Extra Bases: Bergen County Tournament Round of 16 Preview

With the Bergen County Tournament Round of 16 a little over 24 hours away, here’s a preview of all eight games set to take place on Saturday.

BERGEN COUNTY TOURNAMENT
Round of 16 Preview

THE IHA BRACKET
No. 1 Immaculate Heart (19-1) vs. No. 16 Rutherford (16-4), at Emerson, noon
How they got here: IHA beat No. 32 Emerson, 10-0; Rutherford beat No. 17 Ridgewood, 3-2.
Expected pitching matchup: IHA’s Steph Thomas vs. Rutherford’s Julie Sosnicki
Hitters to watch: IHA’s Daniella Ibarra and Ally Vergona; Rutherford’s Ally Paskas and Kat Calabrese

IHA notes: The Blue Eagles are the two-time defending champions and looking to become just the second team in BCT history to three-peat. IHA started the week with back-to-back perfect games from Rachel Pollard and Steph Thomas and was recently ranked the No. 17 team in the country by USA Today and No.18th-ranked in MaxPreps Xcellent 25. With its 4-0 win over Holy Angels on Thursday, IHA clinched the outright Big North United Division title. Shortstop Daniella Ibarra (.579, 33-for-57) and catcher Ally Vergona (.456, 26-for-57) are leading the Blue Eagles in average, while Cassidy Trause (18 RBI), Vergona (17 RBI) and Angelina McGuire (17 RBI) are IHA’s top run-producers. Thomas is 16-1 with a 0.48 ERA. IHA is 71-2 in its last 73 games.

Rutherford notes: Ally Paskas has never played IHA in her four years and after Monday’s win over Hawthorne, she said she and the Lady Bulldogs were looking forward to the challenge. “We’re actually pumped,” Paskas said, after ripping what was probably the longest home run ever at Hawthorne’s home field on Monday. “I’ve never played IHA before, so it’ll be cool to go out and get a shot to play the best team in the county. We have nothing to lose.” Rutherford will need production from Paskas (12 HR, 39 RBI) in the middle of the lineup, and Kat Calabrese and Julie Sosnicki at the top to have a shot to upset the No. 1 Blue Eagles. They’ll also need a strong outing from Sosnicki — Rutherford’s all-time leader in wins and strikeouts — in the circle, because runs are at a premium anytime Steph Thomas takes the mound. Rutherford is 12-2 in its last 14 games, with its only two losses coming to Indian Hills on April 20 (10-2) and Mount St. Dominic on April 27 (4-2).

No. 8 Paramus Catholic (11-7) vs. No. 9 Ramsey (17-3), at Emerson, 2 p.m.
How they got here: Paramus Catholic beat No. 25 Hasbrouck Heights, 10-0; Ramsey beat No. 24 Ridgefield Park, 9-0.
Expected pitching matchup: Paramus Catholic’s Samantha Buse vs. Ramsey’s Jess Juhlin
Hitters to watch: Paramus Catholic’s Stephanie Triola and Janelle Marchesani; Ramsey’s Nicole Mazzella and Kayla Gravalis

Paramus Catholic notes: With that 1-5 start now long history, the Lady Paladins feel they’re good enough to make a deep run in the BCT. Just hours before being awarded the No. 8 seed two weeks ago, Stephanie Triola and Samantha Buse both agreed that if PC plays well, they can win the whole thing. They’ve already shown Bergen County they can beat the best (IHA), and a possible third meeting could be in store should should PC get by Ramsey on Saturday. Triola and Janelle Marchesani are both capable of hitting the long ball, while Alyssa Neal is a tough out at the top of the lineup, too. And as of Sunday, Heather Ronchi was the team leader in hits, with 19. PC also has one of the best coaches in North Jersey in Frank Baldino, who will be taking on one of his former teams on Saturday. Baldino coached Ramsey to a Bergen County record 51 straight wins during the 1991-92 seasons.

Ramsey notes: Rams coach Chris Caserta said a few weeks ago that the consensus around the area was that with everyone the Rams graduated last year, everyone thought Ramsey softball graduated, too. Well, not exactly. Ramsey has won 17 of its first 20 games, some in blowout fashion, some in walkoff fashion, as the Rams have proven throughout the year they can win in a multitude of ways. The Big North Patriot Division champions are getting production all throughout the lineup, but it’s been Nicole Mazzella, Kayla Gravalis and Melanie Consiglio that have been doing the most damage in the middle of the lineup. Ramsey also has a knack for delivering big hits when it needs to — a nice attribute to have during tournament time. The Rams could go with either Jess Juhlin or Katie Olson in the circle, but it was Juhlin who fired a no-hitter in the their opening round win over Ridgefield Park and a four-hitter vs. Mahwah to clinch the division title. One more Ramsey note: It has won nine games this year by one or two runs. Translation: They find ways to win.

