Stoltenberg runs helps Cougars advance
By: Justin Feil
Matawan had no idea just how much trouble it was in when Katherine Stoltenberg led off the bottom of the sixth inning for the Montgomery High School softball team.
Stoltenberg, it seems, lives for the big moments in the biggest games, and the Cougars’ North Jersey, Section 2 Group III opener definitely qualified.
"It’s just Montgomery softball," Stoltenberg explained. "When it’s tournament time, we come prepared, like the RV tournament, counties, and now states. We like the tournament. We like to play well."
Tied, 1-1, Tuesday, Stoltenberg, who had the game-winning hit in the Cougars’ first Somerset County Tournament title win, worked a walk, moved to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on Anu Rimal’s single past shortstop and scored on Elora Daniele’s sacrifice fly to center for the game-winning run. Rimal moved up on the throw home and scored an insurance run when Melissa D’Ercole’s grounder was misplayed for a 3-1 MHS win. The top-seeded Cougars advance to host No. 4 Cranford 4 p.m. today.
"I think it was (closer than expected), but we did what we had to do," Stoltenberg said. "We all knew it was 1-1 obviously going into the sixth. We just really got fired up that inning and made it count. We did all the little things right.
"I just wanted to get on base and I wanted the next person to get up and keep it going, just to rally the whole inning."
The runs made a winner of Kim Dougherty, who allowed two hits and struck out six, and the Cougars’ late-inning scoring ended the frustration of having two runners thrown out at home, outs that led to some anxiety, at least from the coaching staff.
"I was getting anxious because I felt (Matawan’s pitcher) Ortega was getting her control back and she was starting to mix up her pitches well," said MHS head coach Johnny Rooney after his team improved to 20-6. "As anxious as I was, our kids didn’t show it or act it. Defensively, they were very sharp. They love playing behind Kim and they know when Tara (Bucci) is behind the plate, we’re OK. We were due to cross home plate safe. We did with a sac fly, which is great."
The game-winning runs came a half-inning after Montgomery’s defense stranded a lead-off runner for Matawan, which fell to 15-11. Daniele threw out the lead runner at second for the first out, D’Ercole made a diving catch in center for the second out and Kelly Dubin threw out the next hitter at first for the final out.
"Anything we do good defensively," Stoltenberg said, "we always try to carry it into our hitting. We get momentum from anywhere we can and use it to go hit."
Stoltenberg also played a role in the Cougars’ first run of the game in the first inning. After Dougherty was hit by a pitch to open the MHS’ first at bats, Stoltenberg did her job by laying down a bunt that moved courtesy runner Melissa Mauer to third base, where Mauer was able to score from on an overthrow. Stoltenberg downplayed her role in MHS’ success.
"Everyone in the lineup gets the job done," Stoltenberg said. "I have confidence in all of them, one through nine.
"It’s just a team thing," she added. "We come prepared for the tournaments. We all play for each other. We all do so many great things. This is when we play our best, all of us as a team."
When the games are biggest, Stoltenberg certainly has found a way to play at her best. She’s been doing it since contributing as a freshman starter for the 2004 Group III state champion Cougars.
"It’s funny," Rooney said. "She doesn’t practice any different and her attitude and mannerism never changes. Easier game, conference game, county game, state game, it never changes, but man, does she show up for these games."
In big situations, the Cougars can rely on any number of bats or gloves, and Stoltenberg has already played in three seasons as much as many seniors on other teams. It’s something that makes her even more valuable come tournament time.
"Her experience has certainly shown and she continues to grow," Rooney said. "She’s still only a junior. Montgomery still has her for another full year. She drew a walk to start the big inning and you know when she’s on the bases, something good can happen.
"And she fields her position. She knows what she’s good at. She understands she has good range and she has a good arm. She has a great softball IQ. That makes her such a strong shortstop. She’s learned as a freshman and sophomore, she has learned from who taught her. She had Renee Totaro when she was a senior and (Stoltenberg) was a freshman and as a sophomore she had Tori Sensi. Talk about having two big sisters, and now it’s time for her to be a big sister. It’s been nice to see."
Stoltenberg has helped make current second basemen Daniele more comfortable in the field while continuing to do her part in the MHS lineup. That lineup was a tad quieter than usual with just three hits Thursday. Even though MHS was patient enough to draw several walks, they couldn’t get any more runs until the sixth inning.
"We just didn’t seem to have it," Stoltenberg said. "But when we really needed it, that’s when we got really pumped up. We were doing a lot of the little things right, but we just got thrown out a couple times. We were knocking at the door every inning, so it was bound to happen."
It was a return, as Rooney said, to "old school Cougar softball." There was no doubting that they would come through eventually and they did with some timely hitting and aggressive running.
"It was scrappy," he said. "There were some base-running blunders but the two plays at home plate, I wouldn’t have done anything differently. They were aggressive. We stole more bases today than we did in the whole conference. They knew that coming in, it was a young pitcher and catcher and I wanted to make them throw and catch and that’s how we scored our first run.
"Tournaments state tournaments, county tournaments, whatever it’s about playing good defense, having good pitching and having some timely hitting and running the bases well."
The Cougars have been there before. Stoltenberg was on the team that won the state title two years ago and is looking forward to the chance to help this year’s MHS squad go that far as well, though she’s not looking beyond the matchup with Cranford.
"We definitely all want to do it," Stoltenberg said. "There’s a lot of us who played on the 2004 team. We definitely want to bring it home again. For the younger players, they’re all so psyched and behind us 100 percent. We want it like any other team.
"In 2004," she added, "we had a chemistry and it’s being brought back. We all work so hard at practice and we’re all so close and that’s definitely what’s making us do so well right now is that chemistry between us, with our coaches included. Our fans support us 150 percent and that helps. Everyone just plays their hardest all the time."
It’s an attitude that has been cultivated through a regular-season schedule that could have given a lesser team into fits. Instead, the powerhouse schedule is paying off.
"I think it does," Rooney said. "There’s no deer in headlights. Montgomery softball used to be, oh my gosh, we’re playing one of the best teams in the county, or, oh my gosh, this team was ranked in the state last year. Our schedule is filled with the top teams in the state, our conference the competition is awesome. The biggest growth is, we dealt with the No. 1 seed in the county and got it done.
"It would be great to come out and scrap for another win Tuesday and get a sectional final at home would be exciting."

