Allentown High School’s Mimi Crawford has the lead as runners begin the final lap of the 1,600-meter run at the May 6 dual meet between the Redbirds and host Hightstown High School. Crawford finished second. Allentown won the dual meet by a single point, 70.5-69.5. STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER ERIC SUCAR Allentown High School’s boys lacrosse team is the lone survivor in the Mercer County Tournament coming into this week after the Redbirds’ baseball team lost to perennial power Steinert High School, 6-2, in the semifinals on May 9 at Moody Park in Trenton.
Steinert (19-4) advanced into its 21st county tournament championship game on May 11 against Notre Dame High School and has won 15 titles.
The Redbirds (13-7-1), who lost to Steinert, 5-4, in their season-opener, came into the Steinert rematch in the tournament riding a four-game win streak. The Redbirds advanced into the semifinals with a 6-4 victory over Hopewell Valley Central High School, as Aydon Chavis continued his hot hitting of late, lashing a two-run single in the third inning to spot Allentown a 4-0 lead. Tommy McCarthy, who has led Allentown’s hitters with a .400 average, grounded in the first run, and Craig Sandford smashed a run-scoring single to make it 2-0.
In the Steinert rematch, Allentown scored two runs, helped by two hit batters and an error, and left two runners stranded in the fifth inning to cut into Steinert’s early 3-0 lead before Steinert’s starting pitcher struck out the next three batters.
Steinert padded its lead with three runs in the sixth, the first scoring on an error and the next two off a single and a steal of home. Zack Ruetsch had two of Allentown’s five hits. He also pitched five strong innings of relief when starter Anthony Morrone left with back problems.
“We played them tough the first time, and we played them tough again,” coach Brian Nice said. “We had our chances and talked about that before this game. And we did have our chances, and then three guys strike out [in the fifth inning], and some of that credit goes to their pitcher.”
Allentown’s other victories in the recent four-game streak included an 11-3 triumph over Princeton High School May 8, and an 11-10 county tournament win over Princeton Day School May 4, when Chavis collected three hits for three RBIs, Sandford smashed three hits for two RBIs and Jake Alessi drilled a walkoff single in the last inning. There also was a 9-6 victory over Hightstown High School May 2, as Alessi smashed three hits for four RBIs.
Along with McCarthy, Alessi has been swinging a hot bat this season, and Nice said that Ruetsch has done “more than expected at the plate,” while Jake Morse and Hal Shaw have hit consistently and driven the ball well at times.
Allentown’s girls lacrosse and softball teams were also eliminated last week from their Mercer County Tournaments. The lacrosse team dropped a dramatic quarterfinal, 11-10, to Princeton, which scored the winning goal with eight seconds left in the second overtime. Kali Hartshorn scored four goals and sister Marin fired in two as Allentown (8-6) saw an end to its sevengame win streak.
“We created opportunities for ourselves, but we couldn’t take advantage them,” coach Phil Ricci said afterward in words reminiscent of baseball coach Nice.
Although he has praised the efforts of goaltender Emma Timmons for his team’s success and said she “is getting better every game,” Ricci acknowledged the “phenomenal” play of Princeton’s goaltender.
“We lost momentum early in the second half, but once we regained it, I thought we had a good opportunity to hold the ball and have a last shot,” Ricci said.
Princeton avenged a 9-6 loss to Allentown earlier in the season when the Redbirds scored five unanswered goals in the second half.
All three of those teams must regroup for the upcoming state tournaments. Nice expects the baseball team to play Wall, which has knocked out Allentown a number of times over recent years in the state tournament, including two years ago.
“We stressed to the kids that they have to clean up [mistakes] and if we do that, we can play with anybody,” said Nice, as Allentown in 2008 won NJSIAA Group II. “We have to take something positive out of the county tournament that we came back after falling behind in two games of the tournament, including against Princeton Day when we trailed, 10-7, in the bottom of the sixth inning.”
Nice said his pitching will be ready for the state tournament with two more games left on the regular-season schedule on May 11 against Ewing High School and the following day against Hamilton High School West, as well as a nonconference game that may be picked up for May 15.
“We have to play our best baseball and get lucky — a call [by the umpire], a break, a bounce,” Nice said. “This is one of the most competitive sections of the state with Northern Burlington, Somerville, Wall and Steinert.”
He said everyone will be healthy and ready to go for the tournament, including Morrone, who complements a deep pitching staff that includes fellow seniors Tom Malik and Hunter Sherry. Nice said Sherry, who has four wins, “may be our best pitcher right now.” And Sandford has complemented them well at catcher as the team’s integral defensive player.
Girls lacrosse
Allentown (8-6) bounced back from its county tournament quarterfinals loss to Princeton with a 16-5 blitz of West Windsor Plainsboro High School South as Kali Hartshorn scored four goals and Maura Mc- Nutt and Andrea Trentacosti each fired in three. Marin Hartshorn had four assists. Allentown led, 12-3, at halftime. Along with Timmons, Ricci praised Alyssa Sloan as another integral figure in the team’s success after a slow start for her ground balls and hustle on offense and defense.
“Everybody benefits from the two of them stepping up and taking charge,” Ricci said. “We’ve become pretty dangerous and pretty patient.”
Boys lacrosse
The Redbirds advanced to the Mercer County Tournament semifinals when Kyle Moore’s three goals and three assists sparked a fourth-quarter rally for a 10-6 victory over West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North May 9. It was the eighth victory in the last nine games for Allentown, which also got three goals from Ryan Bramble and two from James Neebling. Connor Sullivan and Bramble each broke loose for four goals in an 18- 2 victory over Hamilton West in the opening round of the tournament. As a testament to the Redbirds’ balanced scoring, All-American standout Dakota Wojcik had one goal and one assist in the two victories.
Softball
Allentown (12-9) managed only four hits in a 4-0 Mercer County Tournament opening round loss to Hightstown, a team it beat, 2-0, five days earlier. Those games were sandwiched around a 1-0 loss to Notre Dame May 6 when Allentown had seven hits (two by Sarina Campanella). It beat Princeton, 8-3, May 6, and Ewing, 9-3, May 8.
Haley Storey scattered nine Princeton hits in that victory, as Kayla Peterson lined two triples for two RBIs, while Carly Bailey and Campanella each drove in two runs. Jane Minar collected three hits for two RBIs against Ewing, while Alyssa Ariano and Bailey each batted in two runs.