Ten years later, still the best MHS softball team

Herrera led Manville to county, sectional finals in 1997

By: Rudy Brandl
   Can you believe it’s been 10 years?
   Exactly one decade ago, the Manville High softball team played for the Somerset County and Central Jersey Group 1 championships. Although the MHS girls lost two heartbreaking games to their arch rivals from Bound Brook in a five-day span, that season ranks as one of the most memorable I’ve covered in my 18 years with the Manville News.
   Only the wrestling teams of the mid-1990s can rival the excitement and drama of that 1997 softball season. I can’t recall covering another MHS team that posted an 18-4 record and competed for the county and sectional title in the same season. That’s a rare accomplishment indeed.
   There have been many changes in the MHS softball program since 1997, a year when senior pitcher Gina Herrera was dominant in the circle for veteran head coach Michele Sniscak. Three head coaches and two league realignments later, the Lady Mustangs haven’t made it back to the county or sectional final. They haven’t even come close.
   Sniscak, a very intense coach who always had her club well-prepared in the fundamentals of the game, stepped down after the 1998 season. She’s still teaching in the district but has not returned to the dugout. Jim Sala and Kelly Burns had brief stints as head coach before Ed Knapp took over in 2002.
   Herrera graduated a few weeks after the team’s brutal 3-2 loss in the sectional final and the team took a step back in subsequent seasons. Meaghan LiBrizzi, the flashy freshman shortstop on the 1997 team, continued to lead the way for the next three years, including two as the team’s pitcher. The Lady Mustangs qualified for the state playoffs all four years with LiBrizzi on the team, advancing to the sectional semifinals one other time.
   Manville remained competitive in the Valley Division before moving down to the Sky Division after the Mountain Valley Conference’s realignment in 2003. MHS dominated that division, often rolling to lopsided victories that were downright embarrassing.
   This year, Manville experienced some tough losses by wide margins in the powerful Skyland Conference. Facing bigger schools on a regular basis, the Lady Mustangs struggled.
   Back in 1997, the size of the opposing school did not matter. Manville eliminated Hillsborough and Bridgewater-Raritan, two of the fastest growing schools in the county, to reach the SCT final. Bound Brook, another small Group 1 school, also had little trouble knocking off the big teams.
   The big schools have dominated the Somerset County Tournament in the new millennium. Group 4 Hillsborough has been to the last six county finals, winning three titles. Montgomery, Watchung Hills and 2007 champ Immaculata have also enjoyed success in the last decade.
   Bound Brook finished a perfect 31-0 season as State Group 1 champions under veteran coach Steve Kania, who won his 300th game in that gut-wrenching 1997 sectional final. The Crusaders survived their two biggest scares of the season in that five-day span in late May of 1997.
   The biggest crowd that I’ve ever seen at a Manville softball game came to support their team in the county final, which was played on the Saturday night of Memorial Day weekend under the lights at North Branch Park. Bound Brook raced to a 2-0 lead but the Manville girls didn’t quit. In fact, they almost rallied to tie the game in the top of the seventh inning.
   First baseman Tracie Zakarzewski lined the first pitch from hard-throwing righty Heather Yarashas into left field for a single. Herrera popped up to second and Jessica Weaver, one of three freshmen in Manville’s starting lineup, struck out swinging at a high fastball. Down to their last out, the MHS girls didn’t go quietly.
   Designated hitter Jamie Brown worked the count and drilled a 3-2 pitch to right field for a base hit sending Zakarzewski to third base. Sniscak went to the bench and called on Kristy Yenchik as a pinch hitter. Brown took off for second on a 1-1 pitch and Bound Brook catcher Kate Jannuzzi tried to cut her down for the game-ending out. The ball went into center field allowing Zakarzewski to score and Brown to move to third. Brown almost tried to score when the throw from the outfield rolled into foul territory but she scampered back to third when Bound Brook recovered the ball.
   With the tying run standing at third, Yenchik bounced out to second base on a 3-2 pitch to end the game.
   Five days later came an even tougher loss to swallow. Again, Manville fought back after falling behind 2-0. This time, the Lady Mustangs came all the way back against Yarashas and forced extra innings.
   Bound Brook won the game on a bang-bang play in the bottom of the 10th when Jen Zappulla, the team’s fastest player, sprinted home after Herrera fielded a slow roller and fired to first base for the second out of the inning. Zappulla took off for home plate after Herrera checked her back to third base and fired to first.
   Herrera is probably still wondering if she should have held the ball. I remember her second-guessing her decision in the post-game interviews. It wasn’t an easy call, especially in the heat of the moment under all that pressure.
   The post-game atmosphere was the most solemn I can remember after a Manville sporting event. Sniscak and her players were devastated. Tears welled up in everyone’s eyes, not just the players and coaches. The parents and fans were very emotional after coming so close to beating an undefeated powerhouse for the second time in less than a week.
   But, as many coaches have told me in the last 10 years, you can only feel those powerful emotions if you’ve accomplished something special to put yourself in a position to win something meaningful. This gritty group of softball players was on the brink. They deserved at least a split of those two thrilling games.
   Although they didn’t produce a victory or championship trophy, they provided thrills and memories to last a lifetime. As is the case with most great teams, the Lady Mustangs had a fantastic leader.
   Herrera carried Manville with her powerful right arm and dangerous bat, but her leadership and determination were equally important. The consummate competitor, Herrera pitched every inning during her four-year varsity career and finished with exactly 500 strikeouts. Herrera started her career with a no-hitter and fired another no-hitter in her final home game to lead Manville into the CJ 1 title game.
   She finished her brilliant scholastic career with a 49-28 record allowing 115 earned runs and 352 hits in 496 innings. Herrera fired 10 of her 19 career shutouts in her senior season, a year in which she also fanned a career-best 185 batters in 146 innings.
   The team was blessed with many talented athletes and role players. There were only two other seniors on the roster – speedy third baseman and dangerous slap hitter Karyn Gergor and reserve player Christina Tackach – so this was actually a very young team.
   LiBrizzi and freshman outfielders Natasha Streeter and Jessica Weaver made major impacts in their first year of high school ball. LiBrizzi hit .380 with 20 RBI and a team-leading 27 runs scored, while Streeter led the team in batting (.396) and Weaver wasn’t far behind (.346).
   First baseman Zakarzewski and second baseman Kylene Clark, a pair of juniors, were rock-solid on the right side of the infield. Zakarzewski provided pop in the cleanup spot and Clark was a dependable leadoff batter.
   Other players on the 1997 team included junior center fielder Christine Rogus, junior catcher Lisa Rivera and Yenchik and Brown, who saw action in the outfield and designated hitter position.
   Although most of the players returned for another year of high school softball, they never recaptured the glory and excitement of that 1997 season. Ten years later, those girls are probably still talking about it.