Farmingdale softball, under the direction and hard work of Joe Bosello, continued to support the girls in their league. Farmingdale Baseball and Infinity Building Supplies sponsored a team to compete in the East Meadow fast pitch tournament this summer.

The tournament was a great experience for the girls even though we were overpowered by communities that have been playing windmill for at least six years in their town programs. The girls on this team faced windmill pitching from speeds of 40 to over 50 mph. This team showed their desire to play and realized this was a good experience to prepare for their futures in fast pitch softball. We all realized work needs to be done and that fast pitch softball is exciting and worthwhile to participate in.

We would like to express appreciation to Coach Lauren Schwartzberg in the Farmingdale School District Softball Program. She attended a double header, coached third base, and directed the girls in all aspects of the game.

Pitching fast pitch (windmill) for the first time were 13-years-olds Andrea Edling, Jackie Farrigan and Amy Donnolo. Andrea began the pitching rotation. Her pitching continued to improve throughout the tournament. Up at the plate she was not afraid to swing the bat. Jackie Farrigan showed her speed and control which continued to improve. Amy Donnolo also stepped up into a tough spot and demonstrated her ability to pitch. Behind the plate were Megan Ficken and Melanie Defalco who began throwing the ball to the bases and tagging out girls trying to steal home. They mentored the pitchers. Melanie Defalco made a great play at third base tagging out a runner trying to steal home from a Megan Ficken throw. Melanie also had big clutch hitting and many RBIs.

Playing a solid first base and scooping up the ball consistently was Kelly Murphy. She also demonstrated the ability to come up with big hits. She was aggressive on the bases. At second base, Samantha Vitale consistently knocked down grounders, making plays to first. She was big with backing up second base for steals. She was able to get on base, steal, and score runs. At shortstop, Amy Donnolo came up with big plays in the field, got on base, and showed her speed. Alicia Ferraro was split between short stop, third, and also center field. She made big plays and was very aggressive at the plate. Speed again on the bases with aggressive running. Third was also played by Jackie Farrigan who came up with big plays to first, showing her throwing ability. She, too, came up with hits and got on base. She also played left field and had the strongest arm from the outfield. Also in left field Angela Battaglia showed a strong arm and at the plate was very aggressive. She, too, had speed on the bases. In center field, Frances Cortez caught fly balls, showed a strong arm and knew where to be. She had a huge hit, a clean homerun against East Meadow that sparked a four-run rally. Jackie Montanaro was also in center and right field. Jackie was able to hit against all the pitching that she faced. In our first game she was a big reason for the 13 runs that we scored. She also made big plays in the outfield. Megan Ficken also spent some time in center where she was aggressive to ball. At the plate she, too, continued to improve hitting. In right field Michelle Garner showed a strong sense backing up first base on throws by the catcher and was smart up at the plate.

The team wishes to thank Joe Bosello for all his work in making this happen for the girls in the Farmingdale community.