By:Nick Buglione
When coaches from the East Meadow Little League put together an all-star 9- and 10-year-old softball team to compete in the Williamsport tournament, they figured the girls would fair OK.
When we fist put the Williamsport team together [in June] we knew they'd at least get to the sectionals, said Steve Stromfeld, a team coach and father of player Lindsay Stromfeld.
It turns out the girls far exceeded their coaches' expectations, tearing through divisional and sectional play enroute to winning the Long Island championship and coming within inches of capturing the state crown. It's the farthest any team from the East Meadow Little League has gone in the Williamsport competition in over 50 years.
We never thought we'd get to Buffalo, said Stromfeld, where the state tournament was played the last weekend in July. It was unbelievable.
Anchored by the pitching of Lindsay McKillop and the bats of sluggers Brittany Anghel and Danielle Nici, the 12-girl team coasted to the Long Island championship, where it made short work of the defending champions from Islip.
Winning 13-6, the lopsided victory came as a bit of a surprise to team manager Glenn Carlin. Suffolk County is traditionally a softball powerhouse, said Carlin.
With the Long Island championship under their belt, the girls headed north to Buffalo to play in the state tournament, with about 45 friends and family members in tow.
By then the team had captured the hearts and minds of East Meadow residents. Parents and neighbors posted nearly 50 messages on the East Meadow softball Web site in support of the girls and visited the site throughout state tournament play to get updates on the team's progress.
The girls continued to roll in their first two games in Buffalo, shutting out LaGrange 5-0 and winning an extra inning nail-biter against Harrison.
In the latter game, the undefeated East Meadow team was down 6-4 in the seventh inning of a standard six-inning match. With the bases loaded, Danielle Nici came to the plate and clouted a bases-clearing triple.
I was trying to relax, the 10-year-old first baseman said. I kept fouling off pitches so I knew I was going to hit.
With two quick wins, it looked as though East Meadow was going to win the double-elimination tournament handily. Things took a turn for the worst, however, and the girls lost their next two to LaGrange.
We lost two tough ones, said Carlin, whose team fell to LaGrange 3-2 and 9-5. I think we were the best skilled team, we just didn't get the hits when we needed them.
The roster
Brittany Anghel, #23
Kristen Aberasturi, #7
Christine Backer, #4
Amanda Carlin, #10
Nikki Giocastro, #8
Lindsay McKillop, #1
Sam Miller, #3
Danielle Nici, #14
Taylor Penziner, #11
Keri Roark, #25
Lindsay Stromfeld, #0
Becky Syers, #5
Melissa Lombardi, #9
Glenn Carlin, manager
Jim Backer, coach
Steve Stromfeld, coach
Robert Nici, score keeper
For more information on the East Meadow softball team and pictures from the trip to Buffalo, log on to www.eastmeadowsoftball.com.
