St. John Vianney Rallies From Five-Runs Down To Capture SCT Championship In Nine Innings

Game photos courtesy of Tom Smith: 2017 SCT champs, Ally Jones huge hit, Rivera on the mound, Rivard sliding and time to celebrate.

WALL – What does the Saint John Vianney softball team do when trailing by five runs entering the sixth inning of the Shore Conference Tournament final? They whip up a ‘Witches Potian,’ that’s what they do.

“We got our bats together and whipped up a ‘Witches Potion,’ and I was the witch,” Saint John Vianney head coach Kim Lombardi said laughing at the thought. So, with that being said, the girls buy into the story. I have the type of kids who don’t want to lose and that really showed today.”

Whatever it was, it worked. The second-seeded Lancers (28-1) scored five runs in the top of the sixth to tie the game and then put up four more runs in the top of the ninth to beat No. 12 seed Ocean Township 10-6 in Thursday’s Shore Conference Tournament final at Wall Township High School.

“I didn’t have any doubt we were going to win this game even though we were down 6-1,” winning pitcher Demi Rivera said. “I truly think there’s no better team out there than us. I knew we had it in us to come back no matter what the score was. It was do-or-die and we definitely wanted to come out on top seeing we had a little bit of a goof a couple of days ago.”

The goof Rivera is referring to is their heartbreaking 6-5 loss to Donovan Catholic in last Friday’s NJSIAA Non-Public South B final. In that game, the Lancers came back from a 4-0 deficit to tie the game then went ahead 5-4 only to lose 6-5 for their first loss of the season.

Prior to Thursday’s SCT championship, the Lancers had already taken home the Shore Conference Class A Central crown with a perfect 12-0 record and the Monmouth County Tournament title beating Middletown North 2-1.

“It’s honestly an amazing feeling,” Rivera said of her last game in a Lancer uniform. “I’m so glad we were able to check off three of the four things we wanted to this year and that’s pretty much all you can ask from a team that’s given me everything and I’ve given them everything. This is truly the best team I’ve ever played for. I can’t believe it’s over a tearful Rivera lamented.”

Trailing 6-1 entering the top of the sixth Ally Jones came to the plate for the Lancers with one out and runners on first and second. The sophomore catcher worked the count to 3-and-2 before drilling a two-run double into the right-centerfield gap to cut Ocean’s lead to 6-3.

Senior right fielder Gianna Mavica wasted no time bringing Jones home dropping a soft liner into short center for another run and suddenly the Lancers were just two down, 6-4, with a runner at first and still only one out.

A walk to Alexis Agrapides put runners at first and second before a wild pitch moved the runners up a base and into scoring position. After a pop-fly produced the second out of the inning Lombardi elected to pinch hit for No. 9 batter Jess Campana gambling that her rising freshman, Brynn Reiser, would come through in the clutch.

Reiser came through alright, smoking a double over the first-base bag and down the right-field line scoring both Mavica and Agapides to even the game at 6-6.

“Brynn was my 10th player. Does that mean she wasn’t good enough? No,” said Lombardi. “She has a heck of a bat and is going to be huge person in our lineup next season. She’s cool, she’s calm and collected and she knew what her job was. Right now I can’t wait for next year for her. She’s coachable and wants to learn and is just waiting for her turn.”

In the bottom half of the sixth, Ocean shortstop Brianna Roskey reached first leading off on a bunt single but a strikeout and groundout followed before Lombardi gambled again, this time electing to intentionally walk Ocean star slugger Emma Vasen and putting a runner in scoring position.

The gamble paid off, barley, as Morgan Walsh, who had dislocated a finger earlier in the game, lined a shot to deep centerfield that fortunately for the Lancers was hit right at Baron.

The Lancers had a chance to go ahead in the seventh after Rivera drilled a two out double into the right-centerfield gap and Jones was intentionally walked. However, with runners now on first and second Mavica grounded out to third to end the inning.

Rivera then retired the side in order in the bottom of the seventh sending the game into extra innings.

Ocean starting pitcher Giana Graziano had a 1-2-3 top of the eighth and in the bottom half of the inning the 12-seeded Spartans (21-8) loaded the bases with two outs on two walks and another intentional walk to Vassen, but this time Walsh popped out meekly to Campana at short to end the threat.

Baron led off the ninth with an infield hit, Rivard reached on a bunt and freshman designated player Julia Parker laid down a sacrifice bunt moving the runners over to second and third. Rivera was intentionally walked to load the bases bringing up Jones, whose intentional walk in the seventh was still fresh in her mind.

“Yes, for sure,” Jones said when asked if the intentional walk was in the back of her mind. “It was kind of one of those things where they have to do what they have to do and I have to do what I have to do and I just knew that intentional walk kind of made it hurt.”

Jones made them pay, drilling a bases-clearing double deep into the right-centerfield gap that gave the Lancers a 9-6 lead before Agrapides drove in Jones dropping a single into short right-centerfield.

“I was super pumped just to be up there,” Jones said. “I just wanted to get the job done for my team. “Honestly it’s just such a surreal moment. I’m just super blessed just to be here and to play for coach Kim and when I saw the ball touch the ground I was just so super happy for us.”

“Ally is not only a huge asset to us defensively behind the dish, she’s a leader up there when she gets up to bat,” Lombardi said of her star catcher. “I have a good lineup but in the last few weeks I wanted her up. They walked her the first time and just happy she got up again.”

Rivera worked a perfect ninth and the Lancers improbable comeback from the brink of defeat was complete.

Ocean scored three in the second on an RBI single by Roskey and a two-run single by senior third baseman Giovanna Russomanno. Natalia Errico’s first career home run, a three-run shot over the centerfield fence that bounced off the flagpole, gave the Spartans what seemed like at the time a unsurmountable 6-1 lead.

“This is what SJV softball is all about,” Rivers said. “We’re going to fight to the end no matter what.”

“I really had no doubt, I totally believe in this team,” Jones added. “Ocean put up an amazing fight but our goal today was to finish and that’s what we did.”

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