Spartan Softball Team Comes Alive in Sixth Inning

With two out and two on in the top of the sixth inning, 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.

“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.”

The offensive explosion—featuring five of the team’s 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 3 state tournament.

The Spartans didn’t get a hit until first baseman Victoria Vergona launched a double—her 16^th of the season, four shy of the school record—in the fourth.

Paramus third baseman Lauren Holden led off the sixth with a walk.

“The key to the inning was Lauren’s at-bat.”

The senior worked a 3-1 count against Mustang starter Jess Shalango (6-6).

“The one pitch that she took, I thought it was a great take on her part,” Hay said. “It wasn’t a strike for her, so she took it."

“It was a great at-bat,” the ninth year coach added. “We needed that wake up call.”

Paramus followed up with four straight singles. Speedy center fielder Stephanie Huang, who is second on the team with five home runs, laid down a nice bunt down the third baseline and beat out the throw from Patierno. The junior then proceeded to steal second.

“There’s different aspects to her game,” Hay said. “When we need her to bunt, she will [despite having 23 extra base hits this season].”

Shayna Brock picked up a base hit past a diving Allison Patierno at short. The Lafayette-bound Vergona (2-for-3) went to left center and right fielder Taylor Boffalo had a hot shot to the hot corner. Patierno attempted to tag out Brock, but was unsuccessful.

After shortstop Kristina Meier struck out, Lauren Feorenzo, who has been in a recent slump—0-for-5 up to that point in state competition—poked one through the gap into center to score Paramus’ third run of the inning.

“She needed that,” Hay said.

Feorenzo didn’t think she had a hit, but when she looked up, “I saw it go through the hole and that’s what I was looking for.”

Catcher Alissa Miranda would knock in the final run of the game on a sac bunt.

“I said to her during the time out, you’re going to get one pitch and then we’re going on a bunt. Have confidence in yourself,” Hay said. “She said ‘absolutely. I’ll get it down’. That was a huge run for us.”  

Tori Feorenzo put together another solid pitching performance. She went the distance, allowing only two hits. She fanned four and walked three. This was the senior’s 11^th shut out of the season and now has 159 strikeouts in 141 innings.

“She kept us in the game,” Hay said. “She’s been doing it all year.

“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.”

“If we play next week the way we played the last two innings of this game,” Feorenzo said, “No one’s gonna stop us.

“We know we wanna go far in the states,” she added. “It’s just a matter of doing it on the field and we showed we wanted it today.”