Softball
By: Mike Molaro
If the Hopewell Valley Central High School softball team was to earn a berth in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Central Jersey Group II tournament, the Lady Bulldogs wanted to make sure that they qualified on the field and not through the back door.
With a 7-7 mark heading into last Friday’s home contest against Allentown, HoVal had the necessary .500 record to qualify for the CJ II bracket. If the game against the Redbirds was postponed due to inclement weather, the Lady Bulldogs would earn the state tournament berth.
But that’s not how coach Tony Mormile and this spunky group of gutsy girls play the game. Win or lose on the field, they don’t take the easy way out.
"We had the mindset since last Thursday that we’d play," Mormile said.
Despite less-than-optimum conditions, the Lady Bulldogs with a state tournament slot on the line dug deep and defeated the Redbirds 4-3 to up their record to 8-7 (7-5 in the Colonial Valley Conference) and leave no doubt that they truly belonged in the CJ II bracket.
The pairings and seedings were announced after this edition’s deadline.
After Allentown, which advanced to the semifinals of the county tournament, took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, HoVal battled back with two runs in the bottom of the first and two more in the second. Junior Megan Lanouette and sophomore Lindsay Sorg each drove in a run and sophomore Becca Rhebergen laced a double.
Junior Stephanie Miller allowed just two hits, including only one over the last six innings, to record one of the biggest victories in recent Lady Bulldogs softball history. Even when Allentown had the tying run on third base with one out in the top of the seventh, HoVal wouldn’t be denied as Miller ended the threat.
"Even though it was raining last Thursday, we came out and practiced in the rain and it turned out to be a god thing for us with the way we handled the ball today," added Mormile.
Miller scored the tying run in the second, before senior Marita Kosek scored the game-winning run on Sorg’s single. Kosek also scored in the first on a wild pitch after leading off the bottom of the first with a walk.
After the Redbirds took that 3-0 lead, HoVal could’ve folded. Instead, they rallied around their coach and defeated a solid 12-5 team.
"We got our focus back after we got those two runs back in the first inning," Mormile said. "That was big. If we don’t score, then you’re doubting yourself and that’s a bad situation for a team to be in."
Perhaps even more important than the triumph over Allentown was the 10-0 domination at West Windsor-Plainsboro North on May 7. If the Lady Bulldogs don’t win that game, the Allentown outcome wouldn’t have mattered. HoVal already would have been eliminated from state tournament contention.
"This was our state tournament," added Mormile. "This win put us at 7-7 and gave us the opportunity to qualify. The girls were focused and ready. They knew what they had to do and what was at stake."
Senior Heidi Rarich belted a home run, while Lanouette, Rhebergen, junior Jill Castiglione and senior Liz Hart each drove in a run. Miller fired another two-hitter, and the Lady Bulldogs took advantage of 10 Knights errors.
"I was very proud of how the girls played," Mormile said. "Stephanie was dominating on the mound, and we put together 12 hits. We weren’t going to lose this game."
After a season of alternating wins and losses, HoVal picked an excellent time to put together back-to-back victories.
"We beat a real good Allentown team to get into the state tournament," added Mormile. "We didn’t take the easy way in, that’s for sure. We needed two huge wins, and we got them. We’ve been struggling with finding consistency all year. We’re not there yet, but we’ve taken some great strides over the past two games."
The Lady Bulldogs knew that postponing the Allentown game would’ve put them into the state tournament. They also knew that they wanted to earn the berth, not have it handed to them.
"It’s a good lesson that you always want to go out the right way," Mormile said. "We earned it. Nobody can take that away from us."
NOTES: Rhebergen, Miller and sophomore Ashley Wilson each had an RBI in Monday’s 5-3 loss at North Hunterdon. Each team had 11 hits, but the home team won it with two runs in the bottom of the sixth. The Lady Bulldogs are now 8-8 on the season. HoVal visited Ewing on Tuesday and hosts Hamilton on Wednesday, Princeton on Friday, and Montgomery next Monday. The Lady Bulldogs also have to squeeze in their state tournament game.

