Holmdel Softball Stuns Wall in Monmouth County Tournament

WALL – While Holmdel’s 7-4 upset of fifth-seeded Wall on Saturday in the Red Division first round of the Monmouth County Softball Tournament opened some eyes around the Shore Conference, it only confirmed what fifth-year head coach Jim Gelpke already knew.

“We’re this good,’’ he said. “We really are. We went from a below-average team to a .500 team from when I started five years ago. With this group, I knew that if we could keep them together and keep them motivated, we could be this good. This is our year.’’

 The 12^th-seeded Hornets, who are playing in the championship division of the MCT for the first time under Gelpke after winning the Blue Division title four years ago, jumped out to a 6-0 lead after two innings and did not let the perennially strong Crimson Knights (11-5) to claw all the way back. Holmdel will now face the winner of fourth-seeded Middletown North and 13^th-seeded Manasquan in the quarterfinals.

They struck for two runs in the top of the first inning when senior Allison Tracy hit a 2-out single followed by a walk by Kaitlin Skamarak, and two batters later, Kelly Guerin hit a two-out, two-run single for the early lead.

Holmdel then put Wall on its heels with a four-run second inning in which Skamarak belted a two-run double and then scored on an error for a six-run advantage.

“We’ve been working so hard, and we can perform really well,’’ said Tracy, who had a hit and two runs scored in the win. “We finally put it all together.’’

Wall began to chip away at the lead with a run in the bottom of the second inning and then a two-run homer by catcher Dani Petrone in the fifth inning that trimmed the lead to 6-3.

Holmdel got one run back in the top of the sixth inning when Danielle Adamo hit a leadoff double and scored on a single by senior Marissa Koven for a 7-3 lead.

In the sixth inning, the Crimson Knights appeared poised for a big comeback when they loaded the bases with one out against Holmdel pitcher Emma Katz. Centerfielder Alexis Carlson then ripped a line drive that appeared to be trouble before Holmdel junior shortstop Emily Watson made a sensational diving catch. Not only that, but she flipped the ball to third baseman Lauren Reidy to just beat the runner retreating to the bag for an inning-ending double play that swung all the momentum back to the visitors.

“I knew with the bases loaded we needed a play to get us out, preferably one in which they wouldn’t score because then they would have the momentum,’’ Watson said. “I was able to dive and grab it and then Lauren was right at third to make sure we got the double play.’’

Katz then pitched out of a jam in the seventh inning, inducing a flyball to Koven in left field to wrap up one of Holmdel’s biggest wins in years.

The Hornets had stumbled a bit out of the gate this season before the two senior leaders, Tracy and Koven, held a team meeting at a pasta party to remind their teammates of just how much potential this team has. Those two were freshmen when the Hornets went 4-16, so they know how far this program has advanced in the past few seasons.

“We’ve taken charge this year with keeping everyone’s spirits up when we get down during a game,’’ Koven said. “It’s our senior year, and we want to go out with a bang and have a great season.’’

A regular-season win over a well-regarded Raritan team was a sign that Holmdel can compete with high-level teams in the Shore, and Saturday’s upset of Wall only confirmed that.

“When everyone is playing their best, this shows what we can do,’’ Tracy said.

“We’ve been teetering on quality, but now we’re making that step forward,’’ Gelpke said.

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