By: Sean Moylan
All of the countless hours spent practicing bunting and slapping softballs against a pitching machine set on 65 miles an hour immediately became worth it as the players, coaches and fans of the Northern Burlington County Regional High School girls’ varsity softball team watched Lyndsay Mouse’s mammoth 2-run homer disappear over the left-center field fence at Northern Burlington.
With a flick of Mighty Mouse’s wrists, NBC had beaten the unbeatable foe Lisa Sweeney and her Rancocas Valley softball team, 3-1, in 10 innings.
"It was every bit what I thought it would be," said NBC head coach Brian Wolverton, whose team finally moved past Rancocas Valley on the New Jersey top three lists with the win.
"That was a big step for us beatingHamilton West (a team that stopped last year) and beating RV."
In recent weeks, NBC has been working tirelessly at preparing to hit overpowering pitching.
However, even Wolverton, who had a good feeling his team would prevail this time around, never put "power" into his teams winning equation.
"With Lyndsay (Mouse) hitting the home run it (the win) was something special," said Wolverton.
Ironically, Mouse had started the year with a hand so severely injured, that Wolverton was a bit reluctant mentioning her in the team preview. Yet, she’s such a battler and winner there was little doubt that she would return to the lineup to save the day. She really saved it last Thursday.
But NBC is a team.
In fact, Kelly Lukacs led off the 10th with a double and moved to third on Jaimie Walton’s sac, before Mouse’s big blast.
Earlier, Northern had taken a 1-0 lead on a RBI single by winning pitcher Chelsey Morgan, which plated Stefani Poedubicky, who had reached on a triple.
While Morgan doesn’t draw the same headlines as Sweeney (20 k’s), she was just as dominating.
She worked well with the girls on base, scattering nine hits while fanning 10 batters. It takes guts and stamina to throw 10 frames at any level. It’s time for people to recognize Morgan as one of New Jersey’s best hurlers.
The Rancocas Valley game was so intense it overshadowed Saturday’s Mount St. Dominic’s tournament, which was played against some of the best teams in the state.
NBC clipped a tough Mt. Saint Dominic’s team, 4-0, in its opener. But then, NBC suffered its first loss of the season when Immaculate Heart beat NBC, 2-0.
"I think we were a little flat. We had seven errors in the second game," said Wolverton, whose team sometimes goes 10 games or so without making seven errors.
Wolverton believed his club was still mentally and physically exhausted from Thursday’s big win.
Even so, Morgan was sharp in both Saturday games. She hurled a seven-strikeout, three-hitter versus Mt. St. Dominic and she allowed only four hits and didn’t surrender an earned run versus Immaculate Heart.
Ironically, Pennsbury, one of the best clubs in the state, lost to St. Dominic but beat Immaculate.
Poedubicky had a triple and two RBI in the NBC victory. And Morgan drove in a run in the first game and had NBC’s only hit versus Immaculate.
The Greyhounds used first-inning doubles by Kelly Miller, Morgan and J. Walton (a three-run double) to pound Burlington Township, 9-1, on Tuesday night.
Morgan (2-for-2, 3 RBI) raised her record to 13-1 with the win. She left the game leading 7-0.
"She’s (Morgan) given up one earned run the whole year," noted Wolverton.
NBC could have piled it on but it’s not that kind of team.
"The kids played with a lot of class," said Wolverton.
NBC (14-1) will have other big regular season games this year. But no one will ever erase Mouse’s homer. It was an unforgettable moment. NBC is scheduled at Moorestown today (Thursday).
FLORENCE
After consecutive losses to two excellent teams (New Egypt and Northern Burlington), the Florence Township Memorial High School girls’ varsity softball squad righted the ship in a big way with a pair of dominating pitching performances by sophomore sensation Melissa Mehrer.
The Flashes scored two runs in the bottom of the first to supply Mehrer with all the runs she would need in a 2-0 win over Palmyra this past Monday.
Although the Flashes have completely mastered a pretty good Palmyra club for years, Mehrer did have a chance to thrill the Florence faithful with a he strikeout in the seventh with one out and the tying run at the plate. Mehrer struck out a total of 14 batters and allowed just two hits while recording the shutout. Just awesome stuff.
