Tuesday, April 12, 2011

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

Erica Wills did it all for Wayne Hills, scattering nine hits on top of a 4-for-4 day at the plate with an RBI and a run scored in Monday's 5-3 win at Passaic Valley.

LITTLE FALLS - When Lauren Hertzberg took over as the Wayne Hills head softball coach four years ago, she knew she had a reclamation project on her hands. Not only was she throwing an inexperienced team on the field, but she was doing it in the old NBIL against the likes of Ramapo, Indian Hills, etc. But what she did see that year was that her young kids had the heart and the desire to become better players down the line.

While the success did not come immediately, the building blocks were starting to fall into place, including then-freshman Erica Wills. Fast forward to 2011 and Wayne Hills has emerged this season as one of North Jersey's best teams and it is Wills, now a senior, fulfilling the leadership role both in the circle and at the plate.

Wills went 4-for-4 at the plate and wiggled her way out of a one-out jams in both the fifth and sixth innings as Wayne Hills improved to 6-0 on the season with a quality 5-3 road win over Passaic Valley on Monday.

"We have a very balanced team, which definitely gives me a lot of confidence when I'm pitching," said Wills. "We hit the ball and run the bases well, and we are a real good defensive team. I think we've been used to being a low-key team that flies under the radar. Even though we're getting more attention now than we have in years past, we still see ourselves as an underdog and that gives us a little extra boost that we play with every game."

Passaic Valley's Liz Devenio went 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBI.

Wayne Hills got on the scoreboard in the top of the first when Emily Spazante led off with a single, moved to second on a bunt by Julia Slater, and came home on a single by Wills for a 1-0 lead. Spazante was again the sparkplug in the third when the Patriots broke the game open with a one-out single. Slater and Wills followed with seeing-eye singles to load the bases. Meg McVeigh roped a long single to bring in two runs, and Jaime Posophil followed with a double to plate two more for a 5-0 lead.

"You can't dig a five-run hole against a team like Wayne Hills or you're in trouble," said Passaic Valley head coach Chris Canning. "They found the holes on two straight hits and that allowed their big bats to get up with runners in scoring position. Wills is a real good player and she's tough to hit off of, so to come back from five down was a tough spot. But I don't think we were outclassed in any way. A hit dropping in here or there was the difference and it's an experience we can build off of in a positive way."

Passaic Valley got a run back in the bottom of the third when Jasmine Sconciafurno walked and came around to score on a single by Liz Devenio. Devenio was at it again two innings later when she drove in Kristina Bronkowski with a double and came home on an error to cut the lead to 5-3.

Jaime Posophil drove in two runs with a third inning double.

That brought the tying run to the plate, but Wills got consecutive strikeouts to end the threat. In the sixth, Kate Kallert doubled and Shannon Dillon followed with a single before stealing second to put the tying run in scoring position with one out. Once again, Wills bore down and got the big outs when she needed with a pop-up and a strikeout as the Patriots survived another tough test to stay unbeaten.

"There were some pressure when they got runners on (in the fifth and sixth), but I had to keep throwing strikes," added Wills. "Having so much trust in my defense definitely helps me settle down. I have the confidence that if I make good pitches, they will make all the plays behind me."

Wills did it all for Wayne Hills (6-0) scattering nine hits with two walks and five strikeouts, on top of a 4-for-4 day at the plate with an RBI and a run scored. Spazante scored a pair of runs and had a pair of hits, as did McVeigh.

Kallert took the loss in the circle, but went 2-for-3 at the plate for Passaic Valley (6-2). Devenio was the leader for the Hornets offensively going 3-for-4 with two RBI.

Wayne Hills' program is starting to come full circle and is no longer the plucky underdog that you cannot underestimate. With Wills among three seniors who started as freshmen, the Patriots finally have experience on their side and have championship aspirations.

"Our girls are riding high right now and we're having alot of fun along the way," said Wayne Hills head coach Lauren Hertzberg. "We have five seniors and three who started as freshmen who see all of their hard work paying off. Our goal going into this game was to have long at-bats and make the crucial plays in the field. Our goal overall is to work hard, but have fun doing it. The girls are really enjoying themselves right now and everyone is feeding off of everyone else's energy. It's a long season, but we're off to a real good start. We'll try to carry this momentum as far as it will take it us."

FOR MORE PHOTOS OF THIS EVENT OR TO BUY A COLLECTOR'S PRINT OF THIS GAME STORY, PLEASE VISIT 4FeetGrafix.com.