Catcher armed and ready for Cougars softball
By: Justin Feil
An injury to her throwing arm cost Tara Bucci all of her sophomore as well as last summer’s travel seasons.
"It needed time off," said Bucci, a junior catcher on the Montgomery High School softball team. "I took it off, but I did not want the time off.
"I went to every game and every practice. The time off made me realize how much I love this sport and love this team. I really couldn’t wait to get back."
Her arm is fine. Just ask any team that’s thought about stealing a base. Having her back in the lineup this year has reaffirmed how much the Cougars missed her as well.
Bucci made a pair of key late-game plays in Montgomery’s 3-2 win over Somerville in the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals Friday night. The top-seeded Cougars’ lead had been trimmed to one run when she took a perfect relay throw from Katherine Stoltenberg and put the tag on Somerville’s Jess Magliaro at the plate for the first out of the seventh inning. Then she dived to catch a pop-up for the second out before Annie O’Toole one of four MHS seniors honored on Senior Night caught a line drive to right to end the victory with the tying run on third base. Bucci and the Cougars look to continue the county run against Mt. St. Mary’s 8 p.m. Wednesday at North Branch Park in Bridgewater.
"Not having her behind the plate changed our team so much as far as energy behind the plate, as far as calling the game and knowledge of the game," said MHS head coach Johnny Rooney after his team improved to 15-3. "To her credit, nobody runs on her. She gets excited for teams to run on us. I can’t remember more than two or three girls since she’s been in eighth grade legitimately steal off her. Her presence behind the dish is huge. Anything we get from her offensively is a bonus, and she’s done well offensively too this year.
"She’s so into it. She’s still only a junior. I remember a couple years ago talking about her and Katherine coming up with big plays in the state semifinals. Last night, it was those two making a huge play once again at an important time."
Stoltenberg, a junior as well, also had an RBI single in the fourth inning as the Cougars built a 3-0 lead for senior pitcher Kim Dougherty, who went the distance, allowed just four hits and struck out six.
"Kimmy is everything you could hope for in a pitcher," said Bucci, who is catching the senior right-hander for the first season. "She has a great feel for the game and great composure on the mound. There’s nothing I worry about while catching Kimmy."
The Cougars built their 3-0 lead first when senior Kelly Dubin made it home on a wild pitch before Elora Daniele stole home. Stoltenberg gave them a 3-0 lead and Bucci says the team was feeling confident, but admits she was a little nervous when Somerville came back with a run in the sixth and then nearly tied it in the seventh. They might have, were it not for the hustle of Melissa D’Ercole, the centerfielder who tracked down the ball that got away in left field, then fired to Stoltenberg who sent it home to Bucci had put a sweeping tag on Magliaro.
"In our pregame we practice relays before every game," Bucci said. "We do it every day. That was an amazing relay. Everything worked perfect.
"It was very close, really close, I just remember thinking, I knew Melissa got the ball and I had confidence in her arm. I knew once KB had it, there was no way we weren’t going to get this girl out. Katherine made a perfect throw."
And Bucci had enough presence to continue to try to block the plate and get the ball and put the tag on quickly. On the next play, an apparent safety squeeze bunt by Somerville, Bucci showed every bit of her determined to help the Cougars get out of the game with a win.
"From her crouch she had to lay out for it," Rooney said. "You saw a cloud of dirt and she came up with the ball. It was so heads-up. It was a great play."
Said Bucci, "All that goes through my mind on that is, I have to get this ball."
The win capped an exciting night that included honoring D’Ercole, Dougherty, Dubin and O’Toole as the Cougars guaranteed themselves another night game under the lights Wednesday.
"Whatever level you’re at, playing under the lights is always exciting," Rooney said. "Whether it’s Little League, high school, college or professional, it’s a little bigger. We have four seniors who all start and have been a huge part of the program. It was a great game that had playoff atmosphere."
As excited as MHS was for the game, it was easy to see that Somerville too was ready for a chance to upset the Cougars. MHS is seeing that attitude in opponents more and more frequently and the No. 1 seed in the county will see it again Wednesday in Mt. St. Mary’s.
"It feels like we’re facing teams who are playing their hearts out," Bucci said. "Our team is retaliating even more with that extra bit of zest and gusto to try to put the other team down and come out with a win. It’s really motivating us more."
Bucci is just thrilled to be a part of bringing the bulls eye back to Montgomery. She spent much of last fall and winter strengthening her arm and ensuring she’d be ready for this season and able to contribute to exciting wins like Friday’s SCT quarterfinal.
"Everyone was hoping that we’d be able to play our best season we possibly could and leave everything on the field," Bucci said. "We’ve been doing amazing, and there’s nothing more that I could hope for."

