks while striking out 79 batters. Her earned run average is a minuscule 0.69, and she tallied 33 strikeouts during the three-game win streak that included a 3-1 win over Carey last Thursday and a 9-1 thumping of Division on April 18. ³It¹s great,² DeMott said. ³I¹ve seen that we¹ve been able to put runs on the board, and [Iovinos] not allowing hits. I feel confident that with two or three runs well be able to win.
In jumping out to a quick start in league play, the Lady Rams have benefited from a well-rounded offense that features five players batting better than .350. Emilia Minischetti kick starts the offense from the leadoff spot and currently sports a .375 batting average. Jessie Ford handles the bat as well as the hot corner and owns a .350 average with five runs batted in through eight games, while shortstop Molly McCloud was at .357 with three RBIs. Second baseman Meghan Sundberg has some pop and has drilled a pair of triples to go along with her .350 average, and the Lady Rams are led by the bat of Iovino, their No. 3 hitter who¹s hitting at a .409 clip. No. 6 hitter Molly Karcher paces the team in RBIs with eight. Cleanup hitter Shannon Vezante and Angela Carmine have also made contributions in the batting order.
³I think [the confidence] is at an all-time high, DeMott said. ³They¹re always loud and into the game. And when you want to be there it shows.²
Sophomore catcher Halie Mogavero has become comfortable on the defensive end of the field, and she¹s beginning to demonstrate how strong her arm is by picking off runners at first base and throwing others out as they attempt to steal second. With six league games now in the books, Clarke is beginning to look stronger in the field and the experience on the infield is fast becoming a strength. ³We¹ve had a lot of errors made in the field but we¹ve cut down on them the last week,² DeMott said. ³They¹re trusting their skills.²
The Lady Rams are at Plainedge on Friday for a 4:45 p.m. start, followed by a home game with North Shore on Monday at 4:30 p.m. They then host Carle Place on May 2, at 4:30 p.m.
