Hoboken High Comeback Falls Short

In a showdown between two of the HCIAL’s top teams, Hoboken High dropped a 5-4 decision to North Bergen Tuesday at JFK Stadium.

Trailing 2-1 after five innings, the Red Wings (8-3) gave up three runs in bizarre fashion in the sixth. With the bases loaded and one out a pitch from Hoboken hurler Jayla Vega bounced off home plate and away from catcher Sybil Lynch for a wild pitch. The wild pitch and a throwing error allowed all three North Bergen (11-1) base runners to score on the play.

The Red Wings made a comeback with two outs in the seventh and final inning as Julie Rodriguez scored on an error to make it 5-2. Samantha Maldonado and Desiree Rivera followed with RBI singles to cut the deficit to one and bring the potential winning run up to the plate.

The Hoboken rally would fall short as North Bergen pitcher Carla Arismendi retired Madellyn Rodriguez on a groundout.

Despite taking the loss, Vega was impressive, striking out 11 batters while allowing just four hits and four walks. Renee Zabaleta was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Zabaleta had the game’s first run when she scored on a wild pitch in the second inning to make it 1-0.

Arismendi allowed five hits and one walk to pick up the win for the Bruins. She struck out nine batters. Ashley Heredia gave North Bergen the lead with a two-run homer to left field in the third inning.

With the loss, Hoboken will likely be the third seed when the matchups for the Hudson County Tournament are announced later this week. The Red Wings’ next game is today at Ferris High School in Jersey City.