Middletown North Falls To South Plainfield In Sectional Semifinal

Photo above: Riley Kernan battled and gave up only two-earned runs Tuesday's loss to South Plainfield

MIDDLETOWN – Top-seeded Middletown North was upset by No.4 seed South Plainfield 4-2 on Tuesday sending the Lions packing for the second consecutive year in the sectional semifinals as favorites.

It was the first home loss of the season for the Lions – ranked No. 2 in the Shore and third in the state – who seemed tight and out-of-sorts as South Plainfield (25-4) put up two first-inning runs - only one of which was earned - and played flawlessly while Middletown North (24-4) uncharacteristically committed three errors that led to two unearned runs.

“We gave them outs and at this point of the season you cannot give teams extra outs,” Lions head coach Marc Rosner said. “It’s especially true this deep into tournaments when you’re facing a very good and well coached team like South Plainfield that’s used to being in big spots. We seemed a little tense early and gave them some outs. We didn’t come out like a 24-win team today.”

South Plainfield came into the game unranked and definitely underrated as they showed that their 24 wins this season was no fluke displaying a very solid team from top-to-bottom that doesn’t make mistakes.

“That’s been our game all year,” Tigers head coach Don Panzerlla said. “Playing great defense, she (Katherine Vill) pitching well and getting out of a lot jams and timely hitting; we’ve been doing it all year. We do the little things we need to do and with the good defense and the pitching we’re a great team. I’ve been amazed all year; they just find a way to win. Nobody gives us the credit we deserve but I think we’re pretty good.”

South Plainfield’s athletic centerfielder Caity Hughes greeted Middletown North’s starting pitcher Riley Kernan with a line-drive single into right field leading off the game. Normally reliable third baseman Milena Wilton then fielded a sacrifice bunt cleanly but threw the ball over first baseman Christine Gebhardt’s head putting runners on first and third with no outs.

Kernan then induced what looked like a perfect double-play ball but after taking the relay throw from second baseman Liz Dorsa shortstop Alyssa Vetrano had a hard time getting the ball out of her glove and her throw to first was late as the first run of the game crossed the plate.

Now with a runner at first and only one out, three straight singles by the Tigers produced the innings second run before Kernan got a strike out and popup to end the inning down 2-0.

Wilton led off the bottom half of the inning with a line-drive into right-centerfield gap that Hughes cut off and held Wilton to a single. Then with two outs, Kayla Gallo walked to put Wilton in scoring position but a harmless fly out to right by Kernan ended the inning.

North got a run back in the bottom of the second when Adriana Cerbo dropped a double into right field leading off the inning and was sacrificed to third base on a bunt by Vetrano. Speedster Payleigh Behan then beat out an infield hit in the 5-6 hole scoring Cerbo.

The Tigers added solo runs in the third and fourth innings. Camryn Schaeffer led off the third with double over Angela Delahanty’s head in right and was sacrifice to third before scoring on a fielder’s choice RBI to get the two-run lead back.

In the fourth, a three-base error by Delahanty in right led to the second unearned run of the game and the Lions found themselves in a 4-1 hole heading into the bottom of the frame.

Vill meanwhile retired nine of the next ten Middletown North batters with Behan’s bunt single being the only Lion base runner Vill allowed in the fourth through sixth innings.

With the score still 4-1 and the Lions down to their last licks in the bottom of the seventh, Behan again beat out a bunt leading off the inning. Vill then set down the next two batters on ground outs with Behan advancing to second before Gebhardt lined an RBI double over the centerfielders head cutting the lead to 4-2.

Gallo then walked bringing up the go-ahead run to the plate but Vill got Kernan on strikes to end the game.

“We fought to the end which I give us credit for but they were the better team today,” Rosner said. “We’re going to have to have a short memory because Donovan Catholic’s coming in here tomorrow with a very good young pitcher that throws the ball hard and they’re a well-coached team thinking revenge from last year when we beat them in the Shore Conference Tournament.

“Tomorrow we just got to come in and get back to what we’re doing and take it one game at a time. We’re usually very good at bouncing back so hopefully we just get an all-around great team effort in every aspect of the game tomorrow.”

Donovan Catholic (23-4) comes into tomorrow’s Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinal game as the No. 6 seed while the Lions are the third-seeded team in the tournament. The Griffins are coming off one of the biggest upset wins of the year beating No.1 seed Saint John Vianney 1-0 in the Non-Public South A quarterfinals. The Lancers are ranked No. 1 in the Shore and second in the state.

Fourth-seeded South Plainfield will now travel to No. 3 seed Middletown South who beat No. 2 seed Nutley 8-4 in eight innings Tuesday advancing to the NJSIAA North 2, Group III final at home Friday against the Tigers.

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