By DAVE O’SULLIVAN
Publisher
When the ball left the bat, it was ticketed for at least a double, possibly a triple. That would have given Rancocas Valley the tying run in scoring position with two outs in the top of the seventh. The Red Devils trailed top-seeded Egg Harbor Township, 4-3, in the South Jersey Group 4 semifinals, and Julie Contravo’s drive into the gap in left-center field looked like the spark Rancocas Valley needed to keep its season alive.
From out of nowhere, Eagles left fielder Bri Lagroteria made one of the most incredible catches in South Jersey softball history. Running at full speed, Lagroteria dove, and in full extension was able to make the catch before slamming to the ground. She held onto the ball, ending the game and sending the Eagles to the South Jersey championship. Egg Harbor Township went on to beat Eastern Regional, 7-6, in an epic 13-inning game to win the title before advancing all the way to the state Group 4 championship. All of that might not have been possible without Lagroteria’s heroics.
But ask any of the Eagles players and coaches, and they’ll tell you making catches like that are not out of the ordinary for Lagroteria.
“I thought she definitely had a shot at it. She’s saved us many times this year because she has wheels. Was I expecting her to have a full-out, diving catch? No, because normally she is able to field it (without diving),” Eagles coach Mary Dunlap said after the game. “But, regardless, she got there, she caught it, and it was a great way to end the game. You make a catch like that, we’re going to go all the way. That’s definitely a play people will be talking about for a long time.”
Lagroteria’s teammates were a little bit more nervous than coach Dunlap when the ball was initially hit.
“As soon as it hit the bat, I was like, ‘oh…crap.’ ‘oh, crap, oh, crap, oh crap!’ But Bri is one of our best outfielders and she has great range. She’s been one of my best friends for years,” catcher Kate Korte said. “When I saw her leave her feet I was just saying to myself, ‘please, please, please.’ And when I saw it go into her glove I knew she would hold onto it.”
Initially, center fielder Emily MacNeil thought Lagroteria was injured on the play. She rushed over to her, and found Lagroteria on her back, sort of smiling and crying at the same time.
“Our coaches have been preaching to us for years to lay out because you might have to for a game-winning catch. And it was. I had full trust in her. She laid out and caught it, and when I got over to her she was laying on the ground crying. I screamed to the coach that she was hurt, and then she just said, ‘I think we just won,’” MacNeil said. “It was unbelievable, honestly. There’s nothing better I could wish for her.”
At the start of the season, most South Jersey fans knew the names of starting pitcher Nicole Wisser and catcher Korte, who was a four-year starter at her position. Not many knew who Lagroteria was, or even how to spell her name correctly. But the junior had an incredible season and quickly gained a reputation as one of the top defensive outfielders in South Jersey. Outfield defense was a key component in Egg Harbor Township’s championship season, as Lagroteria, MacNeil and sophomore right fielder Marissa Varela all possess speed, range and above average arms.
Lagroteria got a great jump on the ball hit by Contravo, took the perfect angle, and knew she had to dive to have any chance of catching the ball.
“I’m so happy. I’m lost for words right now. I’m so proud of every person on this team right now. As soon as that ball came off the bat, I knew I wanted it and had to give my all to catch it. It hurt (when I hit the ground) but I knew I had it all the way. I felt it hit my glove, then I hit the ground and heard everybody cheering, and that’s the best feeling in the world. And I would not want to do it with any other team,” Lagroteria said. “As soon as I hit the ground, I just laid there and took it all in. It was the most amazing feeling. I really have no words to describe it.”
Sportswriters weren’t at a loss for words when describing “the catch.” Amazing, incredible, unbelievable — any of those descriptive adjectives could have been used to try to put into context not only the catch itself, but the magnitude of it. Not only did the catch end the sectional semifinals, it also gave the Eagles a sense that winning a South Jersey title was their destiny, as coach Dunlap suggested.
Egg Harbor Township trailed the Red Devils early in that game, but MacNeil got a big hit for the Eagles and Lagroteria saved the day. Korte said that’s what separated this year’s Eagles team from its competition. EHT got contributions — offensively, defensively, inside the circle and on the base paths — from every player on its roster at some point during the season.
“It feels great. Knowing that it was a team effort makes it the best thing ever. Bri out there with the diving catch, Tori (Szrom) coming on in relief, Emily with the big hit,” Korte said. “As a senior, I’ve been on this team for four years and I’ve seen us come back before. But this team is like no other team before. This year, whenever we fell behind, we knew we had work to do and we would fight for it. So I knew it wasn’t over.”
Another thing that won’t be over for a long time to come? People talking about Lagroteria’s catch. She’s known to teammates as “One-zero, superhero” and now we know why.
Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays