Fontbonne’s “Sister Act 2” anchors infield for the future

With the Marletta sisters leading the Bonnies to the final this year, another pair of sisters also anchored Fontbonne’s Varsity Softball team this past season — freshman catcher Sidney LaCognata and her junior sister Natalie at shortstop. As a mid-season call-up from the JV, Sidney joined her sister Natalie who is completing her third year on the Varsity as the team’s starting shortstop.

“She’s one of the best players in the league,” according to Fontbonne Head Coach Frank Marinello. “I say that because Natalie is one of the top three hitters in the league and is just magic in the field, as well as a scholar in school.” As far as Natalie’s sister Sidney, Marinello added, “Sid is a real machine; she makes catching look easy, especially for a freshman.”

Looking back at her start playing softball, Natalie played with the Brooklyn Cyclones travel softball team while in grammar school and attended weekend Fontbonne softball clinics during the winter. In her first season with the Varsity, Natalie broke into the lineup as the starting shortstop and batted .400 to make the 2014 All Brooklyn team as freshman. “I worked hard for that and deserved it,” unabashedly recalled the Bonnies’ current team co-captain.

That hard work still continues as Marinello’s shortstop improved this season, batting .421. “She’s a tough out and doesn’t get overwhelmed in pressure situations. She has just one temperament and leads by example.” Besides softball, Natalie is a member of Fontbonne’s Varsity Basketball team and is in the top five percent of her junior class with a 4.0 GPA.

When asked what Fontbonne softball meant to her, Natalie explained that the team was a supportive environment where softball is everyone’s focus once they step on the field. “It’s a sisterhood where we can lean on each other and count on each other for support.”