Miller Place softball back-to-back Long Island champions
By Bill Landon
The Miller Place Panthers softball team made it look easy with a 3-0 shutout win over Nassau champion Mineola at Farmingdale State College to capture their second consecutive Long Island Class A championship on June 5.
Whether it was Breya Kesler’s two-out double to drive in two runs in the top of the third or Sadie Bryant’s RBI in the top of the sixth, the Panthers executed both on the field and behind the plate to hold Mineola scoreless. Pitching ace Ave Zicchinelli allowed just one hit.
Zicchinelli, a senior, fanned eight batters to propel the Panthers for the second year in a row to the New York State regional final against Marlboro Central (section IX), on Sunday June 8 at the Martha Ave sports complex in Bellport. The win advanced the Panthers to the semi-final round on Tuesday where they made short work of Bayport-Blue Point with a 7-1 victory behind another stellar performance from Zicchinelli, who pitched a no hitter and fanned 13 batters.
The win propels the Panthers to the Suffolk Class A championship game on June 14 where they will face either Kings Park or a Bayport-Blue Point. First pitch is slated for 10:00 a.m.
–Photos by Bill Landon
