PARAMUS— With two out and two on in the top of the sixth inning, Paramus High School pitcher Tori Feorenzo needed to work out of a jam to keep the game tied at 0-0.
On a 1-2 pitch, Feorenzo (19-3) got Montville third baseman Megan Patierno to hit one back to the circle. The righty fired over to first to end the threat, as the home crowd—from the fans in the bleachers and along the field to the PHS baseball team watching from behind the right field fence—erupted in cheer.
The energy translated over to the Spartans (25-3), who got fired up and came out hitting in the bottom of the frame—the second straight game in which Paramus pulled ahead in the sixth.
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“That’s what we needed,” Paramus head coach Brian Hay said. “I just told them this was our inning, lets get it going.
“I told the girls, Tori needs your help,” he added. “She’s carrying you guys.”
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The offensive explosion—featuring five of the Paramus' six hits—gave the top seeded Spartans a 4-0 win over No. 9 Montville (12-9) in the second round of the North 1, Group III state tournament.
“Paramus is a very good team. They’re well coached,” Montville coach John Immediato said. “They’ve got 20-plus wins for a reason. They don’t make many mistakes.
“We’ve been doing a pretty good job all year, and for five innings we were right with them neck and neck.”
Montville defeated Passaic Valley, 3-0, on Tuesday to make it into the second round of the tournament.
"We’ve been battling every single game," said Immediato.
