Sunday, April 4, 2010

By Cory K. Doviak
NJS.com Editorial Director

Ashley DeYoung had four of Indian Hills' 13 hits in the Braves' 8-0 win at Pascack Valley.

HILLSDALE -- Indian Hills has had a fair share of success over the past three seasons. The Braves have won three straight league titles and were among the top handful of teams in Bergen County and a contender in the state tournament. But the resume could have been a little more impressive had Indian Hills been able to push across a run or two in key spots.

Stacked already in the other areas of the game with first team all-county pitcher Katie Enright returning, with experienced players filling the lineup, a solid defense and a firm grasp of the fundamentals, a little offense could go a long way for the Braves this season and if their first two games of this season are any indication, look out.

Indian Hills cranked out 13 hits, including five for extra bases, scored four runs in the opening inning and made a statement with an 8-0 win over a quality Pascack Valley team on Saturday afternoon in Hillsdale.

Jenny Arcello had one of Pascack Valley's three hits.

“We know we can hit, we know we can pitch, we know we can catch, we know we can field. We know all of that. We have experience even though we only have five seniors,” said Indian Hills head coach Joe Leicht. “We’ve done a good job the past few years touching the first three bases, but our whole theme this year is that we want to touch the fourth base a few more times. We are going to do whatever we can to touch the fourth base a couple of times because if we do we know we are pretty good with Katie on the mound.”

Indian Hills wasted not time in touching the fourth base against Pascack Valley, a team that beat Ramapo on Opening Day and won a Saturday morning matchup against highly regarded Mt. St. Dominic in tournament play at IHA. Kelly Strittmatter walked leading off the game for Indian Hills and then the carousel started turning.

Strittmatter stole second base and went to third on a single by Perri Goldberg, who then stole second base to put two runners in scoring position for Ashley DeYoung, who promptly delivered the first of her four hits in the game and the game’s first run. Enright followed with what looked like a sure base hit into rightfield, but she was thrown out at first base by PV’s Jess Prinzi and had to settle for an RBI and a 2-0 lead as Goldberg crossed the plate. An RBI double by Nicole Paiotti and a run-scoring single Morgan Levine gave Indian Hills four first inning hits and a 4-0 lead.

Katie Enright tossed a complete game four hitter with 8 Ks and no walks and added a home run on offense.

“Last year we were great at defense but our problem was that we couldn’t come through with hits when we needed them. But if we keep hitting like this, I don’t even know how what to say, but it is exciting to think about,” said Enright, who bats cleanup and had two extra base hits, a fifth inning double and a seventh inning solo home run, her second of the season in as many games. “It’s been going right for me. Last game I hit the home run in my first at bat of the season and I wasn’t expecting to hit another one, but I did in my last at bat. It was fun.”

Enright also seems to have had no problem with the extended pitching distance put in place this year. She has thrown from 43 feet in each of the last two summers and has yet to allow a run in two games this season. Her only trouble spot against Pascack Valley came in the opening inning when she allowed three of the four hits put up against her.

Nikki Bischoff led off with a single but a popped up bunt left her standing at first base. Bischoff was then caught stealing by DeYoung, the Indian Hills catcher, before Jenny Arcello and Dana Amato followed with consecutive singles that put runners on the corners with two outs. Enright (7 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 8 K, 0 BB) got the next hitter to ground out to Paiotti at third base to end the threat and then struck out the side in the second inning to restore her dominance.

Nicole Paiotti was 3-for-4 with 2 RBI a run scored and a double.

Meanwhile, the Braves just kept on hitting. They got a lead off single from DeYoung in the third and an RBI single from Paiotti, who knocked in courtesy runner Kara Pepper to give IH a 5-0 lead. The Braves had a chance to threaten the 10-run rule in the fourth when they loaded the bases with no outs, but their aggressiveness on the bases led to a play that is not often seen.

Strittmatter hit a rope to centerfield that Bischoff read perfectly. Moving to her right Bischoff picked off the ball for the first out and, with all three Indian Hills baserunners reading hit when the ball left the bat, threw into Arcello, who was covering second base, for the second out. With everyone now confused, Arcello threw to Melissa Messina, the third baseman, who ran down the line to tag the last stranded baserunner and complete the 8-6-5 triple play that got PV out of the inning.

Indian Hills also had an interesting turn at bat in the fifth when it got back-to-back one-out doubles by DeYoung and Enright, but did not score when an uncalled obstruction at third base kept Pepper from a clear path to the plate.

DeYoung rectified that in the top of the seventh when she collected her fourth hit of the game, a double that short-hopped the rightfield fence and allowed Goldberg, who was hit by a pitch, to score standing up from first base. Enright then delivered the booming home run to center field for Indian Hills’ eighth and final run.

Melissa Messina had a hit for Pascack Valley, which fell to 2-1 on the season.

“I went 0-for-3 in our first game, so I couldn’t wait to get up there and hit today,” said DeYoung, the Braves’ catcher who finished 4-for-4 with two doubles, two RBIs and the two runs scored that were plated by Pepper. “We went to scout Pascack Valley this morning, they beat Mt. St. Dominic and we knew they were good and that we would have our hands full. We knew we had to hit and we did that, so we are happy with the way we played today.”

So was Leicht, whose team is two games in to what could be a special season.

“We have 13 players that we feel can play varsity. We have options. We have people who didn’t play or got one at bat today who can play on our varsity team or any varsity team, so we even have some depth,” said Leicht. “The kids push each other, they want it, they worked like crazy in the offseason and so far so good.”

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