THE SADDLE BROOK BRACKET
No. 4 Saddle Brook (20-1) vs. No. 13 Mahwah (12-7), at Saddle Brook, 10 a.m.
How they got here: Saddle Brook beat No. 29 Westwood, 4-0; Mahwah beat No. 20 Park Ridge, 9-1.
Expected pitching matchup: Saddle Brook’s Alexia Russo vs. Mahwah’s Danielle Iacovo
Hitters to watch: Saddle Brook’s Lorena Alvarez and Ashley Russo; Mahwah’s Julieanne Vesce and Katie Clarke

Saddle Brook notes: The Falcons are one of the hottest teams in North Jersey right now, winners of 15 straight after their 14-0 win over St. Mary on Thursday. With that win, Saddle Brook became the first North Jersey team to 20 wins, and also clinched their 16th straight season of 20+ wins, something coach Darren White is proud of (and should be). Pitcher Alexia Russo has fired four straight shutouts and is 13-1 with a 0.98 ERA and 121 strikeouts on the year. She’s also batting .486 with 28 RBI and 26 runs from the 4-spot in the order. Right in front of her, SS Lorena Alvarez is batting a team-best .508 with 36 RBI, nine doubles and six HR. And setting the table for those two have been leadoff hitter Ashley Russo (.438, 31 R, 16 steals) and freshman Taryn DiGiacomo (.444, 24 R, eight doubles). White called DiGiacomo Saddle Brook’s nice little lefty surprise this year. And watch out if Gina Gravina gets on base… she’s one of the top base stealers in the county in the 8-hole, and will be playing at Ramapo next year.

Mahwah notes: I haven’t seen Mahwah play, but from what I hear from coaches around the area, Thunderbirds pitcher Danielle Iacovo is a good one. Iacovo will need to successfully navigate her way through a tough Saddle Brook lineup if Mahwah wants to advance to the BCT quarterfinals. If our JerseySports.com stat page is correct, it looks as if six Thunderbird starters are currently hitting .300 or better, led by  Julieanne Vesce (.379, 3 HR, 24 RBI), Taylor Alexander (.359) and Katie Clarke (.350).

No. 5 Midland Park (18-1) vs. No. 12 Paramus (12-8), at Saddle Brook, noon
How they got here: Midland Park beat No. 37 Wood-Ridge, 4-2; Paramus beat No. 21 River Dell, 3-2.
Expected pitching matchup: Midland Park’s Katie Kontos vs. Paramus’ Tori Petruzzella
Hitters to watch: Midland Park’s Victoria Bell and Michelle Passero; Paramus’ Kelsey Settecasi and Noel Hodgins

Midland Park notes: This is a huge game for the Panthers to show the county they really did deserve that No. 5 seed, going up against returning county finalist Paramus in the second round. Midland Park is 4-1 against Top 25 teams this year, with wins over Old Tappan, New Milford, Ramsey and Park Ridge, and has won 14 straight games entering Friday. Katie Kontos has been having a big year both on the mound and at the plate, and just recently either no-hit, or one-hit (depending on whose book you look at), a good-hitting Park Ridge team on Monday. Aside from Kontos’ offensive production, Victoria Bell has been another big run-producer for the Dirty Dozen. PS – I want a Dirty Dozen T-Shirt.

Paramus notes: The Spartans have tournament pedigree, currently sitting with a Bergen County record 71 wins in the BCT, and are coming off a run to the tournament finals last year. Only thing is, coach Brian Hay has just about a brand new team this season, aside from a few players, and the inexperience has shown at times. But the talent has shown as well, with a season sweep of Ramapo and other good wins over Rutherford and Old Tappan. When I saw the Spartans vs. Saddle Brook, a few weeks ago, the defense was shaky, but the top three in the lineup were impressive with Kelsey Settecasi (a sophomore captain, which is saying something), Noel Hodgins (a player PC coach Frank Baldino, who I was watching the game with, said was very good) and Ashley Cantone (who went 2-for-2 with a walk against SB’s Alexia Russo). The talent is there, it’s just a matter of which teams shows up.

THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION BRACKET
No. 3 Immaculate Conception (18-1) vs. No. 14 Lyndhurst (15-5), at Old Tappan, 4 p.m.
How they got here: Immaculate Conception beat No. 25 Ridgefield, 7-0; Lyndhurst beat No. 19 Pascack Valley, 8-3.
Expected pitching matchup: Immaculate Conception’s Sarah Piening vs. Lyndhurst’s Casey Zdanek
Hitters to watch: Immaculate Conception’s Lea Georgatos and Shannon Truppi; Lyndhurst’s Zdanek and Julie Schneidenbach

Immaculate Conception notes: The pitching of Sarah Piening and Andee Lupica, coupled with a lineup featuring some of the best hitters in North Jersey, like Shannon Truppi, Lea Georgatos, Erin Stacevicz, Samantha Krakower and Gabby Slade have the Blue Wolves envisioning a BCT title this year. Piening and Lupica, IC’s pair of freshmen pitchers, have combined for 13 shutouts this year, including combining on a no-hitter in the Blue Wolves’ first round win over Ridgefield, while the offense is scoring over 9.3 runs per game. Immaculate Conception has only played twice since suffering its first loss of the year to IHA at the HOFS on April 27. Piening got the ball against IHA, and I expect coach Jeff Horohonich to go with her again on Saturday, although H says he’s comfortable throwing either in big games. He does like Lupica at 3B, though, where I’ve seen her make several nice plays this year.

Lyndhurst notes: The Bears have quite a schedule coming up. How’s this for a three-game stretch… vs. Park Ridge today, with a healthy Emily Kline back in the circle; vs. Immaculate Conception in the BCT second round on Saturday; at New Milford on Monday with the NJIC Liberty Division title on the line. All this coming immediately following a tough nine-inning 4-3 loss to Secaucus on Thursday, which made the division race even tighter. But on Saturday, the focus will be on advancing to the BCT quarters with what the Bears hope to be an upset of No. 3 Immaculate Conception. Casey Zdanek has been phenomenal all year on the mound and in the 3-hole in the lineup, but the Bears also rely on the top half of the order to make things happen. Leadoff hitter and SS Grace Tomko, catcher and 2-hitter Julie Schneidenbach and cleanup hitter, sophomore 2B Jennie Tellefsen, are all having big years, too. Can they put up enough runs against IC?

No. 6 Fair Lawn (14-4) vs. No. 11 Old Tappan (13-5), at Old Tappan, 2 p.m.
How they got here: Fair Lawn beat No. 27 Bergenfield, 4-1; Old Tappan beat No. 22 Bergen Tech, 3-1.
Expected pitching matchup: Fair Lawn’s Marissa Spinuzzi vs. Old Tappan’s Kristen Farrell
Hitters to watch: Fair Lawn’s Jen Calabrase and Spinuzzi; Old Tappan’s Mary Wiley and Brittany Steindl

Fair Lawn notes: The Cutters are 14-4, but could easily be 18-0 with a few more timely hits. Their four losses — to Ridgewood, West Milford, Wayne Hills and Lakeland — have all come by one run. Only Lakeland, Wayne Valley and Ridgewood have been able to put up 3+runs on Marissa Spinuzzi this year, while opponents have been held to 2 or fewer in the other 15 games. Fair Lawn just shutout Mahwah, 5-0, earlier this week in a nice tuneup game for Saturday. Offensively, Spinuzzi, Jen Calabrase, Alexis Bush and Sam Colca are all dangerous at the top of the lineup, while a pair of sophomores — Brittany Meerholz and Emily Klion – boast two of the best averages in the Cutters lineup in the middle part of the order.

Old Tappan notes: The Big North National Division champions are led by Mary Wiley at the plate and Kristen Farrell on the mound. Since I last checked, and I don’t think Old Tappan has played since Saturday, Wiley was batting .491 with 22 RBI, eight doubles, two triples and two home runs. She’s one of the top hitters in this tournament. And Farrell is 12-5 with a 2.02 ERA. Like Fair Lawn, Old Tappan is a few big hits away from an even better record, as four of its five losses have been by one run, including one to Indian Hills, 1-0. Brittany Steindl is second on the team in RBI, with 19, and Emma Nelson leads the Golden Knights in runs scored, with 23. And despite being the lower seed, Old Tappan will get to play this one on its home field. This could be one of the best games of the day.

