The Lady Daler's Varsity Softball Program under the direction of Coach Laura (Lundy) Malone and Coach Brandon Oppenheim moved up to the higher conference AA-II this year after stellar play for the last two seasons. In 2007, besides winning the conference, they also won the New York State Scholar Athlete Championship. The top GPA's included: Patricia Modena, Kim Chodkowski, Samantha Kolver, Alicia Ferraro, Nicole Sottile, Becky Seepersad, Stephanie Ringbauer, Ashley Vitale, Danielle Dialto, and Kelly Ann Keenan.

The 2008 Dalers are off to a great start. Behind the pitching of Stephanie Ringbauer and the catching of Kelly Ann Keenan, these young ladies put forth an outstanding effort against Massapequa, winning 1-0. It is the first time the Varsity Dalers have beaten Massapequa in nine years. Stephanie Ringbauer pitched eight innings, struck out six, and gave up only three hits. Catcher Kelly Ann Keenan threw out three runners during the game. The infield consisted of: Nicole Sottile at first, Samantha Vitale at second, Becky Seepersad at short, and third was Ashley Vitale, who all made excellent plays. The outfield: Arielle Horneodo in left, Jen Mextorf in center, and Danielle Dialto in right made some great catches on hard hit balls. The score was tied 0-0 going into the eighth inning when Danielle Dialto walked, advanced to second from Arielle Horneodo's grounder. With two outs, Samantha Vitale's shot to right field scored Danielle Dialto who flew home. Pitcher Stephanie Ringbauer kept her concentration in the bottom of the eighth, and with a strong defense behind her, the Daler's held onto the 1-0 win.

There next match up was against Calhoun. The Dalers pulled out a 9-5 win. Stephanie Ringbauer was on the mound for the win after pitching five solid innings. Nicola Devine pitched in relief, who made a great catch on a liner hit right back to her. Kelly Ann Keenan again threw out some runners trying to steal with Becky Seepersad making the tags. Arielle Horneodo demonstrated her ability to get on base and her unbelievable speed that was key to many runs. Samantha Vitale had two singles that produced three RBIs and a perfect on base percentage. Jen Mextorf in centerfield made some big catches on hard hit balls and nailed a big single for an RBI. Nicole Sottile was sharp at first and had a hot bat that landed her a double and an RBI. Ariedy Marquez had some hard hits for two RBIs as the DH. Ashley Vitale made tough plays from third and produced a RBI from her hard hit singles. Amy Donollo showed her speed on the bases for steals. Alicia Ferraro had a nice shot into the outfield for a base hit. Kelly Murphy contributed at first base, making a terrific grab for an out. Samantha Kolver got the call in right.

The next day was against Bellmore JFK. The Daler's lost 7-2 on a day where the wind played a factor. The Dalers left eight on base. Ashley Vitale produced a two-out bases loaded single for two RBIs. Kelly Murphy made a terrific play from first, getting a runner trying to score from third in a run down between catcher Kelly Ann Keenan and Ashley Vitale, who made the tag for the out at third. Danielle Dialto made some spectacular catches in right field as the wind was taking the ball all over. Offensively they had their opportunities but they just could not capitalize.

From their first week of play in a tougher Conference this year, the Dalers started the season with two wins and one loss. The softball program is making a statement that they can compete against the well-known softball teams in Nassau County.