Port Washington Softball Defeats Great Neck North

The Port Washington softball team defeated Great Neck North on Saturday, 12-9, in a non-conference game at Great Neck. The Vikings now stand at 3-6 overall.

From the very beginning of the game, Port Washington took control. Janice Havasty hit an impressive three-run home run in the first inning.  Soon after that, Port Washington loaded the bases and scored more runs.  In almost the blink of an eye, Great Neck North was down 8-0.

Going into the second inning, the game appeared to be a possible blow out. However, Great Neck North scored six runs, making the game a now more interesting 8-6.  Port Washington scored two more runs in the third inning, one by Sara Marinelli and the other by Havasty. Jackie Avila also hit a double, and Kirsten Peterson caught a key long fly ball, preventing Great Neck North from scoring.

Great Neck North got two more runs in the fourth inning, but Port Washington stuck back with a run in the fifth inning, making the score 11-8.  It was push and pull with both teams, however the deficit that Great Neck North started with was too much for them to handle.  Port Washington's pitcher, Sara Marinelli, went 3-5 at the plate, and had three RBIs.  On top of that, relief pitcher Alex Caprariello struck out eight in the final three innings.

With the game ending at 12-9, it was the first win for Port Washington since their 3-1 victory against Great Neck South on April 7.  They will now face Uniondale on Monday, whom they last defeated on March 29, 10-2.

Heroes:  The hero of the game was Janice Havasty, who hit a three-run home run in the first inning.  Taking a hold from the start, it quickly established the foundation of their victory.

Turning Point: With the score 8-0 after the first inning, there was some uncertainty that Great Neck North had any chance of winning.  However, when Great Neck North scored six runs in the second inning, and prevented Port Washington from scoring anymore in that inning, it appeared the team wasn't going down without a fight.

Quotable: "Fortunately we took control of the game in the very beginning, and held onto it," Port Washington coach Eric Sutz said. "I was very happy with our defense today, however we're still a bit slow coming out of the gate, and still make unforced errors. We're just going to keep doing our best."

Bottom Line: Both teams were evenly matched. However, fortune was on Port Washington's side with their 8-0 lead in the first inning.  Having enough of a lead over Great Neck North, Port Washington just had to focus on defense for most of the game.

What's Next:  Port Washington will play Uniondale on Monday, and Lynbrook on Thursday for a non-conference game.