Youthful Kennedy is soaring

A Kennedy softball team full of youth has quickly matured into a playoff contender this spring.
The Lady Cougars, who have nine underclassmen, entered the final week of the regular season winners of six of eight and in contention for the Conference AB-II title. Third-year coach Krista Thorn said the foundation for Kennedy’s late season was established early on when her young players focused on bring their games to a higher level.
“They are doing things they never thought they could do before and that is from trusting the process,” said Thorn, a former standout college third baseman at Hofstra. “They are becoming excellent students of the game.”
The youthful Lady Cougars’ growing confidence got a further boost during a dramatic come-from behind 6-4 extra innings home win against East Rockaway on April 30. An RBI single by eighth grade pitcher Sami Levine tied the game at 4-4 in the seventh and Morgan Tesser capped the comeback with a walk-off two run homer in the eighth.
Levine, who struck out four in the East Rockaway victory, has grown into the ace of the staff with seven wins entering the week. She tossed a two-hitter with seven strikeouts in Kennedy’s 7-0 win at East Rockaway on April 4 in the teams’ first meeting.

“She is unfazed by anything,” Thorn said of Levine, who was a standout pitcher on the Grand Avenue Middle School team last year as a seventh grader. “She is so level-headed and even-keeled on the mound.”
Levine’s classmate, Taylor Bodt, has also taken the mound when needed this season and been a versatile utility weapon Thorn can slot anywhere in the field. Sophomore catcher Jessica Nachamie had led the young pitching staff from behind the plate with determination and a relentless work ethic.
“She is one of the hardest workers on the team,” Thorn said of Nachamie. “She can catch for hours.”
Kennedy’s offense lacks one main power hitter, but multiple batters have been stepping up led by Randi Finkelstein, Jenn Field, Lauren Varela, Nachamie and Tesser. Finkelstein has shown some pop at the plate of late during her junior campaign with one home run and a high on-base percentage from producing walks.
“She is such a smart hitter,” Thorn said of Finkelstein. “She knows what to look for when she is at the plate.”
Finkelstein drove in a key run in Kennedy’s 4-2 Nassau AB crossover home win against neighborhood rival Calhoun last Saturday that moved the Lady Cougars to 8-1 in league play. Junior Frankie Yandolino went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and eighth grader Gianna Costaro finished 3-for-3.
The Lady Cougars entered the week with three regular season games remaining scheduled to conclude on Friday with a 5 p.m. road game at South Side. Thorn said the team if focused on bringing home a conference crown that could set them up for a high seed in the upcoming Nassau Class A playoffs.
“This team has a lot of potential and has come very far,” Thorn said. “Their confidence is growing.”