By: Sean Moylan
With the graduation of big boppers Sarah Cintron and Jackie Steffen, the days of double-digit wins didn’t occur nearly as often as they did in the past for the 2005 Life Center Academy softball team.
Yet in junior pitcher Stephanie Reitzel, the Warriors still had their greatest weapon in their arsenal. Last Thursday, Reitzel carried LCA to an 8-5 victory over Saint Mary’s in the Penn-Jersey League championship game.
"I thought it was a great game and she had 16 strikeouts. She only gave up three hits and all were to the pitcher from the other team," noted LCA Coach Bill Rhoades, whose club repeated as champions.
Reitzel completed the season with four 15-plus strikeout games in a row. Her mental toughness this season was extraordinary.
While veterans Sam Weer and Jen Rivera both went 3-for-3, LCA’s biggest hit came from an unlikely source.
"It was 6-5 in this game and I had a freshman Amanda Stravinsky get a two-run double in the sixth for two insurance runs," noted Rhoades.
The only reason Stravinsky was even playing was because Corin Wells, a starting senior outfielder, won a scholarship from Wawa and couldn’t make the championship game.
Ironically, it was Wells who had delivered the key hit for the Warriors in the bottom of the seventh in LCA’s dramatic 6-5 win over Gerard in the semis.
However, this was a team where players have stepped up at key moments the entire season.
"Ashley Nyul (a sophomore infielder) had a great year defensively and offensively."
Katie Steffen stepped up as a pitcher and a second baseman. Chloe Bercaw, a freshman, made all the plays at first," said Rhoades, who gave special credit to Weer who caught for the first time this year.
Seniors Bethany Hester and Rivera also came up big, especially in the playoffs. This year it took a team anchored by a great pitcher to go 14-3 and win a championship. Next year it could happen again. Next year in addition to coaching softball, Rhoades will take over as the LCA boys’ basketball coach.
"Darryl (Gladden) just decided he wanted to try something new," Rhoades said, who is excited about coaching the school’s most known athletic program.
Gladden, a top-notch recruiter and basketball mind, will be missed. He and Rhoades are both fine gentlemen. Whether it’s softball, soccer, baseball or basketball, LCA is a school filled with good people who also happen to be winners.
FLORENCE
The Florence Township Memorial High School softball team’s complete dominance over Palmyra ended in a 5-4 loss in an away game that lasted eight innings last Thursday.
It was the first time this century that the Panthers have beaten the Flashes. It took a great comeback by Palmyra to do it. After Florence scored two runs in the top of the eighth, Palmyra scored three in the bottom of the frame.
Nonetheless, Florence’s Melissa Mehrer pitched yet another wonderful game.
"(This year) she’s gotten a lot stronger and learned to pitch with a lot of confidence," said Florence Coach George Chwastyk, who had never lost a game before to Palmyra.
Mehrer has nine shutouts and counting. She also has struck out 144 batters. That number is probably higher because stats from one game were not recorded.
Despite the loss, Florence’s Kristin Garganio had a big hit in the Palmyra game. She is batting over .450 with nine doubles and 19 RBI.
While the Flashes season will begin for real with today’s (Thursday) Central Jersey Group I clash between the winner of Metuchen/Manville, Chwastyk doesn’t take his team’s 14-5 regular season for granted.
"It was a successful season playing with a new shortstop (Amber Tolifero) and a new catcher (Stephanie Bulleck)," said the Florence coach.
Tolifero has six doubles this year while Bulleck and Mehrer have five. Martha Parkes, Florence’s first baseman, has four doubles. Ashley Onori has also done well this year.
Last Friday’s scheduled game with Bordentown was rained out and will not be rescheduled. Obviously, the playoffs are of more significance.

