Heights rebounds against Lyndhurst

It was not a must win, but it was close to it if the Hasbrouck Heights softball team wants to return to the state playoffs.

With losses to Glen Rock and Secaucus just recently, the Lady Aviators were looking to get back on the winning side and give them a little breathing room to qualify for the state tournament.

And Heights did just that as they held on to a 4-3 victory over Lyndhurst on Tuesday at home. The win gave the Lady Aviators a 6-4 record with a little more than a week for the state playoff cutoff.

"This will put us in a great position for the state cutoff," said Hasbrouck Heights Coach Jackie Ferranti who added about the low score. "I didn't expect to have a 4-3 game with Lyndhurst."

For the Lady Aviators it was a big win after dropping the 6-1 loss to Secaucus on Monday.

"We wanted to come out and make a statement," said Heights pitcher Julia Sheridan who fired a complete game and struck out 10 Golden Bears batters while allowing only five hits. "My fast ball was working surprisingly well."

She added that she saw a difference in the team against the Patriots and Lyndhurst. "The girls were coming out hungrier today," said Sheridan. 

Heights built a 4-0 lead in the third inning helped by shortstop Jodee Giarratana's two RBI hit that scored second baseman Daniella Castellanos and centerfielder Noelle Paredes. In addition Heights received RBI from Paredes and Sheridan in the inning.

After Lyndhurst scored a run in the top of the fourth inning to cut the Aviators lead to 4-1, Sheridan was moving along in the next couple of innings, but hit a bump in the road in the top of the seventh inning.

The Golden Bears took a couple of pitches and deposited them past the outfielders led by centerfielder Nicole Barratta's home run that went between the centerfielder and rightfielder.   

The dinger trimmed the Heights lead to one, 4-3, and Sheridan admitted that she was a little 'nervous.' "I was a little nervous, but I was confident in my teammates at getting the final out," said Sheridan as the Lyndhurst rally came with two outs in the game.

On all the player’s minds was to qualify for the state tournament. For Sheridan and the other Aviators they have not been able to taste a state playoff game. “It would be great and show that we are improving,” said the junior pitcher as Heights also reached for the county tournament for the first time in more than 20 years.

For the Lady Aviators they hope a trip to the state tournament will be more fruitful than the county tournament last weekend where they lost 12-2 to Glen Rock. In the loss Giarratana and Paredes put up the lone RBI for the Aviators.   

For head coach Ferranti and the rest of Heights, Glen Rock got on top first and put an inexperienced Aviators team in the hole and it snowballed from there.

Hasbrouck Heights softball schedule
(Games at 4 p.m. unless noted)

May 6        Immaculate Conception
May 9        at Saddle Brook
May 11        at Hawthorne
May 13        St. Mary
May 14        North Arlington, 11 a.m.
May 17        Wallington
May 19        Wood-Ridge