Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey • 151

ASBURY PARK PRESS I SUNDAY, JUNE 10, 2007 I a "I Catalano leads Governor Livingston to first state title NJSIAA SOFTBALL STAFF REPORT Governor Livingston rode the arm of Capri Catalano and one swing of the bat from Nicole Koszowski to an NJSIAA Group II championship over Pascack Hills on Saturday at Toms River High School East. Koszowski put Governor Livingston on top with an RBI triple in the top of the fourth and Catalano pitched seven shutout innings as the Highlanders topped the Cowgirls, 2-0, for then-first state championship. With Mitchel Robertson on first, Koszowski laced a triple to right-center. When the right fielder overthrew the third the Flashes to a win over the Cardinals for their first Group I championship since 1987. Mehrer hit a one-out pitch in the sixth from Pompton Lakes starter Chelsea Ott over the fence in left-center, scoring Kristin Garganio.

On the mound, Mehrer gave up just two hits, including none after the first inning, and used a strong changeup to keep hitters off balance for nine strikeouts. Mehrer also scored a run in the second on an RBI single to center from Ashley Onori. Ott pitched for seven innings and allowed three earned runs on six hits, with seven strikeouts and a walk. (25-5) pitcher Amanda Stacevicz (15-2). Stacevicz struck out 11 hitters.

Mount St. Dominic's Rebecca Gorney spoiled what would have been a perfect game for Tomlinson with her infield single in the bottom of the first inning. MONTCLAIR KIMBERLEY 2, ST. JOE (HAMM0NT0N) 0: With senior Al-isha Prystowsky on second base after being hit by a pitch and a steal, freshman Jessica Stofik hit a two-run home run to center field to provide the game's only scoring as Montclair Kim-berley Academy downed St. Joseph Hammonton in the NJSIAA Non-Public title game at Toms River High School East.

Stofik finished 2-for-2 with a walk, and the win gave the Cougars (21-6) four straight Non-Public crowns and seven in the last nine seasons. Sophomore right-hander Molly Herforth was solid in the circle for Montclair Kimberley Academy as she gave up four hits while striking out seven. She did not allow a runner past second base and retired the final seven batters she faced. For the Wildcats (27-4), sophomore pitcher Nicole Pagano gave up four hits and struck out five. NOTRE DAME 1, MOUNT ST.

DOMINIC 0: Notre Dame pitcher Ali Tom-linson had her first at-bat interrupted by a runner getting picked off third base to end the inning. In her second at-bat, she missed a solo home run to center by just a few inches. In her third at-bat, she ripped a single to center in the top of the fourth that brought home Amy DeLuca, and that's all she would need as the Irish held on for a victory over Mount St. Dominic in the NJSIAA Non-Public A Softball final. Tomlinson (23-4) tossed a one-hitter with 10 strikeouts as the Irish (26-4) pounded out six hits against Mount St.

Dominic baseman, Koszowski followed Robertson home for the second run of the inning. Catalano, who had a no-hitter through 52A innings, gave up two hits, two walks and struck out 11, including a string of five straight starting in the third. Her no-hit bid was broken in the sixth when Toni Moppert hit a blooper that fell just out of the glove of diving shortstop Toni Moppert. FLORENCE 3, P0MPT0N LAKES 0: Melissa Mehrer tossed seven shutout innings and hit a two-run homer in the sixth to send NJSIAA GROUP III SOFTBALL FINAL WALL 4, RAMAPO 1 Campbell proves her worth for Wall TOMS RIVER When the starting lineups were announced before the NJSIAA Group III championship on Saturday at Toms River High School North, Wall pitcher Ashley Campbell's name was never called. The oversight was probably just a result of Stephanie Sfer 7 T.

1 lazzo batting in Campbell's spot in the lineup, but it also validated the idea the Crimson ROBERT Z1EGLER Knights are a team built on hitting and defense, hardly sea. Wall pitcher Ashley Campbell (center) celebrates as teammates Niki Renna (left) and Maggie Margadonna come to Join her after the Crimson Knights won the Group III title, istaff photo: peter ackermani Crimson Knights win first title since 1997 By MATT MAN LEY STAFF WRITER Tiiirr J- 1 -I 1 the right arms of Campbell or fellow sophomore pitcher Kel-sey Higgins. Really, Campbell was probably looked at by many as the third best pitcher on the field, behind Ramapo starter Julie Shaw, who didn't allow a run in the state tournament until the third inning on Saturday, as well as injured Raiders ace Brittany Baiunco, out with biceps tendinitis. "(Coach Tony) Vodola came up to me and said, 'Just show them who you Campbell said. "And that's what I went out and did." "She looked at me and I just said, just think you need to be noticed today and I think you need to send them a message.

