Sunday, June 7, 2015

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

The celebration is just getting started after Alli Dudek (right) singled in the game's lone run in the bottom of the seventh inning in IHA's 1-0 win over Notre Dame in the Non-Public A state final on Saturday afternoon.

UNION – For a team to have won 30 of its 33 games heading into the final day season is an accomplishment that any coach in New Jersey would take without so much as a second thought. But when IHA is on the front of a softball player’s jersey, it is not necessarily how many games the team has won, its success is measured in championship trophies. After a bitter loss to Northern Highlands in the Bergen County final last week there was only one more title for the Blue Eagles to shoot for: the Non-Public A state championship.

While playing for a state title is nothing new to the IHA program, being a decided underdog in that final game certainly is. Notre Dame has been one of the better teams in New Jersey all year and has played like it throughout the state tournament. When the teams clashed on Saturday at Kean University, neither team gave so much as an inch.

Sophomores, Olivia Sprofera, IHA’s left-handed starter, and Notre Dame’s Angela Giampolo were locked in a classic pitcher’s duel. It was evident as the innings wore on that whichever team made the first break was going to walk away a state champion.

While Sprofera was lights-out in the circle to keep the Blue Eagles in a position to win, it was another a trio of underclassmen who ensured that it finally happened. Reagan Jones led off the bottom of the seventh with a bunt base hit, Sonia Sharma moved her up on a sacrifice bunt, and Alli Dudek lined a two-out single back up the middle to plate Jones with the only run of the game as Immaculate Heart Academy won its state record 10th Non-Public A state title with a thrilling 1-0 triumph in Union.

“I knew this was a huge game, I just tried to stay focused on getting ahead in the count on every batter,” said Sprofera. “I changed speeds and moved the ball around a lot to keep them off-balance. After losing the county final, we had to put it behind us because we had so much more to play for.”

Notre Dame sophomore Angela Giampolo gave up just four hits in taking the tough-luck loss.

Sprofera came out on fire, striking out three of the first four batters she faced. She never allowed a stacked Notre Dame lineup to get comfortable, but the Fighting Irish did threaten in the second inning.

Amanda Ferlisi singled and Brighid Douglas drew a walk to put runners on first and second with one out. Sprofera struck out the next batter and Jones handled a hot shot along the third-base line and stepped on the bag for the force that ended the threat.

IHA had a chance of its own in the bottom half of the inning starting with a leadoff walk by Taylor Gallagher. Jones was unable to move the runner over with two failed bunt attempts before striking out looking on the next pitch. While it was admittedly a poor at-bat, it fueled Jones’ heroics for later in the game.

“I didn’t get the bunt down and I was pretty mad at myself about it,” said Jones. “But I knew the situation would come up again and I’d be ready.”

Sharma moved the runner over with a sac bunt but a diving play by Douglas at second base saved a run and kept the game scoreless heading into the third inning.

IHA had another chance in the fourth with two runners in scoring position, but Giampolo induced a fly ball to get out of the jam. However, for the remainder of the game it was Sprofera and Giampolo trying to one-up one another and give their respective teams one more chance to push that elusive run across the plate.

IHA's Reagan Jones touching third on her way to scoring the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh.

Notre Dame had a chance in the top of the seventh on the only extra-base hit of the day, a two-out double into the right-center field gap by Alyssa Giampolo. Sprofera wiggled out of trouble by getting a groundball to Sharma at second to end the inning.

With the prospect of extra-innings looming, the Blue Eagles knew they had to make something happen offensively. That pressure fell on the shoulders of Jones leading off the inning. The sophomore delivered by atoning for her first-inning at-bat by dropping down a perfect bunt, then hustling down the line to beat the throw for a leadoff single.

“I knew I had to get on and I saw that the corners were back a bit so I went for it,” said Jones, a sophomore. “(Giampolo) is a really good pitcher, but we had to keep attacking. All the little things we work on in practice are what we take into the game. We wanted to come home today with something and we all had to step up when it counted.”

Sharma did a great job by getting down her third sacrifice bunt in as many attempts to get Jones into scoring position. Giampolo got a strikeout for the second out. That brought Dudek to the plate with a chance to be the hero and she wasted no time in becoming one.

Dudek lined the first pitch she saw back up the middle and into centerfield for a basehit. Jones came around third base and used a head-first hook slide to beat the throw and to score the only run of the game as IHA became the first program in the history of New Jersey to win 10 state titles.

IHA sophomore Olivia Sprofera threw a four-hit shutout and struck out 9.

“I just had to be confident when I went up there and did what I had to do,” said Dudek. “(Giampolo) was throwing strikes all day on the first pitch, so I thought I’d get a good pitch to hit. It was an outside pitch and I was able to drive it back up the middle.”

Sprofera, who has spilt time in the circle this season with freshman Katie Kudlacik, emerged in the state tournament and finished it off with another shutout for IHA, which finished the season with a 31-3 record. She tossed a four-hitter with two walks and nine Ks. Giampolo took the hard-luck loss for Notre Dame (28-3) by also allowing just four hits with one walk and two strikeouts.

With a state championship in hand, the Blue Eagles erased the feeling of losing the county final and were able to end their season with some hardware to show for their hard work. More importantly, with every player returning next year this team has a chance to repeat as not just a state champion but also as New Jersey’s best team.

“For us to play a clean game in our biggest game of the year, that shows all the hard work we put in from day one,” said IHA head coach Anthony Larezza. “When we lost to Northern Highlands, they took everything we were about and threw it out of the equation early. We’re about staying close, staying focused, playing good defense, then getting the key hits at the end when we need it.

“Our players worked really hard to get to this point and our staff (Ali Bryan and Diana Fasano) do such a great job to keep us focused every single day. Ali called a great game for us and Diana seems to say the right thing at the right time to keep the kids on track. We came in with a game plan and executed it, especially when it mattered most.”

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