Hosey Voted Tournament Most Valuable Player
By Mike Ready
EDISON – Samantha Hosey allowed one unearned run, scattered seven hits and struck out seven in a complete game, 12-1, victory over second-seeded Gloucester County Community College (29-19, 18-4).
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The win handed No.1 seed Brookdale (39-7, 22-0) their second-straight NJCAA Region XIX Championship, with both title-game wins coming against the Roadrunners.
Hosey (Keansburg H.S.) was backed by a 18-hit attack, as the Blues scored six runs in the bottom of the fourth and five in the sixth, all against first team All-Region pitcher Melissa Mackey (21-9).
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“We played great today and this win is well deserved,” long-time Brookdale coach Bo Scannapieco said. “We faced a lot adversity and had such an up-and-down year, but when it counted they were there; I’m so proud of them. Gloucester’s a great team, but I thought we were a little more focused and a little more ready to play today.”
The win was Hosey’s (18-0) second of the tournament after picking up a save in Brookdale’s 4-1 first-game win, and she was voted the tournament’s Most Valuable Player for her dominant performance. She has already picked up the Region XIX Player of the Year award and is a virtual shoe-in for a second-straight first team All-American selection.
“I would not be here without my team,” an exhausted Hosey said. “There is not a thing my team does wrong in my eyes. We have the bats, we have the fielding, we have everything; this team’s unbelievable.
“Sam’s uncle just passed away and she played with a heavy heart today; the wake is today, “Scannapieco said. “Sammy pitched really, really well through it all without having her best stuff. She won’t admit that, but she’s a bulldog out there and pitched through it; I just wish I had another year with her.”
Brookdale, ranked No.1 nationally, got on the board first, scoring a lone run in the bottom of the first. Freshman left fielder Sara Vocisano (Piscataway H.S.) led off the bottom of the inning by just beating out an infield hit on a slow roller to third. She was sacrificed to second on a perfect bunt down the first base line by third team All-Region second baseman Keara Homan (Manasquan H.S.) – who was 2-for-3 with two runs scored - and moved to third on a wild pitch.
Cleanup hitter Cassidy Brzozowski (Howell H.S.) then brought her home with an RBI double, handing Hosey an early 1-0 lead.
Brzozowski, a first team all-region selection in centerfield, is one of Brookdale’s sophomore leaders and is hitting .504 with six home runs, 53 RBI and 17 doubles, all team highs.
“We knew this year we had a lot to prove to people,” Brzozowski said. “We had a great team last year and lost a lot of girls, but this team was ready to go and now we’re ready to prove ourselves in the nationals; it’s awesome, this team is awesome.”
Gloucester tied it up in the top of the third on an unearned run before the Blues broke the game wide open in the fourth with six runs on eight hits.
“After they gave me the six runs I just cruised,” Hosey said. “It was great, honestly, there was absolutely no pressure on me after that.”
Sophomore shortstop Bobbie Boehler (Raritan H.S.) lined a two-run double into the left field corner and freshman right fielder Courtney Semkewyc (Henry Hudson H.S.) drilled a double down the third base line plating two runs for the decisive hits of the inning.
In the top of the sixth, Boehler made an excellent play on a slow roller towards second with a nice pick-up and throw to first to nail the runner. Boehler’s been making plays like that for two years now and because of that, along with her bat (.420 BA), was named first team All-Region XIX this season. She also drove in a team-high four runs in today’s game.
The Blues tacked on five more runs on six hits in the bottom of the sixth to turn the game into a laugher.
Vocisano, Brzozowski and freshman third baseman Erin Lockwood (St. John Vianney ) had RBI singles in the inning, while Boehler added a two-run double with a shot into left field.
Vocisano, another of Brookdale’s five first team All-Region players, was 4-for-5 on the day with an RBI and run scored. Brzozowski and Lockwood were both 3-for-4 with Brzozowski driving in three runs and Lockwood one.
First team All-Region catcher Steff Grainger (Howell H.S.) called a solid game and was once again flawless behind the plate, while tournament first-game winning pitcher Krystal Pearson (Sayreville H.S.) - a second team All-Region pick - had two hits and an RBI. Another second team selection, Chickie Clayton (Wall H.S.), was 1-for-3 with a run scored.
Brookdale will now travel to Rochester, Minnesota for the NJCAA DIII National Championships May, 15-17. The No.1 seeded Blues are scheduled to play their first game Thursday, May 15 at 10:00 a.m. against an opponent TBA.
Last season, Brookdale lost a 5-2 decision to Herkimer County, N.Y. in the finals of the national tournament
“It’s good to have our sophomore leadership when we get out there,” Scannapieco said. “Those first couple of games are going to be tough. If we navigate our way through the first game or two then we’re going to be fine; we’ll make a good showing.”
“We’re just going to go in there with confidence,” Brzozowski said. “We have a lot of experience and that’s going to help us a lot. We’ve been there before and we know how to handle it and we’ll be able to calm our freshman down. They look up to us and we’re there for them, we’re a team and we go in as one.”
“We’re definitely fired up to go in and win it this year,” Hosey said. “Being there last year and almost winning it will take a lot of pressure off the freshman because we know what it’s like. We know what it’s like to lose too, and that’s not going to happen again; this is our year.”
