Win Puts NCLL In Final For State Softball Crown

The New City Little League softball team followed the weather.

In a game where a loss would end its season and a win would give it a chance to play for the New York state title, New City cruised to a 4-0 lead against Camden through five and a half innings of softball without precipitation. Then, right before the bottom of the sixth inning, final half inning of the game, a smattering of rain began falling, not even enough to call it a drizzle.

The first batter of the sixth grounded back to New City pitcher Reese Guevarra, who fielded it and tossed to Sarah Brauer at first to get the runner. Then, the smattering turned to drizzle as Guevarra walked the next batter and gave up a single to the following hitter. On the single, the walked batter safely ran to third base and even drew a throw from New City, allowing the batter who singled to end up on second base.

The next batter grounded out to Brauer at first, scoring Camden’s first run and moving the runner from second over to third. The rain picked up. With two outs, the next Camden batter singled to center, scoring a second run. Family and friends on the New City side wavered between cheering on the girls as they neared the state final, and surprise that what was a smooth game had turned bumpy. After the rain picked up again, now falling fast and often, Guevarra reared back and blew a fastball up and away past the next Camden hitter, the last Camden hitter.

And so before Camden’s offensive outpour could really get going, it ended, and only moments before a downpour sent the girls, their family and friends scurrying to their cars.

Guevarra’s ninth strikeout Monday night gave the New City Little League 11-12 softball all-star team a 4-2 win, and a date tonight. It’s then when New City will face Camden once again, this time with the state title on the line. It was Camden’s first loss in the double-elimination tournament. Co-incidentally, Camden handed New City it’s first loss in the tournament on Saturday, when it beat New City 3-0.

“It was kind of sweet revenge for us,” Guevarra said.

Guevarra started in the first Camden game, as well, giving up two runs in the first inning and one run in the second to put New City in an early hole it never came back from. On Monday, New City jumped out to an early lead thanks to smart baserunning by Sara Herskowitz. With two outs, the New City catcher rocketed a ball at the Camden third baseman to reach safely. Then Herskowitz looked to steal second, but lucked out when the pitch got by the Camden catcher and reached the backstop, allowing Herskowitz to go from first to third on a single wild pitch. A few pitches later, she scored on another wild pitch.

“That was huge,” New City manager Andy Kaye said. “We needed to start off strong.”

With a 1-0 lead before even taking the mound, Guevarra said she was more comfortable this time around. It showed. While Camden reached on a few hits last time early in the game against New City, Guevarra shut them down Monday night in the early innings. Guevarra struck out the first batter of the game, walked the second and then almost got a double play when the third Camden hitter grounded to Gabby Palumbo at second base, who fielded and threw to shortstop Melanie Lerche, covering second. Lerche received the throw and whipped it to first, but the batter legged it out to keep the inning alive. It didn’t go on much long, as Guevarra struck out the next batter. And then all three she faced in the second.

“I was more confident this game [opposed to Saturday],” Guevarra said.

The big hit, and what turned out to be the game-winner, came in the top of the third courtesy of Brauer. Gianna Lia singled to lead off the inning, and was replaced with special pinch runner Carli Solicito. Guevarra sac bunted Solicito to second, and then Deana Prochnau popped out to second. Herskowitz reached on an infield single deep in the hole at short, and then stole second to put runners on second and third with two outs. Brauer then ripped a single up the middle into center to score both runners.

“We had to get the score up a bit,” Brauer said. “I saw the pitch coming in, and I knew I could hit it. So I just took all the power I have and hit it with everything I could.”

New City added on a fourth run in the top of the sixth. Palumbo doubled to right field with one out, and reached third when Jayde Marks blasted a single to right field. Marks stole second, and Solicito hit a very high pop to shallow right field. The Camden second baseman ran back to get it, but misplayed the ball, allowing Palumbo to score.

Since Guevarra pitched Monday, Little League rules state she can’t pitch on Tuesday, meaning Brauer will be on the mound. She pitched Sunday for New City, leading the team to a win against New Hyde Park to keep New City’s state title hopes alive and force a rematch with Camden.

Kaye thinks that Saturday’s loss helped his team gain focus and get strong during the tournament.

“It was definitely a wake up call for the girls,” he said.

He said he also has confidence in Brauer, earlier in the tournament saying that with Guevarra and Brauer, he has a “1 and 1a” in his pitching staff.

Brauer, too, is confident she can lead New City to state crown.

“I’ve just gotta pitch my game,” she said. “I can do it.”