Bulldogs Softball Gets Revenge on Mineola

After a heartbreaking loss in the season opener against Mineola, the Hewlett Bulldogs softball team united in the final three innings to even the score Friday afternoon on its home turf with an end score of 8-6.

Friday's matchup played out much like the first between the two young teams with one taking a powerful lead and the other coming back strong to pull out a win. Unlike last time, Mineola hopped onto the scoreboard first, but Hewlett left with the victory.

"We lost 8-7 in the bottom of the seventh in the season opener, so this is a big win for us," said Hewlett head coach Vinnie Lospinuso.

Both teams remained scoreless throughout the game's first two innings until Mineola's Shannon Maloney broke the silence to put the Lady Mustangs on the scoreboard.

Hewlett was still trailing behind as Mineola racked in four more runs in the top of the fifth frame.

"Christina Palmenteri had great hitting for us," Mineola head coach Melissa Skupp said.

The Lady Mustangs, confident after a great turn at bat, couldn't hold on to their lead much longer.

Nicole Rizzo blasted a three-run triple out to Mineola that changed everything. The Lady Mustang's 5-0 precedence was now diminished by the Lady Bulldogs.

By the bottom of the fifth inning, the two teams were now engaged in a heated battle with a tie score of 5-5. 

Mineola was up at bat and knew they had work to do, but Hewlett's pitcher, Mackie Sperry, didn't make it easy.

"She pitched a great game with nine strike outs," Lospinuso said.

The Lady Bulldogs carried on its streak in the bottom of the sixth inning thanks to Amy Vitha's three-run homer that bumped the score up to 8-5.

Erin Etherson's seventh inning score brought the girls of Mineola just two runs behind their opponent, but Hewlett's quickness on the field cut their quest for a comeback short. 

"The girls performed good as a whole," Skupp said of Mineola after their loss. "We were doing well but we ended up beating ourselves; some errors hurt us."

Hewlett was nothing but pleased with their performance, and hopes to continue to improve in the second half of the season.

"Our team came back," Lospinuso said. "We put together one run at a time and we scored eight runs in two innings. Our younger players are really starting to hit more."

The Hewlett Lady Bulldogs are in action again on Friday, April 29, at West Hempstead High School at 4:30 p.m.

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