West Hempstead part of new-look conference

Competing in Nassau’s most diverse softball conference featuring three Class AA and B teams and a couple from Class A, West Hempstead managed to win two of its first six games.

The Rams, competing in Class B for the first time, are navigating a condensed 14-game schedule with only a dozen on the roster, half of which are sophomores. Left fielder Deanna Palermo, in her fourth varsity season, is their lone senior.

“Our numbers are still down and pretty concerning at the middle school level,” coach Chris Van Kovics said. “A lot of programs are without a JV. The girls are putting the work in. It’s our first year in Class B and we have Oyster Bay and Locust Valley in our conference. Those are the teams we’re most concerned with.”

West Hempstead defeated Oyster Bay, 15-13, on May 10 to snap a three-game slide. The Rams scored in all but one inning, including an eight-run outburst in the bottom of the third to turn a 6-2 deficit into a 10-6 lead. They took a 15-9 lead into the seventh and held on. Junior catcher Joey Axel doubled and tripled and knocked in a pair of runs and scored twice. Junior Isabella Torres pitched three innings in relief to earn the victory and fanned five batters in the process.

Torres is getting some work in the circle and has performed well in relief of junior Jennie Axel, who handles the bulk of the pitching. Axel picked up the win in a season-opening 22-10 decision over Manhasset that saw Palermo smack a grand slam in the bottom of the fifth.

Palermo has homered and tripled multiple times through six games while providing steady defense in left. She was a regular in the lineup as a sophomore in 2019, either as an outfielder or designated hitter, Van Kovics said.

Kayla Pendergast, one of a handful of promising sophomores in the program, had a memorable opener with two home runs, five RBIs and five runs scored. The starting shortstop hit two more dingers over the next five games giving her the team lead with four. “She’s really quick and hits with pop,” Van Kovics said. “She’s usually in the third or fourth spot in the order.”

At times, the Rams have fielded an all-sophomore infield with Ashlee Boodoo at first base, Emma Shinsato at second and Samantha Mitchell at third. Mitchell turned a nifty double play in a hard-fought 8-6 loss to conference-leading South Side on May 11. Boodoo is a lefty slap hitter who cracked the varsity lineup as an eighth-grader two years ago. Shinsato also sees some work in the outfield.

The Rams will face each Conference 4 opponent twice, including Class AA programs Baldwin, Port Washington and Herricks. “We’re facing some teams we’ve never played,” Van Kovics said. Come playoff time in a few weeks, only Oyster Bay and Locust Valley, along with Carle Place and Malverne, will be on the radar.