The St. Kilian's Girls Softball team became Nassau/Suffolk CYO champions on June 18 by defeating defending champs St. Rocco's 3-1 in the final game of the season. It was a very exciting battle between the top two teams in the division as St. Rocco's jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first on three consecutive singles. However, St. Kilians ace Isabella Corrao quieted the St. Rocco's bats over the next few innings, recording 14 strikeouts in the process. St. Kilians tied the game in the fourth when Cynthia Kramer led off with a walk and dashed home on base hits by Marianne VanMeter and Christine Pica. With time running out on their season, Lauren Rumpf and Jennifer Jacobs would not give in, and led off the sixth with walks. Once again it was Christine Pica who came through with the big hit, driving in both girls to put St. Kilians ahead for good. Patient at bats, strong pitching and tight defense would rule the day as it did all year long for the young St. Kilians squad. The previous week saw the St. Kilians team defeat a very powerful OLMA team in the semi finals 13-2. Kathryn Roberto smashed a three-run homer in the first inning to set the pace early while Stephanie Ringbauer shut the OLMA offense down over seven innings.

It was a remarkable year for these girls. They showed a dedication to practice and commitment to the game not often seen in girls whose ages range from 11 to 14. The result was a season they will always remember. As they received their championship medals from CYO Director Rese Sangirardi, it would be fair to say every girl on this team contributed to the overall success. As their coaches, they will always remember Lauren LoGuidice hitting line drives, Melanie Raso beating out a bunt, Nicola DeVine sliding into home, Melissa Gelbach throwing out runners, Isabella Corrao's amazing fastball, Christine Pica's clutch hitting, Jen Jacob's grand slam, Kathryn Roberto's homeruns, Amanda Manolt blocking the plate, Molly Geary's flawless first base, Nicole Hayden coming around to score, Lauren Rumpf sliding into third, Stephanie Ringbauer coming in to save two big games on a Sunday in the middle of the season, Cynthia Kramer's doubles to leftfield and the versatility of Marianne VanMeter. In addition they will also think of Nicola, Stephanie and Marianne throwing hundreds of pitches against the wall at Howitt every Saturday under the watchful eye of Pitching Coach Michelle Eifu.

Again, the parents, coaches and players would like to thank CYO for making their season possible.