Steph Thomas put herself in the record books. More importantly, she helped Immaculate Heart stay unbeaten and at the top of the New Jersey high school softball mountain.
IHA senior right-hander Thomas tossed another gem, a four-hit, 15 strikeout, no walk effort, when the Blue Eagles defeated DePaul, 6-0, Thursday. The win clinched the Big North United Division championship for IHA (18-0), the No. 1 team in The Record’s top 25 rankings.
Thomas earned her 100th career victory and went to the top of the North Jersey charts in that category. Ramsey High School 1992 graduate Heather Wilson, now Heather Layng, had the old mark of 99 wins.
“We executed well on the bases, pitching, at the plate and in the field,†said IHA coach Anthony LaRezza. “DePaul is a very tough team and I thought we stayed aggressive and smart throughout and it was a good test.â€
The Blue Eagles took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second on a single by Angelina McGuire, a ground out, an error and then a well-placed squeeze bunt for an RBI by Emilie Cieslak.
IHA added two runs in the third on a two-run single from senior shortstop Danielle Ibarra (2-for-3, double). An RBI grounder by McGuire and an RBI single by Rachel Pollard made it 5-0 in the fifth and Thomas’ (2-for-4) run-scoring single the sixth closed out the scoring. Freshman Reese Guevarra went 1-for-2 with two walks and two runs scored for IHA.
IHA has a big game Saturday when it takes on Mount St. Dominic of Caldwell in the HOFS Classic at Saddle Brook at 4:30 p.m.
DePaul (8-4), No. 5 in the rankings, received a seven-hitter from senior right-hander Ashley LaGuardia as she struck out eight and walked four. Danielle Trongone rapped a hard single into left field for the Spartans for the first hit of the game off Thomas to lead off the top of the fifth.
Other Spartans with hits were pinch-hitter Shannon Marmo and leadoff batter Amanda Ayala in the sixth and Sydney Fleming with a one-out single in the seventh.
“We just have to find the proper balance between intensity and tense,†said DePaul coach Sue Parler. “Ashley pitched very well but IHA was real selective and maybe forced up her pitch count a little and we were sometimes swinging at certain pitches out of the strike zone. But take nothing away from Steph, she pitched a great game. We’re going to look to bounce back quickly, though.â€
Top-seeded DePaul, the two-time defending Passaic County Tournament champions, host ninth-seeded Wayne Hills Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in a PCT quarterfinal game.