Tigers Open Season with Big Wins On New Softball Field

by Judy Silberstein, photos by FAL Photography

(April 10, 2008) Mamaroneck High School’s Varsity Softball team has begun the year by winning both a pre-season tournament and the first regular season game.
Coach Diane Campbell is attributing the girls’ early success to the team “gelling” and to a new resource – a home field at Central School. Until last year, “we never had a field of our own,” said Ms. Campbell. “Before that we played at the Harbor – where there are a lot of restrictions.” Practices and games had to be shoe-horned into limited time slots and the fields were often in poor condition.

The Mamaroneck School district and the Mamaroneck Schools Foundation provided funds to re-do the field at Central School, which opened last April. (See: Softball Gets "Field Of Dreams".) “That’s made a huge difference," said Coach Campbell. A private donation paid for a batting cage, and another grant from the foundation will be used to clean up the surrounding area and add landscaping and walkways. Joan George, the JV softball coach, has been instrumental in developing the grant applications and plans for the field.

The pre-season Mamaroneck Tournament, organized by Coach Campbell for the first time last year, was played on the Tiger’s new home field from April 3 to April 6. Rye Neck and Good Counsel played the first game on Thursday, April 3, with Good Counsel winning 5-2.

“Saturday’s game against Gorton, we won 7 to 1,” reported Coach Campbell. “My pitcher, Chrissy Capalbo (at left) pitched a one-hitter and 14 strikeouts.”

On Sunday, Rye Neck and Gorton faced off in a consolation game, with Gorton winning 1-0. That set-up the championship game on Sunday afternoon with Mamaroneck against Gorton.

Once again, the Tigers prevailed, this time by 9-0, with Chrissy Capalbo pitching a shutout. “The other team never got a hit,” said Coach Campbell, “that’s hard for a pitcher to achieve.”

The Tigers continued their streak – winning on Monday in their first regular season game against Carmel 1-0.

The new field means a lot to the team – and to the coach, who knows how long the girls teams have been without a field. As a teen, she played softball for Mamaroneck High, graduating in 1977. This is her fifth year coaching. “It’s important to have a field you call home,” she said. “The boys have it – it should be equitable across the board, and now it is.”

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