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As the 100-hit balloons blow in the wind, a happy Ellie LoPiccolo of MKA has chance to enjoy the post-game glow of achieving her career milesone on a day when her Cougars reached the prep B tournament finals with dramatic 7-6 win over Doane Academy. Ellie is joined by members of her family and also MKA coaches, from left, Izzy Mendez, Donna Bruno and Jess Sarfati. Meanwhile, Cougars had solid outing in circle by freshman pitcher Liv Healey and another talented Cougar freshman, Gabby Ladd, is hugged after scoring winning run on a walk-off hit by Lucy Osterberg in 7th inning. (Photos by Rick Osterberg)
MONTCLAIR- Montclair Kimberley Academy’s Ellie LoPiccolo knows that she will soon take her final high school at bat before preparing to head off to Franklin & Marshall to begin her college softball career. And, while there have been some tough days along the way for rebuilding MKA the past few seasons, things are certainly looking much brighter these days as a young nucleus is evolving into the vanguard for future success of a program that once ruled Non-Public B for a decade back in the early 2000s. LoPiccolo, a senior centerfielder and team leader, hammered a 2-run home run In the first inning, recorded the 100th hit of her superb 4-year career in the fifth inning, and then had an RBI groundout to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh during a game-winning rally by the second-seeded Cougars that ended with a walk-off hit by Lucy Osterberg to produce a 7-6 MKA win over sixth-seeded Doane Academy in the semifinals of the state prep B-Division Tournament. MKA (12-5) moves on to meet fourth-seeded Gill St. Bernard’s in Thursday’s 4 p.m. prep B tournament final at Diamond Nation in Flemington. Gill upset top-seeded Morristown-Beard, 2-0, in Tuesday’s other semifinal. “I’ve never been to Diamond Nation before and it’s going to be great to go out there with my team which has come such a long way in my four years here,” said MKA’s veteran standout LoPiccolo, who had several family members on hand to enjoy her special 100th hit moment. “I’m really stoked for this program, and I’m going to be very happy to one day say I was part of helping to build it back up again, because with the young players we now have and with more to come things are definitely looking up for the future!” In a game where it relinquished two early leads and trailed 6-3 in the top of the fourth inning, MKA just kept at it in a comeback effort, cutting into the lead with a run in the bottom of the fourth to make it 6-4 on an RBI ground out by Eunice Fernandez which brought home Marin Ievers, who had doubled and then had advanced to third on a well-executed sacrifice bunt by Mia Wallace Another well-placed bunt by Wallace in the sixth inning wound up scoring Ievers all the way from second base and the Cougars now trailed 6-5. The game-winning rally began with Eva Sieger delivering a leadoff double to deep right field and advancing to third on Liv Healey’s well-hit fly out to center field before coming home on LoPiccolo’s ground out to tie the contest at 6-6 with two outs and no one on. Then, speedy Gabby Ladd worked a walk, went to second on a wild pitch and then stole third before racing home on the walk-off, bloop single delivered by Osterberg as Doane center fielder Ceren Firat made a valiant effort to make a diving catch but the ball was trapped. Taking advantage of the wild pitch and her own ability to steal third made Ladd one of the heroes in the action-packed contest. “It’s all about capitalizing on the other team’s mistakes and also the opportunities you see out there,” said Ladd. “We know this field well and what we can do with people on base and I just tried to stay alert for the chance to move up a base when I could.” Doane Academy (3-13), which is much better than its record might indicate since it plays in a very tough conference, has some real talent at the top of the lineup with leadoff batter and shortstop Abbie Villaneuva (2-for-4 with a double and 2 runs), No. 2 hitter and third baseman Brielle Perry (2-for-4 with a double, a run and RBI) and No. 3 hitter and catcher Camryn Derhofer (2-for-4 with a double, a triple and, a run and RBI). MKA, which starts four freshmen in shortstop Sieger, second baseman Ladd, DP Wallace and impressive, young pitcher Liv Healey, looks like a program that might be ready to move up a division in the Super Essex Conference in 2025. Presently the Cougars are tied with West Orange for first place (7-1) in the SEC-Colonial. Whatever ensues in the offseason, right now there is a feeling of excitement back in Cougarville for a sport that has had a proverbial shot in the arm with fresh youthful energy to provide a boost for veterans such as senior tri-captains LoPiccolo, Osterberg and Fernandez. “Our team has so much heart, they work so hard and Liv is such a fighter out there in the circle for us,” said MKA veteran coach Jess Sarfati. “We have larger numbers in the program now and great athletes on the team with more coming up. “I’m so excited about getting back to Diamond Nation where we haven’t been since my assistant Izzy Mendez (who played at Providence College) was with our team. “Our players have worked so hard to get to this point and I’m so proud of them!” NOTES- Doane Academy is located in Burlington City and right under the Burlington Bristol Bridge…The team’s longtime coach is Sean Yaekel…MKA has a rich softball history dating back to the late 1990s and carrying over through more than a decade as the Cougars were a state power while winning nine Non-Public B state championships in 11 years (1999-2009)…Sarfati, who played at both Montclair High School and Bates College, was on the coaching staff in 2009 working alongside Johnny O’Dell when the Cougars last won an NJSIAA Non-Public B state crown. Prep B Tournament semifinals: Follow Steve Tober on 'X' (Twitter) @Chattermeister
MKA senior Ellie LoPiccolo (left) is joined by teammates, from left, Eva Sieger, Gabby Ladd (00) and Maudie Lomuscio (15) before the Cougars went out and listened to coach Jess Sarfati's pre-game advice en route to advancing to prep B tourney final with 7-6 win vs. Doane. (SC photos) copyright 2005 Sideline Chatter - to comment contact the webmaster
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