By Anthony Vertucci
The remarkable season of the Kings Park Lady Kingsmen came to a close on Saturday with a 1-0 loss to Pittsford Mendon in the New York State Championship finals.
The championship berth was the first in the history of Kings Park softball, who earned the right to compete in the four team tournament in Queensbury by defeating Seaford in the Long Island championship on Tuesday.
The Lady Kingsmen were victorious in the semi-finals of the tournament, beating New York’s top ranked team South Glens Falls at 9 a.m. by the score of 6-1. Paige Julich hit a grand slam in the first inning of that game to put Kings Park up for good. Syracuse-bound Lindsay Taylor pitched a two-hitter and struck out eight in the win.
The win, coupled with Pittsford Mendon’s victory over Elmira Free Academy, set the stage for 2 p.m. final. Taylor also pitched the second game and was equally as impressive as she was earlier in the day, allowing five hits and striking out 11 in six innings. The lone run she let up proved to be all the offence Pittsford would need as Brittany Grage no-hit Kings Park and struck out 12 to secure her team their new title of New York State Champions.
The only run of the game came in the third inning, as Grage proved she is a potent force at the plate as well as on the hill. With runners at first and second Grage hit an RBI single to score Erin Lyons, who narrowly avoided the tag from catcher Ariana Ambrosio.
Kings Park’s only base runner of the game came in a scary moment in the fourth when Jessica LoBianco was hit in the head by a pitch from Grage. The tough LoBianco stayed in the game and took her base. She advanced to second after a sac bunt from Nicole Brieva but was thrown out trying to stretch it to third.
Despite the loss Kings Park has plenty to be proud of, accomplishing the best season in school history. Kings Park had never won a county championship before the 2011 campaign, much less a regional championship or trip to the state finals. They had an incredible run and fell just shy of winning it all, but the triumphs and memories these athletes accrued this year will last a lifetime.