Massapequa begins attempt to repeat the Little League Softball World Series with a win over Middletown

BRISTOL, Connecticut — Even though the team was largely different, it was easy to tell that the Massapequa International under-12 softball team had been here before.

Thanks to a combined two-hitter from Olivia Feldman and Mia Victor – the two returning players from last year’s team that won the Little League Softball World Series – Massapequa made a clear statement with a 10-0 victory over Middletown, Delaware, in the opening game of the Mid-Atlantic Region tournament on Sunday morning at Breen Field.

Massapequa will face West Point (Pennsylvania) in the second round of the double-elimination tournament on Monday at 10 a.m.

“I said from the beginning that our team would be the most relaxed because we have two World Series winners,” manager Rich Eaton said. “Our girls knew exactly what to expect. (Feldman and Victor) did a great job of preparing the team. A lot of these other teams come here and have to figure out what it feels like.”

Feldman opened the game with a leadoff single to center and stole second base before scoring on a single to left by Victor. A two-out single to shallow right field by Charlotte Welsh brought Victor home. Welsh scored on a wild pitch to cap the first inning’s three-run lead.

“That was important because it started a comeback and motivated everyone for the rest of the game,” Victor said.

Massapequa kept the pressure on in the second inning when Marisa Dukiet scored on a single by Lexi Phillips and Sophia Evans scored on a single by Eaton’s daughter Kailyn to take a 5-0 lead.

In the third inning, Riley Erbis scored on a throw to second base after a successful steal attempt by Welsh, who in turn scored on a single by Sammi Cowan to give Massapequa a 7-0 lead.

“Taking the lead made me feel better and more confident,” Feldman said. “I just had to do my job and get the job done.”

Feldman and the Massapequa defense were outstanding. Feldman needed just 50 pitches to get through five innings in which she allowed two hits. Victor threw a hitless sixth inning to end the game. All 18 outs were made in the field, as neither Feldman nor Victor recorded a strikeout. Massapequa made just one error.

“Our defense was fantastic today,” Rich Eaton said. “If you look at the score, you might say, ‘This team can’t hit.’ No, this is a very good hitting team. We just played fantastic defense. They didn’t hit once.”

“Every time it was hit, I knew it was going to be caught,” Feldman added.

Massapequa scored three more runs in the sixth inning when Erbis scored on a single by Madison Skei, Avery Smar scored on a walk by Ava Antico with the bases loaded and Cowan scored on a single by Evans.

Pitching and defense have been Massapequa’s strengths over the past two seasons, but the depth of the lineup may be overlooked. All 12 of Massapequa’s batters reached base at least once and 10 players had a hit.

“It shows we’re a complete team,” Rich Eaton said. “When you coach a team that’s up by four or five runs, you can play flat and force them to hit the ball over their head, not leaving much room to score. Even when they hit the ball deep, Sophia Evans in center field caught it all.”

There were some familiar faces in the crowd in Massapequa: Members of last year’s World Series team, including Sienna Erker, Alexis Fontana, Jocelyn Vandenberg and Cassie Van Schuyler, sat in the stands cheering the team on.

“They are always there for us and know how to cheer us up when we’re having a bad day,” Victor said. “It’s nice to have their support.”