Lady Rebel Defense Propels Team into Sectional Final

It is hard to imagine Howell junior pitcher Carsin Connor coming into a game under more stressful conditions. 

Facing the top seed from East Brunswick on the road on Tuesday in the semifinals of the Central Jersey Group IV Tournament, Connor found the bases full of Bears and just one out on the board. Fortunately, just as they had done for most of the game the Howell defense clamped down which eventually helped them on their way to a 4-2 victory.

The team advanced to its first sectional final in the program's history, but it was by no means an easy victory against a team not accustomed to losing. The girls struck first in the top of the first inning starting with a huge double to the left field wall by junior Lauren Saal. She went to third on a single up the middle by senior Lauren Van Wie and scored when Connor knocked out a double to right center field.

Over the course of the game Saal had two hits that came within a few feet of clearing the left field fence and said winning the game was a major accomplishment for the team. "All the girls, One through nine in the lineup, every single one of them was just getting hits," she said. 

In the blistering heat getting a grip on the ball was no easy task for anyone, let alone the pitchers on the team, but senior Steph Gilbert did her best until running into trouble in the bottom of the third inning. 

With the Bears starting at the top of their lineup they took advantage of two hits and a total of three walks to get on the board. In addition to Connor's efforts to keep them from taking the lead, junior Cassidy Brozowski made her a big time play in center field as she brought the ball in while falling to the ground. 

After the game Connor said when she was brought in her goal was to keep the ball down and let the defense take care of the rest. "Me and Steph (Gilbert), we did our best but some days you can't strike them all out," she said. "It was a good hitting team but our defense was right on cue. They did their job and we love them for it."

Perhaps the biggest shot in the arm came from senior Christina Pohlirom. Wanting to extend her high school career at least a few more days she crushed a home run well over the left field wall to lead off the top of the fourth inning.

After helping to turn a key double play in the previous inning Annmarie Bartow came up big for her team hitting out of the nine hole when she started the fifth inning with a single to left.  After Kelly Hardiman drew a walk Connor drove in Bartow with an RBI single before Hardiman came around to score on a wild pitch for her team's final run. 

Coach Sandra Hempel said the win was another example of how well this team has come together over the course of the season. "The girls are just psyched to play," she said. "They just want to keep on winning. They had to fight the heat and everything."

The coach also praised the defense for making the most of all of their opportunities. "They're just talking and talking more every game," she said. "They want to get out there, they want to get the 1-2-3 and then they want to get back in and then hit."

It was just last year that the Bears beat the Lady Rebels 7-1 which Connor said the win this year was that much better. "This is making Howell history, we want to be that team and we want to be there" she said. "It makes it even better, 10 times better."

Hempel said that getting the chance to take on Rancocas Valley in the sectional finals was a big accomplishment for a team looking to keep playing as long as possible. "We hoped for the best," he said. "This is the best."

First pitch on Thursday is set for 4 p.m.