Wednesday, April 27, 2011

By Cory K. Doviak
NJS.com Editorial Director

Tori Sobel allowed jsut two hits and struck out 8 for Ramapo, which scored all of its runs in the final two innings of a 4-0 win over Bergen Tech.

HACKENSACK – The fine numbers made it look comfortable for the Ramapo softball team. A 4-0 win in a crisply played game that took less than an hour and 20 minutes to complete. But as late as the top of the sixth inning, Ramapo was anything but comfortable. In fact, the Green Raiders were still looking for their first hit off of Bergen Tech starter Mary Stuckey.

“We were playing well and Tori Sobel was pitching well, but those are the kinds of games that you sweat, especially because there is no fence out here [in the outfield],” said Ramapo head coach Leslie Stephen. “Any ball in the gap for either team was going to roll and you are always nervous, especially the longer the game goes on. It was going to be one big hit that made the difference.”

That hit came from Caitlyn Hickey, Ramapo’s sophomore second baseman and leadoff hitter was the first to bat in the top of the sixth inning. And just like her coach predicted, Hickey’s found the gap in right centerfield and the race was on.

“Our team was playing really well, we just needed to get one hit to start a rally and be able to score,” said Hickey. “When I saw the ball start rolling I was thinking it was all I could get and I just kept running. I was going as hard as I could and I knew I had to score.

Larissa Rosen had one of Bergen Tech's two hits in the game.

Hickey did score, standing up no less, and her run finally broke the seal for Ramapo, which got all five of its hits and all four of its runs in the final two innings. Coming off a one-run loss to Passaic Valley on Monday, the Green Raiders improved to 8-2 on cutoff day for the Bergen County Tournament where they earned the No. 7 seed.

It was a waiting game for Sobel, Ramapo’s senior starting pitcher who kept hanging up zeroes until her offense arrived in support. Sobel (5-2) allowed just two hits in the game, one over the first five innings and did not walk a batter in the game and struck out eight, including all six batters she faced in the second and third innings.

“It’s a team sport, so just have to keep supporting each other and getting fired up for every inning. You have to stay encouraging because the only way you are going to get anything done is if you stay positive and Hickey came up big in the sixth inning,” said Sobel. “After a disappointing less yesterday, we wanted to come out and get a good win before the county tournament [was seeded].”

For as well as Sobel pitched, she was matched pitch for pitch through the first five innings by Stuckey, who allowed just three base runners over that span, two on errors and one on a lead off walk issued to Lexi Graber to start the second inning. Hickey reached on errors leading off the game and with one out in the third and reached second base both times, but was stranded in scoring position.

Emily Brown drove in Ramapo's final two runs in the seventh inning.

But once Hickey finally circled the bases, the insurance runs followed shortly after. Christine Boylan reached on an infield single as the next batter after Ramapo took the lead and the Raiders proceeded to load the bases. Freshman cleanup hitter Melanie Psota singled and Graber walked to set up a sacrifice fly by JK McAvoy, whose flyball to left field scored Boylan and gave Ramapo a 2-0 lead.

After working around a one-out error in the bottom of the sixth to keep Bergen Tech (4-7) scoreless, Sobel got things started offensively in the seventh inning by drawing a leadoff walk. A single by Hickey, who reached base in all four of her plate appearances, then singled and her stolen base put two runners in scoring position for senior Emily Brown who came through with a two-out, two-run single that made it 4-0.

“Even though we couldn’t get much going for most of the game, we just had to stay relaxed,” said Brown, Ramapo’s centerfielder. “After Hickey got us a run, it made it easier for us just to and it keeps you encouraged when one person picks everyone else up.”

With 10 wins in 12 games and the No. 7 seed in the Bergen County Tournament, Ramapo is in position to make deep postseason runs.

“Ramapo is a team that has a history of doing very well in the county tournament, obviously the three-peat [from 2006 to 2008],” said Sobel. “Last year was kind of a rebuilding year and this year we kind of want to make a comeback and remake the name for ourselvs that every one knows about Ramapo.”

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