Softball: Blue & Gold Tournament (4-21-07)

By Andrew Sidebottom for MorrisCountyVaristy.net

Pequannock, NJ - Kittatinny won the Blue & Gold Tournament upending the Panthers in the final, 2-1. In the opening game, Pequannock passed J. P. Stevens, 5-0. The Edison school has historically been a state powerhouse in New Jersey softball. Despite entering Saturday with a 3-4 record, the Middlesex County School gave MCHSS.net’s #2 team a nice challenge. Kristen Brain led off the game with walk. The freshman moved to second on an Ashley O’Rourke’s single. Tara Earley lined out to right and the right fielder overthrew first, trying to double off O’Rourke. Brain scored the game’s first run. The run proved all that the host Panthers needed. With one out in the third, O’Rourke and Noelle Ramirez singled. Tara Earley walked to load the bases. A two out bomb by Jessica DiPiazza cleared the bases. The grand slam increased the lead to 5-0. That was more than enough for sophomore standout Megan Brain. Brain pitched a two hitter, only walking two and striking out twelve. Brain was so in control, that no runner reached second base. The Panthers improved to 5-3 moving into the championship game.Kittatinny Nips Pequannock 2-1Kittatinny defeated Pequannock in the final of the Blue and Gold Tournament scoring the winning run in the top of the sixth on a throwing error.The match up had all the makings of a pitcher’s dual … and its sure was. Both pitcher’s did not allow an earned run the entire game and were phenomenal. Sara Stocklinski was the winning pitcher for Kittatinny, going the distance and allowing only four hits. Megan Brain may have been more dominant but ended up on the losing end of the battle. The sophomore worked all seven innings, allowing two hits and fanning ten. Kittatinny scored the third when Abby Ralph reached on error. Ralph scored from second on a Melissa LaCouture single. Pequannock tied up the score in the fourth when Noelle Ramirez singled and with two outs, stole second and scored as Kittatinny committed two errors on the play. Kittatinny scored in the 6th as LaCouture drew a four pitch walked. LaCouture came around to score on another throwing error, for the decisive 2-1. The Panther’s threatened once more. Brain’s triple with two outs gave Pequannock an opportunity to answer in the 6th. But, Stocklinski educed a pop up for the third out.