Seaford Softball Advances to Semis with Dramatic Win Over Clarke

The softball team is peaking at the right time,

After a 3-5 start left the Lady Vikings near the bottom of its league standings, Seaford has not lost since and that momentum continued yesterday with a dramatic 3-2 home win over Clarke in the Class A Quarterfinals.

In a pitcher’s duel where runs were hard to come by, Courtney Carbone sent the Vikings to the Class A semifinals when with the scored tied 2-2 she delivered a bases loaded infield single in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Third-seeded Seaford now advances to the Class A semifinals where it will face second-seeded Island Trees this Thursday.

“We had a terrible record in the beginning because we only have two seniors and a lot of kids had to grow into their positions,” said Seaford head coach Rob Perpall of his team’s dramatic turnaround. “You can’t give the kids confidence, they’ve got to get the experience and get the experience and realize they can do it and it takes times.”

Clarke had tied the game during the top of the seventh inning when Aly Smith delivered a two-run inside the park home run when the Vikings were one out away from clinching the victory.

“Aly has been hitting the ball hard in the postseason the entire time and it was just a matter of time before she got the big hit,” said Clarke head coach Chrissy DeMott.

A major reason for Seaford’s climb to the Class A semifinals has been pitcher Lindsay Montemarano, who delivered both on the mound and at the plate against Clarke. Montemarano fired a five-hitter and gave Seaford the lead when she drew a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the fifth inning that scored Hannah Spinola to break a scoreless tie.

After Montemarano’s RBI on a bases loaded walk, shortstop Victoria Wink gave Seaford some insurance with a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Nicole Nulty.

“[Montemarano and Wink] are both outstanding future college players and they are the ones we count on,” said Perpall.

Seaford’s hitters were held in check for most of the game thanks to dominance delivered in the circle by Clarke seventh grader Sarah Cornell, who recorded 12 strikeouts to the 15 hitters she faced. Brooke Wood relieved Cornell in the seventh inning.

Despite having their season end in heartbreaking fashion, Coach DeMott was proud of the way her team fought this season, which included bouncing back from a six-game losing streak to make the playoffs. “They tried until the end and didn’t give up,” she said.

First pitch for the Seaford-Island Trees game in the Class A semifinals is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Thursday at Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale.