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By Joseph Staszewski
Brooklyn Daily
Nicolette Trapani may have to wait to pitch her first no hitter, but a shut out win over league power St. Francis Prep was solace enough.
The victory pushed Fontbonne Hall into a tie for first place in the league.
Still Trapani admitted she was mad walking back to the dugout after the sixth, when the inning’s second batter, Danielle Cervasio, had laid down a perfectly placed bunt single in front of home for the game’s first hit. Tara O’Rourke singled right afterwards, but that was all St. Francis would get out of Trapani.
“I was very happy with the way I pitched today,” she said.
The junior ace allowed just two hits, struck out 11 and walked three to lead Fontbonne to a 7–0 win over the host Terriers at Cunningham Park in Brooklyn-Queens softball on Friday. The win was the first over St. Francis Prep in coach Frank Marinello’s 13-year tenure.
“These kids are locked in,” Marinello said. “They want this.”
Trapani dominated the Terriers hitters after losing 7–5 in the teams’ first meeting, with the rubber match scheduled for May 3. She also drove in the first two runs of the game with a double during a three-run top of the second. She scored a run and collected two hits.
It was all part of a big day for the Bonnies offense. It pounded out 13 hits against two St. Francis Prep pitchers. Fontbonne took about an hour and a half of batting practice on a nearby field prior to the game after school let out early. It only sharpened the way they’ve been swinging the bats lately, including an 8–4 win over Archbishop Molloy.
“We do a lot for work in the off season, get the kids in and shorten them up,” Marinello said. “Everything is short strokes.”
Maria Serrantino went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored and Natalia Sroga collected three hits, drove in a run and scored another for Fontbonne (6–1). Maria Gentile chipped in two hits and an RBI.
“We’ve just been hitting and see the ball well,” Serrantino said.
The Bonnies led 6–0 after four innings thanks to a run-scoring single by Ariana Dillon and a Terriers throwing error that brought home a run. A ground ball double play ended a threat from St. Francis (5–1) in the fifth and Trapani stranded both runners in the sixth.
Serrantino and Trapani called the victory a confidence booster heading into the final two weeks of the regular season. It furthers their belief that they can be there at the end competing for a diocesan title.
“It’s huge for us,” Serrantino said. “It’s a big confidence builder. We can only go further from here.”
Reach reporter Joseph Staszewski at jstaszewski@cnglocal.com. Follow him on twitter @cng_staszewski.