Paramus Softball On Losing Side of Pitchers' Duel

OAKLAND— Paramus pitcher Tori Feorenzo reached to her right to grab a liner by Indian Hills’ shortstop Nicole Leocata in the top of the seventh inning.

The ball hit off Feorenzo’s glove and continued traveling, getting past a diving Kristina Meier at shortstop, and rolled into the outfield.

Braves catcher Nicole Paiotti, who had reached on an off-the-wall double, came around to score the game’s lone run in a 1-0 pitchers' duel in the semifinals of the Bergen County Tournament at Indian Hills High School.

“She [Leocata] got a clutch base hit when they need it,” Paramus head coach Brian Hay said. “We didn’t get the clutch base hits when we needed it.”

Feorenzo and Indian Hills pitcher Ashley DeYoung traded zeros through most of the afternoon.

“[DeYoung] pitched a great game against us,” Hay said.

Both pitchers went the distance and allowed four hits. Feorenzo walked none and struck out four while DeYoung walked three and fanned five.

Paramus loaded the bases in the fourth inning, but came away empty handed. Taylor Boffalo reached on a single to left. Meier singled and stole second and Feorenzo walked. Feorenzo’s younger sister Lauren, the Paramus left fielder, hit a dribbler to third and Meier, running from second, was tagged out in a bang-bang play at the bag, an extremely close call that could have gone either way.

“Umpires don’t win or lose games,” said Hay, who is in his ninth year at the helm. “We did it to ourselves. We had opportunities and we squandered them.”

In the sixth, the Spartans were doubled up when Meier lined to Braves second baseman Kelly Strittmatter, who turned and flipped to second base. Leocata tagged out Paramus first baseman Victoria Vergona, who was headed towards third. Vergona had reached on a double earlier in the inning.

Despite the rain affecting the team’s schedule and practices, Hay noted that the team was prepared for the semifinal matchup.

“We played a great game,” Hay said. “Our bats weren’t alive today.”

Paramus was seeking its first County title since 2003.