SOFTBALL: Eastern grabs 2nd Hammonton title in 3 years
- Emily Serata drove in three runs in Vikings' win
- Rachel Waro struck out eight in complete-game effort
- Eastern's won 13 games in a row
HAMMONTON - Emily Serata brought the bat, Rachel Waro brought the arm and Eastern High School’s softball team brought the Hammonton Invitational Tournament title back to Voorhees.
With a 5-3 triumph over Bishop Eustace on Saturday, the Vikings (15-2) claimed the trophy for the second time in three years.
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“I’m a big believer in chemistry,” Eastern coach Laura Paquette said. “When push comes to shove, this team’s got great chemistry.”
That potential went untapped last year when the Olympic Conference squad got its walking papers in the first round of South Jersey’s best midseason bracket. This time, Paquette’s group displayed how it's turned possibilities into results.
Saturday’s two victories – the first, a 5-1 decision against Pinelands in the semifinals – pushed the Vikings’ win streak to 13.
As if in accordance with the coach’s belief, Serata gave the first push against the Crusaders. Her two-run single gave the Courier-Post’s No. 3-ranked club an early cushion.
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From there, Waro went to work. A walked-in tally in the second staked her to a 3-0 lead. She thrived with the edge.
After a leadoff single from Kristi DiMeo in the bottom of the frame, the sophomore retired 16 of the next 17 batters she faced.
The lone exception came on an error.
“Those runs are big,” Waro said. “It helps me calm down and gives me a boost of confidence.
“I always tell the girls to look at it like it’s a 1-1 game. It doesn’t matter if we’re up 10 or down 10, play the same either way.”
Fran Saam’s bloop RBI single in the fifth made it 4-0.
Even down a quartet of runs with little offense to speak of, Eustace wouldn’t go quietly.
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The fourth-ranked Crusaders (10-5) got a single from DiMeo with one out in the bottom of the sixth. After a strikeout, Camryn Rachuba reached on an error.
Izzy Dewes’ double in the gap scored one. Rachuba collided with Eastern catcher Raelyn D’Onofrio at the plate and the ball popped loose for another. Dewes herself came around to cross the plate for Eustace.
“It’s a snowball effect,” Crusaders’ coach Kat Dreitlin said of the burst. “I just think (early in the game), we were trying to rush our hits. We weren’t being patient.”
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Eustace’s push got met with Serata’s shove. She erased hopes of a comeback in the first at-bat in the top of the final inning.
She put her final touch – and run – on the contest with a bang. That’s the sound the blue scoreboard in left-center field made when Serata’s solo shot rang off it.
“Inside, letter-high, fastball,” she recalled of the fateful toss. “In the sixth, they scored three runs. Our team does pretty well with staying ahead.”
That’s the rub for this cardinal and navy edition. With high expectations last year, they struggled when ahead – and behind. Big hopes never materialized.
Errors and lack of situational awareness plagued the club.
Not in 2016.
“I think this year everyone just really respects one another,” four-year starter Maddie Morano said. “We’ve been all over the place and had a lot of underclassmen and pitchers step up.
“I can believe how well we’re playing. I wasn’t worried (after the sixth). We’ve been handling pressure pretty well.”
Paquette’s also noticed the wherewithal. She uses words like “good habits” and “confident demeanor” in reflection of her girls.
Out beyond the helix-like sprinklers in the farm fields bordered with pines, Waro – fresh off her eight-strikeout effort – spoke to that equation her coach went on to mention moments later.
“We have a lot of potential,” the right-handed hurler said. “I’ve seen a lot of great girls play at Eastern, but we haven’t always reached our potential.
“This gives us a lot of confidence. It shows our hard work has paid off.”
Mark Trible; (856) 486-2424; mtrible@gannettnj.com
EASTERN 5
BISHOP EUSTACE 3
Player of the game: Eastern right fielder Emily Serata drove in three of the her team’s five runs.
Play of the game: Up 4-3 in the top of the seventh, Serata hit a solo home run off the Hammonton scoreboard to put the game away.
Well said: “When push comes to shove, this team’s got great chemistry.” – Eastern coach Laura Paquette