BY NANCY HILER
For the first time ever, there is a North Bellmore-North Merrick summer travel softball team for girls under age 8. The team was formed just two weeks before the start of the first-ever East Meadow U8 Tournament.
Although this also meant only two weeks for the North Bellmore-North Merrick team to practice together, the girls won the first three games in the tournament, which earned them top-seed status going into the elimination rounds. Despite the girls' early wins, they eventually lost in the sudden-death rounds that followed. (Seaford ultimately won the tournament.)
"No one really expected them to get this far, to do this well," Coach Marc Berkowitz said of the team, considering that the squad was hastily put together when the new tournament was announced. "It's a good experience for them," fellow Coach Kathy Reed added.
What did the young ballplayers think? "It's cool," player Taylor O'Brien concluded. "It's awesome," added teammate Elizabeth Marion.
"This is the first time we've ever had an under 8 tournament," said Janet Mangano, director of girls' softball for the tournament's sponsor, the East Meadow Baseball/Softball Association. She explained that players at this young age do not pitch yet (they will during regular season next year), so a pitching machine was used. "This makes it fast moving, fast-paced," she explained. "Almost every girl will put the ball in play."
The girls were selected by their individual coaches to play on the travel team based on their performance during regular Little League season. The players chosen to play on the team were: Elizabeth Berkowitz, Stacy Brief, Mia Cerro, Jacquelyn Geraffo, Erin Geelan, Elizabeth Marion, Josephine Marciano, Lindsey Marshall, Haley Morales, Taylor O'Brien, Robbi Reed , Jahnai Sands, Marissa Thomas, Kaitlyn Virgona and Jenna Zaretsky.
"You should be very proud of yourselves just to get to this point," Reed told them before the start of the tournament.
In all, seven area summer travel teams played in the weekend tournament, which took place Friday evening, June 22, and Saturday and Sunday, June 23 and 24. In addition to the North Bellmore-North Merrick and East Meadow teams, Levittown West, Seaford, New Hyde Park, Plainview, and Oceanside teams participated. The East Meadow league will sponsor another tournament for this age group at the end of July, and North Bellmore-North Merrick plans to organize a similar one in the fall.
"The idea is to keep them playing," East Meadow League President Carmine Mazzaro said. "The kids get a nice experience." He explained that, just as with boys' Little League baseball, girls do not usually play in summer until the age 10 and under level, since that is when eligibility for the Little League World Series at Williamsport begins.
Mazzaro added, "They would have been done now" had it not been for Spiro Christoforatos, one of the East Meadow league coordinators who put the new under age 8 travel league and tournament together.
"Girls rule!" the members of the North Bellmore-North Merrick team cheered in the dugout before they went onto the field. Judging by the looks on the faces of the coaches, the proud parents and other spectators in the bleachers -- and the girls themselves -- their motto rings true.
Comments about this story? Nhiler@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
