New Hyde Park Softball Loses to Floral Park, 4-1

The (4-3 in non-conference play; 3-2 in conference) was defeated by Floral Park (5-3, 4-2) Monday afternoon by a score of 4-1.

Floral Park’s Sam Giovanniello dominated both on the mound and at the plate, hurling a one-run shutout with 13 strikeouts while going 3-4 at the dish with a run scored and two stolen bases.

Heroes: Opposing Giovanniello on the mound for New Hyde Park, Lisa O’Callaghan was the tough luck losing pitcher. O’Callaghan allowed four runs on seven hits while striking out five through six innings of work. She also recorded the lone run for New Hyde Park following her base hit in the top of the sixth inning.

Christina Burkey led the way on offense, smacking two hits in three plate appearances for the Gladiators.

For Floral Park, Giovanniello fanned 13 Gladiators while picking up three hits, including a triple and two stolen bases. Lindsay Epstein went 2-3 with an RBI for Floral Park.

Turning Point: After scoring another run in the bottom of the sixth to extend the lead to 4-1, Floral Park threatened to score more runs with runners on second and third and one out. Floral Park's Giovanniello flied out to Brianna Lowey who then threw out a runner at home plate to complete the inning ending double play.

New Hyde Park had an opportunity to bring the game within reach after scoring their first run during the top of the sixth but failed to scratch across more runs, stranding a runner at third base.

Quotable: When facing a tough pitcher such as Giovanniello, Rizzuti said her team needs to be more confident in their ability to make contact.

“We need to talk more on the field and be more confident in ourselves,” Rizzuti said. She urged her team throughout the game to not give up despite the dominating performance from Giovanniello.

Rizzuti pointed towards her team’s errors as one of the main reasons for the “tough” loss against New Hyde Park. She noted that the team needs to work on communication in the field while maintaining a high level of confidence even against the toughest pitchers.

Floral Park Head Coach Dan Sackman attributed his team’s success to a solid performance by his junior pitcher, Giovaniello. Sackman referred to his ace as a “special” player and does all things well in aspects of the game.

“I’m hoping we could build off a win like this,” he said. “We’re looking to get into a groove and become more consistent.”

Bottom Line: Rizzuti called Giovanniello an “excellent” pitcher and the dominant performance could serve as a learning experience for her team.

Floral Park’s pitching and defense held the New Hyde Park offense to just one run on four hits.