They need to know who you are," Vodola said. "Sometimes you want to take those situations and make them work for you." It worked, but not as well as Campbell's changeup, which helped her induce 11 ground-ball outs and surrender just one run on four hits in a 4-1 win that gave Wall its second i r- i Wall pitcher Ashley Campbell limited Ramapo to one run on four hits as she threw a complete game. (STAFF PHOTO: PETER ACKERMANl made the play, if you can carry that kind of determination to the mound, you're going to be someone to reckon Vodola said. Campbell was consistently ahead in the count, going to three balls just twice, and retired 11 batters in a row after surrendering a leadoff double. After giving up a one-out infield single in the fifth, she retired six in a row.

She only got one strikeout, but kept the ball down and hit her spots all day, letting the Shore Conference's best infield go to work. "In the beginning of the year, she was trying to get too many strikeouts and ended up meatballing it over the plate a little bit, but she realized she's a popup and groundout pitcher and she definitely brought that today," said second baseman Maggie Margadonna, who made two putouts and three assists. Vodola stopped short of saying Campbell will be an "everyday pitcher" next season, but she showed she had the moxie to handle that role against Ramapo, not only as a pitcher, but as a leader. After the game, she said all the right things, deflecting a lot of the credit to her infield for the job it did behind her, as well as the Crimson Knights, who collected timely hits and put the ball in play in key situations. But make no mistake, for maybe the first time all season, a Wall pitcher was the most important plaver on the field.

Campbell was no longer along for the ride on Saturday. For at least one day, a day on which she was overlooked by the announcer during the pre-game introductions and by most of those in attendance, she was an ace. Robert Zwfler is en Asbury Pork Press sta.J writer. Group III title, the first of which came in 1997. TOMS RIVER Wall Softball coach Tony Vodola had a funny feeling Saturday's NJSIAA Group III championship against Ramapo at Toms River High School North would be different than last year's loss to the Raiders.

One year after falling in the Group final, 2-0, Wall exacted its revenge, topping Ramapo, 4-1, to win the championship for the first time in 10 years. "Everything about this year was eerily similar to '97," Vodola said. "We had the same bus driver, we lost the coin flip, batted first, had the same dugout, and the game before us went 10 innings. I'm looking around thinking, 'We can't lose, can Ashley Campbell allowed one run on four hits, and held the defending Group III champions scoreless with just two hits over the first six innings. Campbell struck out only one batter, but took advantage of stellar defense behind her.

"The defense was so great," Campbell said. "Kristen (Miller) made that leaping catch (in the third inning to take a hit away from Lindsay Ianna) and then Niki (Renna) stayed with that play late in the game (a hard grounder by Sam Depken in the In the process, she threw just the second complete game for Wall this postseason and Ramapo's Kristina Russo (11) slides into second base but is tagged out by Wall's Kristea Miller, (staff photo: peter achermani the first since a five-inning victory over Monmouth in the first round of the Central Jersey Group HI playoffs. "Their first pitcher's injured and was the most dominant pitcher last year and then they have their second string, yet they still threw shutout after shutout after shutout," Campbell said of the Raiders' pitching situation. "I had to go out there and prove myself." She started proving herself in the group semifinals against Hammonton when her left thigh got in the ay of a hard-hit line drive. The resulting bruise, still visible, has really become representative of the impact Campbell can have on a game despite lacking great velocity.

"I said to her. The determination that you had after that ball hit you. a lot of pitchers never would have got up and to ground out to Renna to end the game. "We always tell them to be all business on the field," Vodola said. "But it's important that they enjoy the moment.

Kids can get real tense in these games, so we told them all week that this is a memorable experience and to enjoy their friends, enjoy their families, enjoy the day, and go take care of the business once the game starts." year ith our best game of the season." Miller reached on an error that scored Margadonna to make it 1-0. Cara Vitale followed ith a single and Renna's attempted sacrifice turned into a run when Shaw's throw to first hit Renna and rolled down the right field line. Stfphanie Sferlazzo capped the Crimson Knights' scoring in the fifth inning when her long fly ball to left field went off lan-na's glove to score Miller and Vitale. Ramapo pushed a run across in the seventh, but Campbell got Amanda Joachim ing the state playoffs before Saturday. Maggie Margadonna and Kristen Miller each went 2-for-4, with Miller scoring two runs and Margadonna scoring one.

Margadonna scored the game's first run in the third inning after ripping a triple into the right-field corner with one out. "This as the only way to end the season," said Margadonna, one of seven seniors in Wall's starting lineup. "We decided at the beginning of the year that our goal was to win our last game, and this was really the only way to do it It's a great feeling to know we finished the sixth). I was pretty nervous early on. but when you see your defense making plays like that, it gives you confidence." Wall first four hitters accounted for all six of the team's hits off of Ramapo's Julie Shaw, who had not allowed a run dur- I 61 I 3 l4 bn J04, if Sna 4.