When we left you last, the Lady Bulldogs were celebrating. After a thrilling 10 inning victory over North Shore, the girls were ready for #3 seed Garden City, the game being held at Cantiague Park in Hicksville. A beautiful day and lots of fans made them ready to go.

In the first inning, the Lady Dawgs jumped out to a 1-0 lead behind leadoff hitter Stacey Rooks single and stolen base, she was brought in by a fielder's choice hit by senior Nicola Viggiano. Then Jamie Pietrantoni took over for the next five innings, striking out seven until that point. But, a crucial fielding error allowed Garden City to tie the score at 1 in the top of the fifth.

Once again to extra innings they went. With the score tied at 2 going into the 11th inning, the girls just ran out of gas. Garden City scored twice, the Lady Dawgs didn't. Final score Garden City 4 Island Trees 2, a real heartbreaker. As they felt the thrill of victory last week against North Shore, they now knew the agony of defeat.

Pietrantoni finished the game with 14 strikeouts, one walk and eight hits. Her amazing season total of K's is 252. Her ERA was a stingy 1.020 in 151 innings. The team's final record stands at 17 wins 5 losses, not too shabby.

Finally, Coach Young and Coach Logan would like to thank all of the girls and their families for a terrific season. They are looking forward to another great season next year.

Break up the Dawgs. The eighth grade baseball team won their second straight game with an 8-5 decision over powerful Howitt. Herbert Reyes tossed a complete game 3-hitter, striking out 9, while allowing no earned runs to ensure the victory. Chris Hoebeler played huge as he stroked a double and a triple, while also gunning out a runner at third. RBI singles by Lou Groner and John Zarrelli put the Dawgs up early. With the Bulldogs up by one in the sixth, John Rerecich made a spectacular diving catch in center to snuff a Howitt comeback. The Dawgs iced the victory in the seventh on a clutch single by Zack Strauss and double by Chauncey Garcia scoring Dennis Ezzo and Rob Giovi. The team looks to extend its winning streak against Woodland next.

The eighth grade baseball team continued its torrid pace against always tough Woodland. Dennis Ezzo's leadoff triple got the Dawgs rolling as Rob Giovi drove him in with the game's first run. The double play combination, Zarrelli to Garcia to Ezzo got the team out of trouble in the bottom of the first and headed to their best defensive game of the year. Giovi belted a solo home run in the 3rd, followed by a Chauncey Garcia double. Garcia stole third and scored on a RBI ground out by Herberrt Reyes. Reyes once again was brilliant in going the distance, scattering six hits while striking out seven and allowing two runs, one earned. With the tying run at third and the winning run at first in the bottom of the seventh, John Zarrelli made a miraculous diving catch behind third base to end the game and give the Bulldogs their third consecutive victory.

The eighth grade baseball team concluded a remarkable season with a tremendous effort against one of the county's elite programs. Massapequa scored four unearned runs early against John Zarrelli, who then proceeded to shut the Chiefs down completely with a brilliant pitching performance. The Bulldogs cut the deficit to two as Zarrelli and John Rerecich scored on a clutch Lou Groner two out double. Seventh inning singles by Chauncey Garcia and Zach Strauss brought the winning run to the plate, but the Dawgs just fell short. Coach Savin was extremely pleased with the way this group improved with each and every game.

The I.T. Middle School lacrosse team continued its winning ways by beating Bethpage 9-1. Mike Rossi led all scorers with four goals and an assist. Paul Wigdzinski added two goals and one assist. Justin O'Donnell, T.J. Young and Brian Bennetti each added a goal. As usual, the three goalies, Matt Fiorello, J.C. Stellakis and Paul Caffrey were outstanding.

The lacrosse team continued its winning streak by beating a strong Hicksville team 9-8 in a hotly contested game. Paul Wigdzinski scored the winner with 15 seconds left on a perfect feed from Mike Rossi. Rossi stole the ball at midfield and hit the open Wigdzinski who put a bounce shot in the upper corner for the win. Wigdzinski finished up with four goals, while Rossi had two goals and three assists. Mike Garger, Kevin McGovern and T.J. Young each contributed a goal. Joe McCauley added two assists. Coach Rose and Coach Connell would like to thank the team for a great season.

The girls eighth grade softball team played a great last game against Grand Avenue, winning 9-8. Tasha Weinmann and Kim Kapica did an excellent job pitching. Jen Grella played a fantastic game as usual. Heather Rooks, Candace Grosser, Rebecca Santoriello, Erin Carroll and Lauren Sauer also made great plays.

The seventh grade softball team lost a tough match against Woodland. Nikki Pena pitched a complete game, striking out six batters. Shannon McAdam, Laura Zummo and Lisa Provenzano each had a hit, a RBI, and a run scored. Amanda Green, Samantha Miller, Mary Seremeta, Danielle Baglivo and Nikki Pena contributed excellent defensive play. It was the girls last game of the season and they are all looking forward to next year.

The track team finished the season with a fine performance at Wantagh. In the 55 hurdles, Stefani Caminiti took 1st, Lauren Curran 2nd and Chelsea Marciano 3rd. In the boys, Ken Spicer took 1st, Matt Lucia 2nd and Adam Macaluso 3rd. In the 800m Kerri Spiess took 2nd. In the 55, Melanie Hallas finished 2nd and Stefani Caminiti 3rd. Donald Klang took 3rd in the boys. In the 200m, Lauren Curran finished 2nd and Chelsea Marciano 3rd. In the high jump, Chelsea Marciano took 1st and Angela Barea 2nd. Donald Klang took 3rd in the boys.