Thursday, June 26, 2008

By Brett Berliner
NJS.com Student Intern

RIDGEFIELD PARK --  It may have only be a summer league game designed more to hone individual player skills and develop team chemistry for the 2009 high school softball season, however, Wednesday night's UGALS tilt between the Old Tappan Pirates and the Ridgefield Park Scarlets started off with a bang and kept the action going all night long.

From the first inning the Old Tappan maintained its composure and talent as it started its offensive onslaught with NVOT junior-to-be third baseman Mia Assante's RBI double. In addition, junior-to-be pitcher, Jennifer Capazzi, made an immediate impact for the Pirates on the offensive end as she drove in a run with a ground out. Old Tappan took a commanding 4-0 lead by the end of the first inning.

But that wasn't the end of the night for Capazzi.

The confident 16-year-old right-hander was dominant in the pitching circle and added a fourth-inning an RBI triple. Capazzi finished with fout RBI for the evening, a two-hitter, and 11 strikeouts, leading Old Tappan to an 11-0 shutout.

"Overall we (Old Tappan) did very good," said Capazzi. "Everybody made their plays out on the field and we all initiated excellent teamwork. Although a couple of seniors have left our roster and left us a little inexperienced, I feel that we're adjusting excellently. This will only get us stronger for the 2009 spring season."

"This is the future of Old Tappan softball," said Old Tappan interim coach Warren Giacomelli, who is also the father of junior-to-be catcher Jamie Giacomelli. "Our pitcher did a remarkable job with those 11 strikeouts, helping our Varsity girls to a nice victory."

Giacomelli and NVOT head coach Melissa Landeck lead a UGALS roster which features an excellent hybrid of contact hitting and crisp, precise pitching. The 2009 roster will include three senios, four juniors, and three new sophomores. Wednesday night's win marked the Pirates' third consecutive victory and keeps their untarnished record (3-0) intact.

Although the Lady Scarlets had a tough loss they exhibited determination and a poised composure all throughout the game. They were skippered by Ridgefield Park varsity assistant and junior varsity head coach Andrea Lella.

"This summer program is very good," Lella said. "It's true that a lot of changes are made during off-season and you lose a lot of valuable players, but this gives an opportunity for a lot of young players to come in that have never pitched before or have hit before."

"Tonight's performance was very tough. We play against our big competition (River Dell) next week, so our ladies need to focus on just not being intimidated. There are a lot of young players coming in for next year's season who, even now, feel that great pressure coming up to bat against an upperclassman pitcher who has been in these surroundings before. Hopefully we'll make the proper adjustments."

Although Ridgefield Park has its work cut out for them with the upcoming matchup against River Dell, Old Tappan also will face River Dell next week. In addition, the Pirates will face the Hawthorne Bears and one of the top UGALS teams this year, Tenafly.

TO BUY A COLLECTOR'S PRINT OF THIS GAME STORY, PLEASE VISIT 4FeetGrafix.com.