MUSTANG ROUNDUP
By: Rudy Brandl
The Manville High softball team nearly posted the upset of the season in last week’s game at Somerville.
Manville (3-13) held a 6-3 lead after scoring twice in the top of the sixth but couldn’t hold on. The Pioneers (10-6) rallied for four runs in the bottom of the sixth and held on for a 7-6 victory. The key blow was a two-out shot that turned into a three-run homer after a unusual, wicked hop in the outfield. It was a clean hit that took a bounce past the outfielders and tied the score. Two hits later, the Pioneers scored the game-winner.
"We had a near-perfect game," MHS head coach Ed Knapp said. "I’ve never seen a ball bounce like that in all my years of coaching. It was a frustrating loss."
Manville’s offensive leaders were Samantha Aichele, who had an RBI double to score Kim Jones a 5-3 lead in the sixth. Aichele scored on a wild pitch later in the inning.
Katie Lukacs was 3-for-4, Jones went 2-for-3 and Aichele was 2-for-4 with a walk.
The MHS girls also dropped games to South Hunterdon and Hackettstown last week. South Hunterdon completed a season sweep with a 7-4 win in Lambertville, while Hackettstown bolted to a 6-0 lead in the third inning en route to a 9-3 victory in Manville. The Lady Tigers needed that victory to clinch their first state playoff berth in 18 years.
Michelina Aichele smacked an RBI single for Manville’s only hit of the day. Losing pitcher Jones and Amanda Marcincavage also notched RBI in the game. Amanda Bron, Lisa Daniel and Deanna Zabawa scored the team’s runs. Jones struck out three and walked five in the loss.
Manville was scheduled to host Belvidere, Bernards and Somerville this week and entertain Mount St. Mary’s Academy next Monday before finishing the season on the road at Gill St. Bernards and Bernards next week.
Another tough one
for baseball team
The first time Tommy Rock pitched against South Hunterdon, he fired a no-hitter. Last week, the senior right-hander had things in control for about half the game until the visiting Eagles rallied for a 7-6 victory.
It wasn’t really Rock’s fault. He struck out 13 batters and allowed only five hits. The Mustangs played some sloppy ball behind him and South took advantage.
Manville scored four times in the bottom of the second to take a 5-1 lead, but South chipped away and eventually forged ahead with two runs in the top of the sixth. MHS tied it in the home half of the sixth but the Eagles scored the winning run in the seventh. This marked the third time this season Manville has lost a game in the seventh inning.
"South Hunterdon was a heart-breaker," MHS head coach Steve Venuto said. "Tommy struck out 13 but we put the ball on the ground and made some mistakes. We didn’t get the key hits."
Senior catcher Kyle Sopko went 3-for-4 with two runs scored to lead the Mustangs.
The next day’s game vs. Somerville wasn’t nearly as close. The Pioneers, one of the county’s top teams, rolled to a 15-3 victory.
Sopko had a single and a double to pace Manville’s six-hit attack, but that wasn’t nearly enough to match Somerville. The Pioneers pounded out 15 hits, many of them timely.
"They did all their damage against us with two outs," Venuto said. "We made an error or two, but they just hit the ball up and down the lineup."
Thursday’s 16-3 loss at Hackettstown ran the team’s losing streak to nine straight games. Anthony Palovick had two hits and an RBI in the loss. Brian Rock and Sopko also had two hits for the Mustangs. Chris Weber took the loss on the mound.
Manville, which broke its losing streak with a 13-6 triumph over Belvidere Saturday, was scheduled to play at Belvidere and Somerville this week and finish the season with home games vs. Gill St. Bernards and Bernards next week.