Hills West Softball Season Ends in a Heartbreaker

In blackjack, 21 is the ultimate goal. In Suffolk County softball, it will only take you so far.

Hills West fell short of win number 22 on the season, losing to West Babylon 6-5 in eight innings in the quarterfinals of the AA tournament. West Babylon will go on to face Deer Park in the semis.

It was a tough way for the season to end, as the Colts rallied from 5-0 down to tie it, only to see the Eagles' Melissa Frederick double home Jessica Peace in the extra frame. Peace had walked and gone all the way to third on a sacrifice bunt as no one was covering the base. The mental lapse was the culmination of a shaky day in the field for the Colts.

West Babylon scored three times in the fifth, largely due to miscues in the field. With a runner on first, second baseman Jackie Frandolig couldn't handle pitcher Alyssa Bitsimis' throw for the force, and Alexa Goebel's sacrifice became a bunt single as no one was on first to take the throw. 

With the bases loaded, Bitsimis got Deanna Lacerra to ground into a 4-2 forceout, and seemed to get exactly what she needed again when Shannon Clancy hit a comebacker to the mound, but Bitsimis' throw home was off the mark, allowing two runs to score. Peace followed with an RBI single to make it 5-0.

The Colts woke up at the plate in the fifth. Melissa Kelly drew a bases loaded walk for a run, and DH Francesca Casalino's hit scored another. Morgan Hughes scored a wild pitch, and the Hills' fans rose to their feet as Diana Kontos drove one deep to left. The Eagles' Kelly Redmond made a great running catch as Kelly tagged up and scored, while preventing an even bigger inning.

With three outs left in their season, the Colts tied it as Casalino walked, Kontos singled pinch runner Jessica Jacobs to third, and Jessica Kleet's sac-fly scored her. A groundout moved Kontos to third, but the winning run stayed right there as Taylor Webb struck out Nicole Crispi, and the game went into extras.

"She's one of the toughest pitchers in the county, fourth, fifth inning she started losing it a little bit, we took advantage and got some nice hits," Colts coach Rob Rizzo said. "If [Kontos'] ball drops in it's a different game."

Hughes drew a two out walk in the eighth, but there would not be another rally as Webb got Kelly looking at strike three to end the Colts' season.

It was a painful loss, especially for outfielder Ashley Nostramo, who tried to score on a rundown in the sixth, and banged her head on the dirt upon being tagged out. She was down for several minutes before being helped off the field with what Rizzo called a case of whiplash.

Nostramo will be fine, and according to her coach, so will the Colts, despite seeing their season end in excruciating fashion.

"It's a year that's been terrific, this program's never seen 20 wins in a year and we did that," Rizzo said. "You're sad to see it over but it was such a great year with these girls, we showed up, it just wasn't in the cards for us."