Team plays yet another thriller
By: Rudy Brandl
It’s ironic that North Hunterdon used a two-out rally to beat the Hillsborough High softball team last Thursday afternoon. On a day in which neither team could score a run with a timely hit, the visiting Lions produced the game-winner with a pair of two-out hits in the top of the seventh inning.
For the past five games, four of which were close ones, it was the Raiders getting all the key hits. HHS manufactured runs to support its dominant pitching and won five straight to enter Thursday’s game with only one loss in the competitive Delaware Division. A victory would have kept the Raiders within striking distance of undefeated Hunterdon Central, but North helped its county neighbor by posting a 1-0 victory in Hillsborough.
"I’m disappointed, but there’s nothing to be ashamed of," Raider head coach Cheryl Iaione said afterward. "We played a great game defensively and got great pitching. We had opportunities and we didn’t come through."
HHS sophomore lefty Chrissy Yard was sailing along for 6Ò innings, mowing down hitters to match North’s Lara Kestenbaum in a fabulous pitcher’s duel. Erica Wagner blasted a long double to the left-center field fence and scored on Amanda Harclerode’s bloop single to left to break the scoreless tie.
Iaione accepted the blame for the defeat and shared those feelings with her players after Hillsborough’s own rally attempt fell short in the home half of the seventh. The HHS coach knew that Harclerode had singled in her prior at-bat against Yard, while the next hitter, Jackie Moreland, had struck out twice.
"I should have walked that girl, first base was open," Iaione said. "Chrissy had struck out that next hitter twice. I thought about it twice and didn’t’ do it. I should’ve played the percentages."
Yard wound up striking out Moreland a third time to end the top of the seventh, but the damage was done. Yard took some of the blame on her own shoulders after falling behind both hitters who reached base in the final frame.
"I just kept on throwing it high," said Yard, who struck out 10 batters and walked one in suffering her first loss of the spring. "That one pitch (to Wagner) was flat. As soon as I released it, I said ‘no.’"
The Raiders certainly didn’t go quietly in the bottom of the seventh. Designated hitter Lauren Scrocca smacked a long double that looked like it might go over the left-center field fence to start the inning. Iaione inserted the speedy Lisa Pancoast to run and Erin Murphy promptly sacrificed her to third base with one out.
Pancoast remained at third base while Kenzie Farneski and Alicia Swickle struck out to end the game. Kestenbaum completed her five-hit shutout with eight strikeouts and one walk. The Raiders left six runners on base and had one who reached on an error thrown out attempting to steal.
"We didn’t execute a couple of times," Iaione said. "When you’re playing a good team, you’re facing somebody good in the circle. Good pitchers dig out of those situations. She did what she’s supposed to do."
The Raiders had two other very good chances to score earlier in the game. Marissa Van Cleef led off with one of her two base hits in the bottom of the first. After a sacrifice and ground out, Yard walked to put runners at the corners with two outs. Pancoast stole second but Kestenbaum fanned Scrocca on a 3-2 fastball to end the threat.
Van Cleef and Jess Szymanski smacked consecutive one-out singles to set the table in the third. Both runners moved into scoring position when Candy Palumbo grounded out to second, but Yard popped out on a 2-0 pitch to end the inning.
"We haven’t been hitting and we left a couple of girls on base today," Yard said. "We’ve been there defensively. If we get the hitting going, you can’t stop us."
The Raiders didn’t need many runs to start their week with victories over Watchung Hills (3-1) and Bridgewater-Raritan (2-0). After completing a season sweep of Watchung with a satisfying road win, HHS blanked B-R at home.
Van Cleef and Palumbo did most of the offensive damage in the win at Watchung, while Murphy and Yard split time in the circle. Van Cleef had two hits, including an RBI single in the second inning. She scored an insurance run in the seventh on Palumbo’s triple. Palumbo scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in the fifth.
Murphy finished with four strikeouts and no walks to gain the victory. Van Cleef chipped in with a huge diving catch in the bottom of the fourth inning after Watchung Hills had tied the game.
Erin McKee, who had provided the game-winning blast in the 2-1 victory over Watchung on Opening Day, made the offensive difference in last week’s triumph over Bridgewater. McKee stroked a two-strike, two-out double to score both runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Scrocca and Farneski had reached on singles. McKee ripped a 1-2 pitch to the left-center field gap to score pinch runner Jill Vazzano and Farneski. Murphy and Yard combined on a four-hit shutout for the victory.

