Thursday,
May 21, 2015
By Cory K. Doviak
NJS.com Editorial Director
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Allie Yaffee threw six innings of emergency relief and picked up the win in Lakeland's 7-6 win at Glen Rock in the North 1, Group 2 state sectional quarterfinals on Wednesday. |
GLEN ROCK – Scouting reports and game plans are no doubt a necessity. Knowing an opponent’s personnel, its playing style and its tendencies can provide that little extra edge that may make the difference in any game, but especially in the do-or-die circumstances of the state tournament. Scouting reports and game plans are also disposable as was proved when Lakeland visited Glen Rock on Wednesday afternoon in the North 1, Group 2 quarterfinals.
Natalie DeLuca has been a revelation in the circle for Lakeland. A freshman right-hander, DeLuca had won 14 games as the Lancers’ starting pitcher this season. Her emergence has allowed Lakeland head coach Laura Junta to also put her best defensive team on the field day in and day out.
But when Glen Rock pounded out four hits, two for extra bases, scored twice and made two other loud outs in the bottom of the first inning, Junta made the call to the bullpen, which was much more than a one-for-one switch.
Allie Yaffee, a senior and one of North Jersey’s top shortstops who had thrown a grand total of 10 innings all season, entered the circle to start the second inning and senior Jen Stoll, All-county centerfielder and Lehigh University commit, moved in to play shortstop. The twist there? Stoll is left-handed meaning that she played the toughest infield position basically in reverse.
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Zoe Bender had two hits, scored two runs and stole a base for Glen Rock. |
“We had some obstacles to overcome, absolutely. Going to the bullpen was not something that was part of the plan. Allie had thrown 10 innings all season, so to have go to her in the second inning, I was not expecting it,” said Junta. “My freshman pitcher [DeLuca] has been phenomenal all year. She is 14-4, she had a two-point-one ERA, so it is not a knock on her. Glen Rock was just ready for her pitches and her speed.”
It was crazy right until the end as Yaffee battled through the final six innings, especially the seventh where she got one final ground ball with the bases loaded and two outs as Lakeland held on for a 7-6 win and a spot in the sectional semifinals where it will play at Ramsey next week.
“I had no intention on pitching today. Natalie [DeLuca] has done a great job for us this year, so it was definitely a big surprise,” said Yaffee. “I just was trying to keep my cool and do my best. I haven’t pitched very much this season so I just tried to throw strikes and trust my defense behind me.”
This was no pitcher’s duel as both offenses got after it early. Sabina Riebenfeld’s two-out double in the top of the first gave Lakeland a 1-0 lead before Glen Rock’s first six hitters in the bottom of the first all hit the ball hard.
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Sabina Riebenfeld had two hits and an RBI for Lakeland, which will play Ramsey in the semifinals. |
Zoe Bender hit a leadoff double, stole third and scored on Rebecca Nathan’s sacrifice fly that was an out only because Stoll robbed an extra base hit, maybe even a home run, by crashing into the temporary fence in left centerfield and holding onto the ball. Carly Benjamin than doubled off that same leftfield fence and Ariel Schultz made it 2-1 with a single to right center. Yaffee, in her natural position for the time being, picked off a hot line drive for the season out and TL Brandisi caught the third out of the opening inning, a flyball to medium/deep leftfield.
The slugfest was officially on as Lakeland got a rally started with the bottom of its order in the top of the second. Kelly VonEnde’s singled out of the No. 7 spot leading off and Amanda Cook was hit by a pitch before Emily Gabriel moved both runners up with a sacrifice bunt. Stoll then singled to tie the game at 2 and Brindisi, usually a move-the-runners-up type of No. 2 hitter who has 53 sacrifice bunts in her career, poked a single into right field that made it 4-1. Lakeland tacked on two more runs in the third on RBI singles by Cook and Stoll to make it 6-1.
Yaffee threw three scoreless frames and took the five-run cushion in to the bottom of the fifth before Glen Rock started chipping away. Kristen Goodyear knocked in Schultz to make it 6-3 and the Panthers pushed an unearned run across in the sixth to get within 6-4.
With Yaffee deeper into a game than she has been all season, Lakeland got her a key insurance run in the top of the seventh. An error allowed Caroline Lindner to reach safely leading off and pinch runner Grace Montelsene scored on a two-out error three batters later.
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Glen Rock shortstop Kristen Goodyear had three hits, an RBI and scored a run. |
That run turned out to be the difference in the game as Glen Rock made its last push. Goodyear (3-for-4, RBI, R) reached on an infield single leading off and Vix Small’s sacrifice bunt turned out better than expected when an error made it second and third with no outs. Kate Kelly’s groundball RBI made it 7-5, Small scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-6 and, with two outs and the bases empty, Yaffee walked Bender, who can fly and represented the tying run.
An infield single and a fielder’s choice on which Bender just beat the play at third, loaded bases with the game resting on one final at bat. Yaffee hit the outside corner, which induced the groundball that Lindner grabbed at first base to close out the win, Lakeland’s 17 of the season against just five losses.
“We wanted to make it interesting for the fans,” said Stoll with a laugh and a sigh of relief. “We are happy that we are moving on to the semifinals. If you would have told us at the beginning of the season that we would have 17 wins and be in the semifinals I don’t know if anybody would have believed it. We are enjoying it, but we don’t want it to end here.
The loss ended Glen Rock’s state tournament run, but the Panthers still have something to play for. They will take on Hawthorne on Thursday and a win there would lift them into a tie with Rutherford for a league title.
“It is not going to be hard at all to get the girls up [for the Hawthorne game],” said Glen Rock head coach Kelly Dowell. “This was disappointing, but we know that we can get right back out there tomorrow and play for a league title. That would be quite an accomplishment and a great reward for this group.”
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