By DAVE O’SULLIVAN
Staff Writer
UNION — Logic said there was no way the Egg Harbor Township softball team would win the state championship against North Hunterdon on Saturday afternoon at Kean University’s Cougar Field — not the way the Eagles had played the first five innings. The Lions nearly blew the game wide open in the bottom of the first inning, and EHT had run itself out of two potential scoring opportunities with base running blunders. And North Hunterdon’s starting pitcher, southpaw Maggie Swan, had been carving up the Eagles’ lineup like a Thanksgiving turkey.
But EHT never stops believing it can win a game, no matter how much the odds are stacked against it. The Eagles don’t care what logic says.
The Eagles finally broke through against Swan in the top of the sixth on an RBI triple by senior first baseman Ella Glenn and some aggressive base running, rallying for a 2-1 victory over the Lions that kept EHT perfect at 23-0 and sealed the NJSIAA Group 4 state championship.
The final two innings weren’t without their tense moments, however, as the Lions put runners at first and second in each frame. Senior Tori Szrom — who pitched perhaps the grittiest game of her life — fanned Kira Thomas to end the threat in the sixth, and when freshman shortstop Zoe Bork fielded a sharp ground ball to her right and flipped to Alyssa Martini at second in the seventh for the final out, it touched off a wild celebration by the EHT players and fans.
“I knew we were going to win coming into this game. There was no doubt about it. In the Tournament of Champions, we’re just going to stay undefeated. We want to keep going and stay undefeated,” Szrom said.
Egg Harbor Township likely will get one of the top two seeds in the upcoming Tournament of Champions — the first time ever there is a TOC in softball — which features the four public and two non-public state champions. The lower four seeds will play Tuesday for the right to face one of the top two seeds in Wednesday’s semifinals, with the title game scheduled for Friday. But the Eagles weren’t concerned about the next round on Saturday. They were basking in the glow of victory, which came a year after they lost in the state championship game to Watchung Hills.
“We know we’re always going to have a chance if there are outs left. Coming in, we prepared all the new girls who haven’t experienced this yet, what are goals were and what we were going to do, and I think we handled it better this year,” Szrom said. “I’m at a loss for words. I’m just so excited. I turned around to hug my catcher (Kaitlyn Riggs) and she was already standing right next to me. I was like, ‘wow.’ It hasn’t hit me yet. It’s like I’m still out there on the mound saying I have to get outs.”
“This is what we’ve been working hard for the past four years. We’ve put so much work in last season, and this season, to pave the way to get here. To finally be able to finish it off is amazing,” Glenn said. “I’m just so proud of everyone. Everyone who is at home supporting us, everyone who was here supporting us, and everyone who has been able to pave the way before us to get here.”
Szrom got two quick outs to start the bottom of the seventh, but then Bork made a throwing error to keep North Hunterdon’s hopes alive. Eliza Filus followed with a single to center, putting runners at first and second and moving Melissa Meiners into scoring position. But the very next batter, Swan, grounded to Bork and she flipped the ball to Martini just in time to get Filus at second base.
“For the time it took for the umpire to make the call felt like a million years. I was just waiting, then started jumping up and down,” Glenn said. “That’s why we have nine players out on the field and nine batting. If you mess up, there are eight other people to pick you up, support you, and help you get your inner thoughts out of your head if they are negative. We tell people to just keep positive thoughts and remember the fundamentals because that’s what this game came down to.”
“Honestly, I can’t even believe it. I think I cried more this year than I did last year. It’s such a great feeling, just running in after that last out. You never know what to expect,” said senior center fielder Emily Biddle (MacNeil). “Zoe could have buckled easily, but she’s headstrong and went after that last ball and got the out.”
“I have all the confidence in the world in Zoe. She’s been working so hard. All I kept thinking was, ‘we’re going to win this game,'” said left fielder Bri Lagroteria, another senior. “You feel the wind blowing and everyone is cheering. And all you want to do is get in that huddle and scream and cheer. It was amazing. It’s the best feeling in the world.”
Said Szrom, of Bork, “She’s a superstar. She hopped in and played shortstop when our shortstop (Cris McElhinney) got hurt, and she’s been doing great.”
Swan retired the Eagles in order to start the game, then things nearly turned disastrous for EHT in the bottom of the first. Meghan Graham led off with a triple to right, Szrom hit the next batter, and Filus blooped a single to left to put the Lions up, 1-0. Another hit batsman loaded the bases, but the Eagles worked out of the jam as Bork threw home on a ground ball off the bat of Megan Hanily to nail a runner at the plate for the first out, and Szrom struck out the next two hitters.
“Tori, I’m so proud of her. She’s able to buckle down and get the outs when she needs to,” Glenn said. “They were getting hits off of her in the first inning, but she just shook it off. She was able to change a little bit what she was doing and was able to get through it and fight.”
“We didn’t panic at all. We got out of there with just allowing one run and that was huge,” Lagroteria added.
“The leadoff triple got me a little worried, but I knew I just had to keep fighting and give up the least amount of runs as possible. It was only the first inning, but I knew it was going to be a one-run game,” Szrom said.
Through the first five innings, Swan struck out four and allowed just three hits, and she retired the first two hitters in order to start the sixth. But then Szrom helped her own cause by singling, and courtesy runner Peyton McGowan raced all the way around from first on Glenn’s hit down the right-field line, tying the game at 1-1. The next batter, Marissa Varela — who struck out in her first two at-bats — laid down a bunt. Swan’s throw to first was low and off the mark, allowing Glenn to score as the Eagles went ahead, 2-1. From there, the game was in Szrom’s hands.
“We just needed to get to hit. I was getting nervous when we kept going into each inning and still had no runs coming across. I went 0-for-3 (in my first three at-bats) but I don’t care, stats don’t matter. We didn’t have many hits, but we scored and that was a great feeling because we felt like we were back in this game, we’re going to score again and we’re going to win. I knew we were going to win at that point. It was getting a little iffy, but I always believe in my team and I know we can pull through. We got that run, we pulled through, and look where we are now — we’re state champions,” Biddle said. “I have no words for (Szrom). She has a lot of heart. She’s a silent leader, and the girls feed off her. She’s never overly excited, she’s always just in the game, and she’s really confident. And we’re really confident in her. We know she can get the job done.”
“We never lost hope, but everybody had a little bit of doubt,” Szrom said. “When I got on, and my pinch runner c
ame in when Ella hit that ball — we knew we were going to win.”
Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays