North Bellmore-North Merrick U-12 Softball Collects District Title

The following comes from the North Bellmore-North Merrick Little League.

The North Bellmore-North Merrick Little League U-12 softball team
swept the District 31 Williamsport Tournament recently, earning them the district title in the process.

It is the third district title for the North Bellmore-North Merrick Little League in the last two weeks.

Behind the outstanding pitching of three complete games by Marissa Thomas -- 15 innings and 22 strikeouts -- and a strong defense, the team went undefeated in the tournament.

The infield went errorless in the tournament. The infield consisted of Thomas on the mound, Samantha Arcese at catcher, Erin Pfundstein at first base, Stephanie Burns at second base, Elizabeth Berkowitz at short stop, and Mackayla Brown and Julia Testagrose at third base.

Outfielders Sophie Ulanoff and Rachel Caridi in right, Rachel Pincus and Katherine Galgano in center, and Jamie McGovern and Kerri Donlon in left also played flawlessly.

Highlights of the championship game included three inning-ending double plays.

The defense, combined with the timely hitting of Berkowitz, who batted .667, Thomas, who batted .625, and Arcese, who batted .500 allowed the team to outscore their opponents 30-4 in the tournament.