Seaford experiences ups and downs

By toNY Bellissimo tbellissimo@liherald.com

Seaford began April with four wins in five games, but the youthful Vikings closed the month with three consecutive losses including an 8-2 decision at Division last Friday in a Nassau Conference 2 softball matchup.

JUlia paRise

East Meadow Junior Softball paRise aND the Jets have their sights set on the Nassau Class AA championship after finishing runners-up last spring. Parise was Honorable Mention

All-County as a sophomore pitcher in 2022 and appears to be peaking at the right time as East Meadow makes its push. Over a four-game stretch between April 15-22, she posted three shutouts and struck out at least 10 opponents three times, lowering her ERA to 0.91.

Games To Watch

thursday, may 4

Baseball: Hewlett at V.S. North 4:30 p.m.

Baseball: Floral Park at Carey 4:30 p.m.

Softball: Freeport at North Shore 4:30 p.m.

Baseball: Mineola at Clarke 4:45 p.m.

Baseball: East Meadow at Oceanside 5 p.m.

Baseball: MacArthur at Calhoun 5 p.m.

Baseball: Lawrence at Elmont 5 p.m.

Baseball: Roslyn at South Side 5 p.m.

Baseball: Sewanhaka at Kennedy 5 p.m.

Baseball: Wantagh at North Shore 5 p.m.

Baseball: West Hempstead at V.S. South 5 p.m.

Girls Lacrosse: Lynbrook at Oceanside 5 p.m.

Friday, may 5

Boys Lacrosse: Carey at Malverne/East Rock 5 p.m.

Boys Lacrosse: Long Beach at Lynbrook 5 p.m.

Girls Lacrosse: Long Beach at South Side 5 p.m.

Girls Lacrosse: Wantagh at Massapequa 5 p.m.

Softball: Oceanside at East Meadow 5 p.m.

Softball: Malverne at V.S. Central 5 p.m.

Softball: Wantagh at Herricks 5 p.m.

Softball: Island Trees at Seaford 5 p.m.

Softball: Roosevelt at V.S. South 5 p.m.

Softball: Calhoun at Clarke 5 p.m.

Flag Football: West Hempstead at Long Beach 7 p.m.

The host Dragons blew open a tight game with five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, highlighted by catcher Mackenzie Quinn’s fourth hit — a two run double to cap a four-RBI performance. Sophomore pitcher Skyler Secondino homered and sophomore catcher Katie Young had a run-scoring double to provide the offense for Seaford, which fell to 5-6 in conference play.

“We’ve had some ups and downs that a young team sometimes experiences,” Seaford coach Joe Nastasi said. “Our first three losses were all by one run, but the girls handled it well. After that we got on a roll. Now we’ve just had a tough week, but I’ve got a lot of faith in this group.”

The Vikings, who won’t see any of their conference rivals come playoff time after enrollment dropped them into Class B, returned four starters from a team that lost to eventual repeat Long Island Class A champion Mepham in the first round.

Two of the returnees are seniors: Gabby Bellamore, who plays third base and bats in the heart of the lineup, and Jamie Young, who plays first base and is also counted on to drive in runs. They hit third and fifth, respectively, against Division. Bellamore has 10 RBIs.

Junior Alexa Villeck played primarily in the outfield in 2022 but is now the Vikings’ shortstop and thriving with the glove and bat, Nastasi said. “She’s been playing so well and really settled in,” he noted. Villeck, the offensive table-setter from the leadoff spot, leads the team in batting average (.410), runs scored (13) and stolen bases (10.)

Secondino is just scratching the surface of her pitching talent, Nastasi said, and had a career-high 19 strikeouts in a win over Island Trees during the April hot streak. “She has a quality arm and the sky is the limit,” the coach said. “She’s devel- oping game by game. She can strike batters out and has a great change-up.” Her home run over the fence in left field at Division was her second of the year. She also doubled and scored in the loss.

Secondino starred in the circle and at the plate in Seaford’s 2-1 victory over Herricks April 20, winning it with a walk-off double. Freshman Lauren LoPresti is the backup pitcher and picked up her first varsity win in her first-ever start, a completegame effort over Plainedge.

Behind the plate, Young has started every game and Nastasi decribed her as an asset “as an athlete and as a teammate.” Another sophomore, Kaitlyn Young, is flashing a strong glove in center field and made a run-saving, diving grab at Division to end the fifth inning.

Of the six regular-season games remaining on Seaford’s slate, the Vikings went 5-1 against those opponents the first time around falling only to Wantagh. They visit the Warriors May 8 at 5 p.m.