Cline Returns, Watchung Hills Advances to 1st County Semifinal in 5 Years

Sophomore right-hander Abby Cline made a triumphant return from a hand injury that caused her to miss two games, and sophomore catcher Dana Mertz and senior center fielder Jamie Schoenbach each delivered clutch hits to lead the fifth-seeded softball team to a 3-2 victory over fourth-seeded Somerville in eight innings Saturday in the quarterfinals of the Somerset County Tournament at Torpey Field.

IN SHORT
Cline, who hadn’t appeared since early in Monday’s game against North Hunterdon when she suffered a bone bruise to her pitching hand, tossed eight strong innings and recorded a career-high nine strikeouts Saturday to improve to 6-1.

With Somerville freshman ace Amanda Carisone pitching a gem of her own and limiting the Warriors to just one hit through five innings—including a string of 14 straight Watchung Hills batters retired—the Warriors finally broke through in the top of the sixth of a scoreless game.

After by an error and an ill-advised fielder’s choice, which gave Watchung Hills runners on second and third with one out, McKayla Brady was caught looking to end a hard-fought 12-pitch at-bat, during which she fouled off seven pitches. Catcher Dana Mertz then came through with a line-single to center field to give the Warriors a 2-0 lead.

But Somerville rallied for two unearned runs in the bottom of the frame to tie it, with both Pioneers crossing the plate on double to center field by Brie Petrone with two outs. The drive looked for a moment like it would be caught in spectacular fashion by Schoenbach, but fell in.

But the Warriors didn’t relent, even after Brooke Nitti was thrown out at the plate on a double by Schoenbach with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Schoenbach, whose heads-up base running landed her on third base on the throw home, scored what proved to be the winning run on a wild pitch, setting up a semifinal meeting with top-seeded Hillsborough next Saturday.

WARRIOR OF THE GAME
Abby Cline—The sophomore right-hander allowed no earned runs on just six hits, walked four and struck out nine—a career high.

OTHER KEY PERFORMANCES
Dana Mertz—The sophomore catcher delivered a two-out, two-run single in the top of the sixth inning to give Watchung Hills a 2-0 lead.

Jamie Schoenbach—The senior, who scored a run in the sixth inning, doubled and scored the winning run in the top of the eighth inning on a wild pitch.

Meghan Kovac—The freshman shortstop finished 1-for-2 and executed two key sacrifice bunts during the Warriors’ rallies in the sixth and eighth innings.

THEY SAID IT
“I definitely redeemed myself (by doubling and scoring the winning run). I was getting down on myself because that was a play I felt I should have had, and it would have been traumatic if we didn’t end up coming back from that, so I’m really happy we did.”—Warriors senior center fielder Jamie Schoenbach on the game-tying double by Somerville’s Brie Petrone that she couldn’t reel in with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

UP NEXT—At Montgomery Tuesday at 3:45 p.m. in the first of three regular-season games before Watchung Hills continues its county run in Saturday’s semifinals at top-seeded Hillsborough.