Saturday,
May 23, 2015
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Freshman Nicole Franklin hit a two-out, two-run, bases loaded single in the top of the seventh inning to give 10th-seeded Pascack Valley a 3-1 upset of Mahwah in the North 1, Group 3 state sectional semifinals. |
MAHWAH – When the game is on the line and a team needs to come up with a big hit, most coaches hope that it is a senior with plenty of experience and poise who is at bat. In Friday's North 1, Group 3 state sectional semifinal the game tied, the go-ahead run was in scoring position and there were two outs in the seventh inning and Pascack Valley did not have the benefit of a veteran occupying the spot in the lineup that would likely decide the outcome.
Nope…it was freshman Nicole Franklin who strode to the plate in front of a big crowd in about as big a spot as a high school softball player could possibly find herself in. Franklin could have taken a pitch, she might have hoped for a walk or a wild pitch; anything thing that might get the all-important run home without having to swing the bat.
Forget it. Instead, Franklin jumped all over the first pitch she saw.
It turned out to be a brilliant strategy as the freshman lined a single to center to score two runs and that was the difference as 10th-seeded Pascack Valley scored a third straight state tournament upset and a second straight by pulling out a win in its last at-bat to advance to the section final with a 3-1 triumph over third-seeded Mahwah at Mahwah High School.
“I was just thinking about hitting the ball hard, nothing else,” said Franklin. “All I wanted to do was make sure that run scored from third.”
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Deanna Burbridge had two hits and added an outfield assist for Mahwah. |
Mahwah had a chance to get an early jump on the Indians in the bottom of the first inning. Deanna Burbridge led off with a single and beat out a flip to second on a fielder's choice to put runners at first and second with nobody out. Pascack Valley senior right-hander Alex Pleasic settled down and retired the next three batters to quell the threat.
Pascack Valley put up a run in the top of the second. Jenny Schneider singled and Carly Parenta followed with a double into the right-centerfield gap to bring her home for a 1-0 lead.
The Indians had a chance to tack on another in the third when the first of several wacky plays in the game occurred. Dana Shulman stroked a leadoff single and went to third on a wild pitch and passed ball with one out. Sydney Moitoza lined out hard to Mahwah first baseman Stephanie Kontanis, who attempted to double off Shulman but the throw got away. Shulman went back toward the third base bag before crossing the plate. However, the umpire ruled that she never tagged up and was ruled out on appeal for the standard 3-7-2-5 double play.
Then in the bottom half of the frame, the Thunderbirds were the beneficiaries of another rare call. With the bases loaded and one out, PV shortstop Olivia Beattie cleanly fielded a ground ball and fired home for an apparent force out. But when PV catch Gayle Pinchot turned and fired to first to try and complete the double play, the umpire ruled that her foot had been off of the plate, allowing the run to score that tied the game at 1. Thanks in large part to starting pitchers Pleasic and Mahwah's Nicole Curley, the score stayed that way until the seventh inning.
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Alex Pleasic threw a complete game five-hitter for Pascack Valley, which will play either Indian Hills or Sparta in the section final. |
After Curley retired the first batter in the top of the seventh, an infield error opened the door and Parenta followed with a single. The runners moved up on a groundout by Pinchot to set the stage for Franklin. It was as big of a pressure spot as she has ever been in on the softball field, but her demeanor as she stepped into the batter's box never showed it.
Franklin drilled a first-pitch fastball back through the box and into center field that scored courtesy runner Elizbeth Spadafino and Parenta to make it 3-1. The Indians needed just three outs from there to move on, but they would not come easy.
One-out singles by Emily August and Danielle Fisher sandwiched around a walk to Lexi Corra loaded the bases and put the tying run in scoring position. Pleasic battled through it by throwing the most important pitch of the game in a perfect spot. With a full-count and the bases packed, she whipped a fastball on the outside corner for a called strike three before striking out the next batter swinging as Pascack Valley reversed a regular-season loss to Mahwah and kept its season going
“We had a couple of tough calls go against us but we stayed positive and battled through it until our bats came around,” said Pascack Valley head coach Jessica Sachs. “With everything on the line, it was great to see us keep our head in the game and put those plays behind us quickly.”
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Pleasic struggled with her control (seven walks) but got all the big outs when she needed them. She picked up the win for Pascack Valley (18-11) by scattering five hits and striking out five. Parenta was the lone Indian to collect two hits. Burbridge paced Mahwah by going 2-for-3 with a run scored and added an outfield assist. Curley also gave up five hits and had five K's while issuing three walks.
The Indians are one game away from completing an improbable run to a section title. They will have plenty of time to think about it as the other semifinal in the bracket will not be played until Tuesday with ninth-seeded Sparta facing fourth-seeded and defending Group 3 state champ Indian Hills. With so much time before playing in a sectional final, this group is going to have the time to let what it has accomplished over the past week to really sink in.
“We've had our ups and downs this season but we know we can play with the rest of the teams in this tournament,” said Pleasic. “We have powered through a tough season and we're playing our best at the right time. We want to show everyone what kind of team we really are and this is our last chance to do that.”
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