Wantagh softball team's unexpected run ends in state semifinals; 'proud is an understatement'
BINGHAMTON — The Wantagh softball team exceeded its own expectations by reaching the state semifinals. It was three outs away from taking its season one step further, but Section I champion Pearl River had other ideas.
Pearl River scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning and beat Wantagh, 5-4, in the state Class A semifinals Friday morning at Greenlight Networks Grand Slam Park.
“At the beginning of the season, we set goals,” Wantagh coach Christine Moran said. “Not one person put the state tournament on their list of team goals. It was all focused on winning Nassau County. For us to make it this far without anybody seeing it coming is amazing. Proud is an understatement.”
Pearl River (15-3) will face Averill Park (Section II) in the final at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
Pearl River led 3-0 heading into the bottom of the third, but Wantagh (18-7) battled back.
Emily Polarolo drove in Megan Martone with a sacrifice fly in the third and Martone’s sacrifice fly drove in Gianna Gerbe in the fourth, cutting the deficit to 3-2.
Lucy Olore led off the fifth with a double and Savannah Gandini and Gerbe singled to load the bases. Jane Burns scored the tying run on an error and Veronica Familio drove in Gandini with a sacrifice fly to give Wantagh a 4-3 lead.
“We didn’t get down on ourselves when we were losing,” Olore said. “We stayed positive and I’m glad we were able to get some runs in the last couple of innings.”
Olore struck out eight and allowed three earned runs and four hits in a complete game. She was the driving force behind Wantagh’s run to its first Nassau and Long Island titles since 1990.
Wantagh has only two graduating seniors, and Olore is excited to lead a large core of returning players next year. The junior said winning a state title will be the goal.
“I don’t think we should expect that we’re going to make it here again. We’ll have to work for it,” she said. “But when we do make it back here, I just know that we’re going to be ready for it and win it all next year.”
Matt Lindsay is a high school sports reporter who joined Newsday in 2022 after graduating from Stony Brook University.
