New Hyde Park Girls 11/12 Softball Wins Section 5 Championship

For the second year in a row the New Hyde Park Little League battled South Shore Little League at South Shore field for the Section 5 Championship.

In 2011, New Hyde Park managed come from behind fashion to take the title. This year would be different as the team jumped out to a 6-0 lead, holding it through five innings before allowing a run.

South Shore scored 4 runs in the bottom of the fifth, putting the tying runs on in the last inning. However, pitcher Melissa Ward was able to shut down the rally to get the win. Ward pitched a complete game, striking out 6 in her outing.

Catcher Ann Grimshaw contributed 2 hits offensively, but shined behind the plate from the very beginning, picking off a South Shore runner at third with the bases loaded in the first inning after firing a strike to thirdbasemen Maggie Donnelly.

New Hyde Park had excellent defensive plays from shortstop Jenny Hickey and second basemen Sophia Jacoby. In the fifth, with South Shore making their comeback, centerfielder Emma Nidermaier threw a strike to Ward on the mound who relayed to catcher Grimshaw to get the runner at the plate.

On offense New Hyde Park’s Jenny Hickey had  a pair of RBI singles for while Ward added an RBI double and Nidermaier had 2 singles. Hannah Arkin stroked a single up the middle leading off the second inning then came around to score a run. Nicole Kuzler lined a single into right center leading off the fourth inning then came around to score the fifth New Hyde Park run.

New Hyde Park now moves on to the New York State Tournament in Stony Point, NY. The winner of that tournament moves to the Little League Eastern Region tournament in Bristol, CT.