Paramus bats break out in BCT win over MP by Chris Iseman of The Record
PARAMUS – Paramus’ bats responded quickly.
The Spartans trailed by two runs after the top of the first inning, but then their offense went to work.
Four runs in the bottom of the first. Seven more in the second.
The entire lineup was producing.
“We have a good hitting team when they put it together,” coach Brian Hay said. “We’ve just been inconsistent. But a day like this when you keep getting those hits when you need them, obviously we’re a better team than when we’re not.”
A strong performance at the plate combined with seven solid innings from Nikki Remschel in the circle fueled No. 12 Paramus to a 14-4 win over No. 21 Midland Park in five innings in the first round of the Bergen County tournament on Saturday.
Remschel also delivered for the Spartans at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored.
Samantha Settecasi was 3-for-3 with a walk, two doubles, three runs scored and three RBI. Emma Gomez finished 3-for-3 with a walk, a double, three runs and two RBI. Jessie Joy was 3-for-4 with a run and three RBI.
Midland Park scored twice in the first inning on an RBI double from Hannah Douma and an RBI infield single from Alexandra Hartman.
But the Spartans responded.
Alex Ehrenberg hit a three-run triple to right field and later scored on a wild pitch to push the Spartans ahead, 4-2.
They kept tacking on more in the second inning as Settecasi had a two-run double, Gomez hit a run-scoring double, Dominique Petruzella had an RBI groundout and Joy hit a two-run single.
Joy later scored on an RBI double by Christina Vergona.
By the end of the inning, Paramus had a comfortable 11-2 lead.
Remschel, meanwhile, started shutting down the Panthers. The junior yielded just five hits.
She retired nine straight batters through the middle innings, which included getting an outstanding catch from Petruzella up against the center-field fence.
Midland Park scored twice in the fifth as Leanne La Monte led off with a single to center and later scored on Theresa Olson’s RBI single.
Emma Lein drove in Olson with an infield hit.
But Paramus scored three more in the bottom of the inning to end the game.
The Spartans have had an up-and-down season, but they showed on Saturday how dangerous of a team they could be.
It was a big way for Paramus to open up play in the county tournament.
“For us to take the next step and get this win today, it gives the older kids confidence,” Hay said. “And then we have a lot of younger kids that have never been here, they need that experience moving forward. I think it’s just a confidence booster for all the kids going forward.”