New Hyde Park Girls 11/12 Softball Wins 2012 State Championship

Just days after the New Hyde Park Boys Majors Division Lttle League team , the New Hyde Park Little League Girls 11/12 Year old softball team won the New York State Little League Championship with a victory over Half Hallow Hills.

As incredible as the 10-2 thumping was, New Hyde Park won the 9/10 New York State Championship over the same team from Half Hallow Hills two years ago.

New Hyde Park will now get to play in the Little League Eastern Regional Tournament in Bristol, CT, which starts Friday July 20 with a matchup against the Maryland State Champ at 5 p.m.

New Hyde Park will also play Sunday at 11 a.m. against Delaware, Monday at 5 p.m. against New Jersey and Tuesday at 11 a.m. against Pennsylvania. After the pool play round, four of the five teams from the Mid Atlantic group will move on to the single elimination round along with four teams from the New England group. The New England group includes Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont and Maine.

The regional final game will be Friday, July 27, with the winner moving onto the Little League World Series in Portland, Oregon.

Using the fundamentals of pitching and defense, New Hyde Park was able to win the District 29, Section 5 and New York State championships using a different starting pitcher in each of the clinching games: Kayla Fitzpatrick won the District 29 Championship game, Melissa Ward and Jenny Hickey won the New York State Championship game.

Defensively during the state championship, Nicole Kuzler made a tremendous running catch in left field to take an extra base hit away from Half Hallow. In the fourth inning with the bases loaded and no outs, short stop Melissa Ward caught a line drive for the first out which was followed by a catch from second baseman Sophia Jacoby on a low line drive a throw to first to double off the runner and stop the rally. Right fielder Hannah Arkin made a pair of timely catches in the game. Playing third base, Maggie Donnelly had two assists, firing strikes to first for outs.

For the first time this year New Hyde Park did not score in the first inning but made up for it in the second and third innings. Gabby Morales led off the second with a walk to get the rally started. Hannah Arkin then singled to left which was followed by Emma Nidermaier who laid down a bunt hit to load the bases. Jenny Hickey came to bat with two outs and lined a single off the third basemen’s glove to give New Hyde Park the lead.

Melissa Ward followed with a grounder to third that could have ended the inning but Nidermaier got a great jump off second and beat the play at third to score a run and bring up catcher Ann Grimshaw who sent a shot into right center to clear the bases and give New Hyde Park a 5-0 lead.

That lead was extended in the third when Morales led off with a walk followed by a single from Sophia Jacoby. Hannah Arkin then had a bunt single to load the bases. Pinch runner Nicole Kuzler took off on a ground ball off the bat of Emma Nidermaier to beat the throw home and put New Hyde Park up 6-0. Jacoby then bolted for home on a passed ball just a few feet from home plate and slid in safe under the tag to extend the lead to seven runs.

Hickey grounded out to knock in another run while Ward knocked in another run with a hit. With Grimshaw up again and Katie Tubridy pinch ran for Ward, the catcher lined a double down the left field line scoring Tubridy who was flying around the bases to put NHP up 10-0.