Union Catholic Softball Finishes Season With Loss at States

The Union Catholic High softball team learned a lot this year and gained valuable experience for the 2011 campaign.

It's a future a much more confident Viking squad will look forward to after putting in the necessary work during the off season.

Union Catholic ventured to Bergen County's Washington Township Thursday afternoon as the sixth seed and gave second-seeded Immaculate Heart Academy a solid effort before falling 7-1 in a Non-Public, North A semifinal.

IHA (25-6) will next play in the final, scheduled for Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Ivy Park in Essex County. The other semifinal is scheduled for Friday at 4 p.m. and pits ninth-seeded Pope John of Sparta at fourth-seeded Paramus Catholic of Paramus.

One goal for Union Catholic next year, perhaps, would be for the Vikings to be the higher seed, host IHA, and beat the Blue Eagles next time.

"We came here to play and win and IHA was just better," Union Catholic fifth-year head coach Ed Ryan said. "They were fundamentally sound."

Union Catholic finished a fine season at 16-8, which was a major improvement from last season's 7-10 mark. The Vikings finished 9-5 in the Union County Conference's Mountain Division, including splitting with Johnson, which went on to reach the Union County Tournament semifinals.

Union Catholic also reached the UCT quarterfinals, with second-seeded Governor Livingston needing 10 innings to edge the Vikings 3-2.

Union Catholic went 2-1 in state tournament play and also posted victories over UCC-Watchung Division foes Plainfield and Scotch Plains in the regular season and Westfield in the UCT.

Most of the team will return for the 2011 season. The four seniors who sparked the squad included shortstop-pitcher Toniann Beckman, backup infielder Charity Lombardo, right fielder Amy Zofcin and left fielder Maggie Walsh.

"Those four seniors put a foundation down for the younger kids," Ryan said. "They did a great job leading the team. We lose our shortstop and two outfielders, but have a lot of positions filled for next year. I expect us to be much better."

Freshman right hander and Scotch Plains resident Colleen Dow allowed just eight hits Thursday, with IHA getting a few by perfectly placing bunts right in front of the plate. She struck out three and walked five and most importantly gave the Vikings a chance to win.

"Colleen was tremendous for us all season long," Ryan said. "She can also hit the ball, so we know we have a player in her."

An RBI-bunt single hit in front of the plate by cleanup batter Carly Piccinich gave IHA a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, while another bunt resulted in two more runs scoring in the third after the game's only error on a bad throw.

Union Catholic cut its deficit to 3-1 in the top of the fourth when leadoff batter Ashley Straile led off the inning by being hit with a pitch on a 1-1 count. IHA senior right hander Christina Miquel – who improved to 15-4 – retired the first nine batters she faced, striking out five of them.

Miquel tossed a one-hitter that included nine strikeouts, two walks and one hit batter. She pitched four perfect innings, including the first, second, third and seventh.

After Aly Rebozo moved Straile over to second with a sacrifice bunt, No. 3 batter Erin Farley singled to right center to put runners at first and third with one out.

Beckman, batting cleanup, drove home Straile with a ground out to short.

IHA got the run back in the fifth to take another three-run lead at 4-1 and then added three more runs in the sixth on four hits.

Alexis Durando, IHA's No. 2 batter, drove in the game's final two runs with an opposite field double to right. Durando was 1-for-1, with a sacrifice bunt, two walks, two runs, two RBI and one stolen base.

IHA's Kelsey Frugillo, batting seventh in the order, was the only player in the game with two hits. She went 2-for-3, with two singles and a run.

In addition to Dow on the mound, Farley, a junior, and Straile, a sophomore, will be key returning players at catcher and first base, respectively.

"Ashley just fell into the first base position and did a nice job," Ryan said. "I think she made only two errors all season long. She was also batting .536 and her 10 home runs were by far the most of any player on any team I coached here. Erin was batting .400 with RBI in the 20s."

Other returning players who started on Thursday will include junior second baseman Samantha Nizolek, sophomore third baseman Kelly Schulhafer, sophomore center fielder Katie Bree and junior outfielder Aly Rebozo.

Schulhafer did a good job of staying with and catching two foul balls at third base.

In the second inning, Beckman made a nice catch at shortstop and then threw to Straile at first to complete a well-executed 6-3 double play.

Union Catholic's state tournament wins were at home over 11^th-seeded Oak Knoll 11-0 on May 19 and at third-seeded Mother Seton 11-6 Tuesday in Clark.

In the Mother Seton win, Dow gave up 13 hits, struck out five and walked one for her 15^th victory.

Farley went 3-for-5, with a triple, three RBI and two runs.

Nizolek drove in two runs and scored twice.

NON-PUBLIC, NORTH A SOFTBALL SEMIFINAL AT IHA

6-UNION CATHOLIC (16-8)             0   0   0    1   0   0     0 – 1  1  1

2-IMMACULATE HEART (25-6)    1   0   2     0   1   3     x - 7  8  0 

PITCHERS OF RECORD:

Union Catholic – Colleen Dow, freshman right hander, (15-8).

Immaculate Heart – Christina Miquel, senior right hander, (15-4).

DOUBLES: Union Catholic – None. IHA – Kaitlyn McGillycuddy, Alexis Durando.

TRIPLES: Union Catholic – None. IHA – None.

HOME RUNS: Union Catholic – None. IHA – None.