St. Joseph by the Sea’s third annual breast cancer awareness game hit home a little more for Vikings coach Mike Ponsiglione.
Every year a breast cancer survivor has thrown out the ceremonial first pitch with a pink ball. This time it was someone he knows all too well. Karen Bertuzzi was diagnosed with the disease in 2011 and is now cancer free. Ponsiglione coached her daughter Erica on his first JV team at Sea in 2002.
“I met her through here,” he said. “We both bowled. I’d see her at the bowling alley all the time. We got pretty friendly. I’ve known her for 10 years.”
Denis Gostev
St. Joseph by the Sea's Alexa Tedeschi tossed a two-hitter against Moore on Sunday.
Denis Gostev
St. Joseph by the Sea's Stefanie Abolt heads to home plate.
Ponsiglione has seen the event, named in honor of Joan DeRienzo, the mother of former Viking assistant Lisa DeRienzo, grow. It’s something the kids have begun to look forward to, has brought larger crowds and more fundraising vehicles in the form of a concession stands and Mets tickets raffles to go along with the 50/50 and gift baskets.
The Vikings 4-0 win over rival Moore Catholic in CHSAA Staten Island softball helped bring in $2,000 Sunday as both teams wore plenty of pink.
“It’s a nice thing that we do here,” starter Alexa Tedeschi said. “I’m glad that both teams have gotten involved in it. It’s for a really good cause. I’m glad a lot of people come out for it.”
The Vikings and Moore both used their third different starting pitcher in their meetings. Tedeschi was just as effective as her counterparts Jackie Cautela and Lianna Jordan, who allowed two hits in a 5-0 win against Moore on Friday. Tedeschi surrendered just two hits in the fourth inning, walked none and struck out three. The Mavericks (7-3), ranked No. 3 in the city by The Post, have scored just once in three games as No. 1 Sea (9-0) swept the season series.
“They are starting to really play a very crisp brand of ball,” Ponsiglione said of his plars.
That included offensive execution.
First baseman Stefanie Abolt was in the middle of it both with some small ball and an RBI double in the fifth. Her well-placed bunt in the second led to Vanessa Jioia bringing home the first run with a ground out. Sea scored twice more in the third on a fielder’s choice by Alannah Dawson and a Moore throwing error to make it 4-0. Ponsiglione called Abolt a hybrid because she can bunt and swing for a hit productively.
“I can go either way,” said Abolt, who also scored a run. “I could bunt or get a clutch hit like I did.”
Moore coach Kristine Knuth hopes to see the event continue to grow. She isn’t overly concerned with her team’s lack of hitting. The Mavericks have now gone scoreless in their last 20 innings against the Vikings, with the Archdiocesan tournament starting in a week.
“We have some hitters make hard contact, but their hits have to fall,” Knuth said. “We have to be more consistent.”
The Vikings event has now become an annual success and only getting better. The school’s JV softball and baseball teams also played, with many sticking around to watch their classmates.
“They get into it,” Ponsiglione said of the players. “It’s a nice thing beside the softball.”
jstaszeski@nypost.com
Vikings, breast cancer awareness, The Vikings, the Vikings, Stefanie Abolt, Stefanie Abolt, Alexa Tedeschi, Ponsiglione, St. Joseph, breast cancer survivor, Moore, Karen Bertuzzi, The Mavericks
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