Five Errors Doom Middletown South's Chance For State Title Repeat

Photo above: Legendary Eagles head coach Tom Erbig

UNION – Just three short days ago the Middletown South softball team was on the top of the world.

The Eagles entered last Thursday’s Shore Conference Tournament final against cross-town rival Middletown North riding an 18-game winning streak and were ranked No. 2 in the state. Then, the roof caved in on them.

In last Thursday’s SCT final, Middletown South, featuring a lineup of six battle-tested senior starters who were all main contributors to last season state-title run, committed two costly errors that led to four-unearned runs in their 5-2 loss to Middletown North.

Then on Saturday afternoon in the NJSIAA Group III final versus Steinert (27-4) at Kean University in Union the unimaginable happened again. The Eagles, who pride themselves on stellar defensive play, delivered one of ugliest games of the season in the field when it counted most; go figure.

The Eagles threw, booted and dropped the ball five different times and were charged with five errors that led to four-unearned runs in an uncharacteristic 6-2 loss to Steinert that handed the Spartans their first state title in program history.

“You can’t make five errors in a championship game; simple as that,” said Middletown South head coach Tom Erbig, who hinted after the game that he was finished coaching after 36 years with a 743-230-1 record that makes him the winningest softball coach in New Jersey history. “We didn’t play well enough to win the game but at the same time I was disappointed in the officiating. I don’t want to be that coach, but, the guy behind the plate changed the whole demeanor of the game.

“But again, we didn’t play well enough to win and they did. They capitalized. Every time they had a person on base they moved them over. Then they got the hit or we created the error allowing them to score a run and we didn’t do that. They were by far better than us today. I can’t put on jitters, we’ve been here before; we just didn’t get it done.”

Steinert put up unearned runs in each of the second, third and fourth innings putting the game out of reach for the struggling Eagles.

In the second inning, a hit batter and an error on the throw to first by catcher Hannah Wisialko on a sacrifice bunt by Carli Backlund put runners on first and second with one out. Kelly Keane then lined a RBI double that bounced off the wall in left field for a run. With runners now on the corners, a sharply hit grounder by K.C. Jordan deflected off the glove of third baseman Sarah Corey for an error allowing Backlund to score from third for 2-0 lead.

The Eagles (28-5) got one back in the top of the third on a line-drive single through the left side of the infield by Jill Martin before Corey scorched a two out Kalsey Wise fast ball through the 3-4 hole that rolled all the way to the wall in right center for a RBI double closing the gap to 2-1.

Two singles and a walk with no outs in the bottom of the third loaded the bases for the Spartans before Backlund lined out to first baseman Ally Massa for the first out. Eagles starting pitcher Maddie McMahon (27-5) then got Keane to hit into what looked like a double play ball but Corey seemed distracted anticipating the double play and the ball deflected off her glove for an error scoring two runs. McMahon then struck out the next two batters to get out of the inning now down 4-1.

The parade of errors continued in the fourth inning as miscues by Julia Blarr at shortstop and Wisialko from behind the plate led to an additional two-unearned runs that pushed the Steinert lead to 6-1 entering the top of the fifth inning.

McMahon pitched a scoreless fifth and sixth inning and Middletown South added a an unearned run of their own in the top of the sixth but the Eagles bats could not put a rally together against Wise, who set the side down in order in the seventh for her 11th win of the season and a championship ring.

Middletown South will now not only have to say goodbye to their legendary coach but to a group of talented seniors that will leave their own legacy behind as they move on in their careers.

“I think they (the Eagles) really over accomplished and a lot of it has to do with Maddie being on the mound for us,” Erbig said. Without Maddie we don’t go anywhere near we are. Then you have the rest of the seniors who really stepped it up this year. They worked hard, put their time in and grew and got better as they became seniors. And the younger players have to learn that that’s how you carry a legacy on like these seniors did.”

“From the beginning we’ve been together growing up together playing the same sport that we all love,” the Siena College-bound McMahon said. “It’s been a huge run and something I’ll remember forever and it’s just really meaningful. Coming into South we knew we had big shoes to fill, there were a lot of championships, but I think we left our legacy behind too. We didn’t get the overall (title) this year but we still won a championship and it’s like the standard of the program.

“It means a lot to me personally to be his (Erbig’s) last group, and I know all the girls feel that way. Though we came up short today, to have the kind of success we had with him, a lot of that was inspired by him. He’s just an awesome guy and awesome coach and there is no better. We wanted it for him so it means a lot for this group to be here (state final) for him.”

Erbig closes out his illustrious coaching career with five state championships, 15 sectional titles and seven Shore Conference Tournament crowns.

Follow @getmready