Ashley Onori started Florence’s first-inning rally with a double and she was subsequently chased home by Kristin Garganio’s run-scoring single. Martha Parkes then provided Florence with an insurance run when she blasted an RBI two-bagger, which plated Garganio.
"It (Parkes’ hit) missed being a home run by four feet," added Florence head coach George Chwastyk. Florence made the most out of its five hits.
While Stephanie Bulleck had a hit and a walk, her real value came as Mehrer’s battery mate.
"She (Bulleck) caught a very nice game," said Chwastyk, who liked the way the tandem worked together.
Last Friday, the Flashes blanked Riverside 10-0 at Florence.
Since the game only went five innings (the 10-run rule), Mehrer only had time to fan a dozen hitters. She did toss a one-hit shutout, though. According to Chwastyk, she’s averaging 12 K’s a contest.
Amber Tolifero and Garganio powered Florence’s offensive attack with two-run doubles.
Florence is now 4-2. It isn’t tearing the cover off the ball, but it’s getting some timely hits and doing everything else right.
"We’re still playing good defense and working hard," said Chwastyk.
Moreover, with Mehrer on her game, Florence is going to compile a lot of victories.
Florence is scheduled at Westampton Tech today (Thursday).
BRHS
The Bordentown Regional High School girls’ varsity softball team proved to everyone it was "back" with a quality 3-1 over Delran at Bordentown last Thursday.
Reannon Trogdon hurled a 4-hit complete game gem to pace the Scotties to a much-appreciated victory.
"Reannon Trogdon really threw a great game for us. She was throwing all of her pitches. Meghan (McDonald) and her work well together," said Bordentown head coach Michele Brennan.
Even with Trogdon’s stellar performance, Bordentown needed a great team effort to wrap up the win. The Scotties scored a pair of runs in the third to take a 2-0 lead. Taryn Lynch smacked a RBI triple, which chased in her sister Kara, who had reached on a single. Then Trogdon pushed T. Lynch (2-for-3) across the plate with a single of her own.
Bordentown added an insurance run in the fourth when McDonald singled and later scored on a K. Lynch RBI base hit.
Hillary Allen also went 2-for-3 at the plate as the Scotties pounded out a total of 10 hits to remove the Bears from the ranks of the unbeaten.
On Saturday Bordentown crushed Pemberton, 17-0, in five innings.
Allen was the hitting star with two hits and four RBI while Trogdon tossed a two-hit 11- strikeout complete game shutout.
Megan Temple and Joan Jaczko (RBI) each tripled while K. Lynch collected a double and two RBI. Taryn Lynch (two RBI), McDonald (two hits) and Trogdon also drove in runs in the win.
Trogdon’s hot streak continued on Tuesday when she pitched and hit Bordentown to a 5-2 road win over Palmyra.
"Reannon (Trogdon) had a stellar game all around," said Brennan, who was especially impressed with a defensive play Trogdon made to end the game in the seventh.
On the mound she allowed only two runs, surrendered four hits and struck out eight. And at the plate, Trogdon was 3-for-4 with an RBI double in a two-run third and a two-run triple in a three-run fourth inning.
In the second inning K. Lynch plated Bordentown’s first run with a RBI hit which scored Sam Hardy (single). McDonald also knocked in one of Bordentown’s runs with a single in the fourth.
"We didn’t have all of our starters so it was good to come up with a win," added Brennan.
Bordentown (5-2) is scheduled to host Maple Shade today (Thursday). It is scheduled at Holy Cross on Friday and at Maple Shade on Monday. On Tuesday, Bordentown is scheduled to host Medford Tech.
LCA
The Life Center Academy girls’ varsity softball team cruised to a 13-0 home win over Solebury Prep on Monday.
Stephanie Reitzel tossed a two-hit complete game. Sam Weer cracked three hits and drove in two runs while Ashley Nyul crushed a two-run homer and Katie Steffen ripped a double.
Last Thursday LCA won a 12-10, nine-inning decision at Trenton High School.
Bethany Hester had a triple and knocked in a run while Steffen had a two-bagger and two RBI and Weer knocked in a pair of runs. Incredibly, Reitzel had 18 strikeouts.
Tuesday’s scheduled home game versus Mercer Christian was postponed. LCA is scheduled at the Katzenbach School today (Thursday).