THE INDIAN HILLS BRACKET
No. 7 Ramapo (13-7) vs. No. 10 Pascack Hills (13-5), 1 p.m., at Ramapo
How they got here: Ramapo beat No. 26 Holy Angels, 1-0; Pascack Hills beat No. 23 Hackensack, 6-2.
Expected pitching matchup: Ramapo’s Melanie Psota or Sophie Nochta vs. Pascack Hills’ Robyn Abaunza
Hitters to watch: Ramapo’s JK McAvoy and Lexi Graber; Pascack Hills’ Erica Aborlleile and Amanda Reynolds

Ramapo notes: I wanted to go watch Indian Hills and Ramapo last Sunday, but had to put together the entire softball notebook for Monday’s paper that day. I saw the tweets though, and it sounded like another classic, as IH’s Kristen Waters delivered the game-winning walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth. The Raiders lost, 4-3, so the season series is now tied at 1. How can the tie be broke? If both teams win on Saturday, as the two will meet in the BCT quarters. Caitlyn Hickey threw that game vs. Indian Hills on Sunday, but Sophie Nochta threw a shutout vs. Holy Angels on Saturday, and Melanie Psota has been throwing well all year, too… so, I have no idea who is going to pitch on Saturday vs. Pascack Hills. Hickey, Lexi Graber and JK McAvoy have been ‘Po’s top offensive threats all year, and Graber was the one to deliver the game-winning hit in extras in the first round last Saturday to propel the Raiders into the Sweet 16. Raiders are a dangerous team. And also, I might come check out Game 2 at Ramapo after doing the PCT final on Saturday, and if I do, I expect B&B… bracelet and burrito (talking to you JK McAvoy, Melanie Psota and Ciana Moschetto).

Pascack Hills notes: Cowgirls pitcher Robyn Abaunza gives Pascack Hills a chance against anyone, and Erica Aborlleile has been one of the hottest hitters in the county as of late, and leads the team in average (over .500) and RBI (23). Hills just lost a wild one to Ridgefield Park, 11-10, earlier this week, but for the most part have been steady all year. Amanda Reynolds (16 RBI), Kaitlin Listro (13 RBI), Paula Mancinelli (12 RBI), Abaunza (11 RBI) and Lindsay Marella (10 RBI) all have driven in double-digit runs this year.

No. 2 Indian Hills (19-2) vs. No. 18 Northern Highlands (11-10), 3 p.m., at Ramapo
How they got here: Indian Hills beat No. 31 Dumont, 9-0; Northern Highlands beat No. 15 New Milford, 12-7.
Expected pitching matchup: Indian Hills’ Devin Durando vs. Northern Highlands’ Katie Duncan
Hitters to watch: Indian Hills’ Nicole Paiotti and Kristen Waters; Northern Highlands’ Sasha Brown and Sarah Gunderson

Indian Hills notes: The last time Indian Hills lost was exactly one month ago — April 10 vs. Ramapo. I saw the Braves’ first game back after that loss (a 1-0 win over Pascack Valley), and at the time, the offense was in a funk, and, while Devin Durando had done most of the pitching up until that point, the true No. 1 pitcher (on a staff with several capable starters) hand’t truly been solidified. Well, after 15 straight wins, and Durando in the middle of it all, it seems as if Indian Hills is right where it wants to be. Kristen Waters, Nicole Paiotti, Maddie Levine and Shelby Allen give Indian Hills one of the best offenses in the county, SS Nicole Leocata and freshman 2B Nicole Mellone are as sure-handed as it gets in the middle infield, and Durando has emerged as a legitimate Pitcher of the Year candidate. Have you seen her numbers? As of Sunday, she was 17-2 with 225 strikeouts in 130 innings and a 0.48 ERA. The record improved to 18-2 on Tuesday after another shutout win vs. West Essex, and the Ks and ERA dropped (I didn’t get the K total). The Braves are the favorite to reach the title game right now, but, of course, there’s still a lot of work left to do.

Northern Highlands notes: I was really impressed with Northern Highlands last week vs. New Milford in its 12-7 win. Pitcher Katie Duncan, only a sophomore, did enough to slow down a very good-hitting New Milford team, but it was the Highlanders’ offense that put them in the Sweet 16. It seemed like everyone hit on Saturday. Christine Griffith emerged as the team’s leadoff hitter this year and had three hits Saturday, Sasha Brown added two hits, including a double off the fence, Mindy Gorin had one of the best at bats I’ve seen all year, fouling off like 12 pitches before getting a two-run single, Duncan had two hits, freshman Sarah Gunderson had three hits and four RBI, Madison Bialkowski had two hits. So, the offense was clicking. Can it continue Saturday against Durando and Indian Hills? I’m not ready to coin Highlands — the lowest-remaining seed in the tournament — Cinderella just yet. A win on Saturday would give them the slipper though.