Sunday, May 20, 2012

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

Lexi Knief after circling the bases for a home run that set Ramsey on its way to a 13-3 win over Pascack Hills in the Round of 16.

EMERSON – Over the course of this season Ramsey has proven an offensive force that the likes of which have not been seen in quite some time. The Rams have been just about upset proof as they continue to slug upset-minded opponents into submission. Pascack Hills was the latest challenger and a dangerous one at that, having won 15 out of their past 16 games. But the Rams got a couple of breaks in the second inning and it was all they needed to seize control.

A two-out error brought home two runs and Lexi Knief followed with a two-run shot to left as second-seeded Ramsey pulled away for a 13-3, six-inning triumph over Pascack Hills, the No. 15 seed, in Saturday’s Bergen County Tournament Round of 16 game at Emerson High School.

“Every game our goal is to score first and set the tone, which we did today,” said Knief, a senior shortstop who will play at Penn State next year. “We try to put as much pressure on the other team as we possibly can. We hit the ball well today off of a real good pitcher and that definitely gives us a boost of confidence.”

Pascack Hills's Briana Musco had two hits and drove in a run.

After Ally Mende walked to lead off the inning, an outfield error put runners on second and third. Pascack Hills’ freshman right-hander Robyn Abaunza, who came into the game with an ERA of just over 1.00, settled down to strikeout the next two batters, but a ground ball off the bat of Nicole Gravalis went through the legs of an infielder, allowing both runners to score for a 2-0 lead. With one swing of the bat, Knief doubled that lead. She went with an outside fastball and hit it deep to left. It stayed inside the fence, but with Knief’s blinding speed, she rounded the bases at full speed and beat the relay throw to the plate to make it 4-0.

Pascack Hills battled back to make it a game in the top of the third with Brianna Musco driving in a run on a single to left and Sammy Miller also knocking in a run on a ground out to slice the lead to 4-2. But in the bottom half of the inning, the Rams responded in style with five runs. They had six hits in the inning, including two-run singles from Arielle Schulmann and Knief to put the game away with a 9-2 lead.

“I struck out my first time up and I wanted to make up for that,” said Schulmann, a senior first baseman. “I was very anxious and had to calm myself down. My second time up, I was just thinking of what I could do to help the team. With the bases loaded, if I hit the ball hard, I know I could bring home at least one run and that’s what I focused on.”

Arielle Schulmann had a two-run single in the bottom of the third to help break the game open.

Melissa Gwon ripped a two-run single in the bottom of the sixth to put into the effect the mercy rule for Ramsey (22-0), which has beaten 19 of its 22 opponents by at least six runs. Knief drove in four runs and Schulmann three to back Mende, who scattered seven hits to pick up the win. Lindsay Marella went 3-for-3 to pace the offense for Pascack Hills (20-4). Musco and Abaunza each collected two hits.

Ramsey moves onto the next weekend’s Bergen County Quarterfinal round at IHA. There they will face an old NBIL rival and No. 10 seed Northern Valley/Old Tappan, which upset seventh-seeded Paramus Catholic, 7-4. The Rams will be tested by a team with some offensive firepower of their own in Old Tappan. Their approach towards winning championships remains the same though, no matter who is in the opposing dugout.

“Every game is like a championship game to us and we pride ourselves on never looking past or underestimating anyone,” added Knief. “It’s been a long season, but now it’s crunch time. We’ve been very successful, but it’s going to get a lot harder from here on out. We have to raise our level of play even more because every game is basically do-or-die.”

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