Rampage 18's take NJ PONY

There’s something about the magic of summer softball. All the games bunched into two or three days. Chances on Sunday arise allowing you to redeem yourself when Saturday pool play does not go exactly as planned. Then, there’s a stunning defeat that you may have never expected after playing your best ball the day before. It’s an amazing game that sends teams with extremely different histories and travels to one field to duke it out on the field. Simples rules, the team that scores more in the allotted innings or in the allotted time frame moves on. The loser goes home. Competitive softball at its best.

Let’s set the stage for the championship game Sunday at Peterson field in Rockaway. Both the Rampage 18U and the North Jersey Jaguars are comprised of mostly Sussex County players with a few Morris County standouts sprinkled in. Neither team had an easy road in a talented pool of summer teams. 18’s is nice mix of mostly college freshman and high school seniors. A few talented and eager underclassman ventures into the 18U age group that has the pitchers throw from 43-feet. High School and 16U down are set at the well known 40-feet distance.

The North Jersey Jaguars feature two of Mt Olive’s finest players, Noelle Diana and Amanda Dizinno. The team comprised of many Sussex County standouts ended Saturday with 1 win and allowing 11 runs in three the games. The 1-2 record earned the Jags a #6 seed and a 9:30 a.m. date with the Silver Bullets Blue. Sure enough, Sunday can be the day of redemption. The Jags posted a 7-3 victory to eliminate the Silver Bullets. The win advanced the Jags to a semifinal match-up with the Central Jersey Tornado-Gold. The Jags pounded out 10 runs, and needed almost all of them, as they outlasted the Tornado 10-8. Dianna and Dizinno each went 4-8 in both games aiding the Jags to the final game.

The Rampage pounded out 5 runs in the first and held off the Bergen Blaze for the second time in as many days. The victory advanced the Rampage to a semifinal match-up with Top Gun (Monroe Township). The #1-seeded Central Jersey squad cruised through the Saturday Pool Play, going 3-0 and not allowing a run. But the Rampage exploded for five runs, overcoming a 2-0 deficit to knockout the #1-seed and advance to the finals with the 5-2 victory. Baylea Sperring of Sparta kept the powerful Top Gun off balance game utilizing an outstanding change-up and a mix off-speed pitches. The recent Sparta graduate, planning on attending Oklahoma State in the fall, took the mound for the first time since May and turned in a stellar performance against one of New Jersey finest Summer Teams.

Montville Graduate and CCM hurler, Danielle Cecire retired the Jags in order in the first two innings, striking out the leadoff batter in each inning. At the plate, the Rampage had the leadoff batter reach in each of the 1st two innings, only to have that runner erased on sacrifice bunts attempts in with the Jags successfully retired the lead runner at second. The Rampage leadoff batter again reached in the third when Leslie Martin (DePaul) reached in a single. Martin advanced to second on a long sacrifice fly to left, but remained stranded at second.

Amanda Kent (Pope John) reached on a lead-off slap single in the bottom of the third. A sacrifice bunt advanced Kent to the second. Lauren Hurley (Pope John) walked to put runners at the 1st and second. Katelyn Miele (Pope John) loaded the bases on a fielder’s choice as Kent beat the throw to third. A single by Mt Olive’s Noelle Diana gave the Jags a 2-0 lead. Amanda Dizinno squeezed home Mele to add to the lead. Cecire ended the inning with a strike out, her third in as many innings.

The Rampage answered with an all-important run in the top of the fourth. Kathryn Wilson (Sparta/Ithaca) tripled with one out. Heather Herold followed with a single scoring Wilson and cutting the lead to 3-1. Cecire was extremely effective retiring the Jags in order in the 4th and 5th innings.

Sara Stocklinski (Kittatiny) had held the Rampage in check over the 1st 5 innings, allowing only 4 hits and 1 run. Casey Roselle (Sparta/Rowen) singled to lead off the 5th, followed by a Kathryn Wilson walk. Roselle scored on a grounder by Harold that was misplayed. Ally Schraer (Paramus) liner to right and an ensuing two-base error scored Wilson and Harold and giving the Rampage a 4-3 lead.

The Jaguars inserted Sarah Olsen (Pope John) with Schaer on third and no outs. Olsen educed a grounder for short for the 1st out. Leslie Martin doubled scoring Schraer. Olsen then got Baylea Sperring to line to short for the second out. Raleigh Sperring punched a swinging-slap past the drawn up outfield for a double, driving in Martin and giving the Rampage a 6-3 lead.

The Rampage added two more insurance runs when Courtney Schraer singled in Wilson and Harold in the top of the 7th. Closing the scoring and giving the Rampage the NJ PONY State Championship with an 8-3 victory. The Rampage went 5-1 on the weekend.

In elimination play: Courtney Schraer went 4-for-9 scoring two runs; Kathryn Wilson went 4-for-9 with a homerun, two triples, a double and six runs scored – three in the final game; Heather Harold was 6-for-10 with four runs scored, including a 3-for-4 performance in the final, reaching base in all four at bats. Mendham’s Ally Bahneman went 2-for-7 with a two-RBI single in the final. Mendham’s Lauren Marczi went 3-for-7 during Sunday’s elimination round.

Danielle Cecire threw a four-hitter, allowing three runs, and striking out six. The Rampage travel to Connecticut next weekend to play in the Connecticut Breakers’ PONY Qualifier.