Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey • Page 125

ASBURY PARKPRESS I SUNDAY, JUNE 10, 2001 NJSIAA BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS tad mm (p(SM) Dohertys control seals 1st title for Raiders I Xy 3. ft JK yV vJrOn If 5 NJSIAA TOURNAMENT RESULTS BASEBALL Group IV Toms River East 4 North Bergen 3 Group III Ramapo 8 Toms River South 4 Group II Audubon 8 Newton 1 Group I Emerson 2 Keyport 1 Parochial A Seton Hall Prep 4 CBA 3 Parochial Gloucester Catholic 6 St. Mary's-Ruth. 0 SOFTBALL Group I Gloucester City 1 1 Emerson 4 Group II Haddon Heights 2 Pompton Lakes 0 Group III Cumberland 4 Morris Hills 0 Group IV Cherokee 5 Belleville 1 Parochial A St. John Vianney 2 Paramus Catholic 1 Parochial Gloucester Catholic 10 Montclair Kimberley 0 GROUP IV TR EAST 4, NORTH BERGEN 3 Vianney wins its first title in softball By NEIL SCHUMAN STAFF WRITER DOVER TOWNSHIP Lauren Taub had already crossed the plate when Jessica Vree-land's fly ball somehow found its way onto the Toms River North outfield grass.

The determination Taub showed during her trip around 1 the bases typified the never-say-die attitude of St. John Vianney during its run to the first NJSIAA Parochial A soft-ball championship in school history. It was the same determination Jackie Adelfio had as. her PAROCHIAL A SI VIANNEY 2 stalled PARAMUS CATH. 1 one Par" mmmmmm a Catholic threat after another.

When Vreeland's fly fell in, it was official. Taub's second run of the game counted and Vianney had earned its historic title with a 2-1 victory. "Once that ball was hit, I just put my head down and ran," Taub said. "This was so memorable. We had our slump this season, but we wanted this so badly and we came back." Taub, a sophomore, had reached via a one-out single, her third hit of the game.

Without hesitation, she stole second and then third base, as Diane Meade, Paramus Catholic's junior pitcher, struck out Suzanne Gorczynski, the Lancers' leading slugger. Taub helped the Lancers (20-8) overcome an early 1-0 deficit, when she led off the fourth inning by lacing a double to left-center field. Gorczynski hit a grounder to shortstop Jackie Schnorrbusch. Schnorrbusch held Taub at second, but didn't make a throw to first and the Lancers had two runners aboard. "I was locked in at the plate, concentrating on getting a hit," Taub said.

"And it worked. Then luckily we got a break." Vreeland, a freshman, hit a blooper to shallow center field. Gorczynski had to hold halfway, waiting to see if the ball would be caught. If a Paladin had been covering second, Gorczynski could have been forced easily. Instead, the Paladins elected to try for Taub at third, but the hurried throw sailed out of play and Taub was awarded home.

"Our opponents have been focusing on Suzanne, but that's given players like Lauren and myself opportunities to get some big hits," Vreeland said. The Paladins (23-7) reached Adelfio for the game's lone earned run in the third. Katie Drumgoole singled down the right-field line and stole second. Mariko Walker grounded to first baseman Candice Ruf-fler for the second out, but Katie Hughes reached on an infield single, scoring Drumgoole. That was when Adelfio put the clamps on the Paladin offense.

Paramus Catholic put a runner in scoring position in the fifth, but Adelfio (15 strikeouts, one walk) escaped. "I felt confident throughout the game that we could get the big outs when we needed them," said Adelfio, a junior. In the seventh, singles by Meade and Jackie Anderson and a Lancer error gave the Paladins runners on second 'fA i is, I i i ff. -P- 1 By TONY GRAHAM STAFF WRITER DOVER TOWNSHIP It was a prophecy fulfilled. As he prepared to take the mound in he bottom of the seventh inning against North Bergen in yesterday's New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Group IV championship game, Toms River East pitcher Ryan Doherty had words of assurance for cnanh Rill GROUP IV TR EAST 4 fvani, N.

BERGEN 3 "He told me before the seventh inning, 'Coach, don't worry about anything. It's in the said Frank. Doherty, a junior who struck out 10, pitched shutout ball after the third inning against the Bruins (22-9), enabling the Raiders (29-2) to capture their first state title at Toms River North's Ryan Field. After a one-out single by Bill Petsch of North Bergen off the glove of diving second baseman Steve Johnson, Doherty struck out the No. 3 and 4 batters to end it, setting off a celebration at the pitcher's mound.

The 7-1 right-hander, whose fastball was clocked at 86 to 88 mph for most of the game, said that in the final inning he just let the ball go in the general direction of catcher Colin Gaynor and wished for the best. "That last inning I couldn't even see the glove. It was all just a blur," Doherty said. "It was just, 'Throw the ball as hard as you can in Colin's area and hope it worked out all "Once you feel more comfortable out there you start to get into a little bit of a groove," he said. "You get more command of your fastball.

That's what I was doing toward the end." "He's usually like that," Gaynor said. "He gets a little better as the game goes on." TR East scored In the top of the first inning. After Chris Ce-rullo doubled for the first of his three hits, Gaynor, Andy Diaz and Chris Venuto laced doubles for a 3-0 lead. North Bergen scored twice, on an error and RBI single by Omar Tavarez, in the bottom of the inning and TR East made it 4-2 in the second when Diaz walked with the bases loaded. But after that, plagued by base-running miscues and the lack of further clutch hitting, TR East was unable to increase its advantage.

North Bergen made it 4-3 in the third on an RBI single by Franco DeLucia. "This team knows how to produce runs," Gaynor said about North Bergen. "They're a fast team. They like to get hits and then run. We wanted to get a big lead." The victory marked the 299th in the 18-year career of Frank who will shoot for his 300th at 7 p.m.

today in the Ocean County championship game against Toms River South coached by his brother, Ken, at GPU Energy Field. "I'm sure he cares that we got (a state title) more than he got it," Doherty said. "We've just got to come back tomorrow and win another one for him." The outcome completed a ride from state champions as Little Leaguers in 1995 to state champions as high school seniors for Gaynor, Diaz, Cerullo and Chris Donnelly. "That's all I wanted when I got to high school," Gaynor said about a state f.i"San. 1 I Top: Lauren Taub, Tami Coyle and Jackie Adeliio react alter St.

John Vianney scored in the bottom of the 10th to win the Parochial A title. Above: Vianney' 8 Stephanie Torpey is hit in the face after the ball deflects off her bat. She was able to finish her at-bat and the game. Left: Toms River East players pile on at the mound in front of winning pitcher Ryan Doherty after earning the school's first overall state baseball championship. PETER ACKERMAN Chief PhcAonrapher (top and above) and BOB B1E1.K Staff Photographer .11 ''iHiifio-nTiM i A 'i i-l Vianney graduates, then celebrates TREAST CeruHocf McOongh Dohertyp Goynorc Bnchmipr Dksrf KmiklH DnmHyph Venutoao Soon lb Compewpr Kelypr Former Jhrnonft Tetak TREott N.

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Venne (Fudo). Records Tomi River Eat 2y-i Norm Bergen B-9 PAROCHIAL A ST. JOHN VIANNEY 2 PARAMUS CATHOLIC 1 PARAMCATH ODrhM VIANNEY KomorH Tout 20 GorayntMc Courkwycr ottrhM tttlO 0-1 00 1-1 WoJKerK Hugheilb Berry rf Cevaecoc em 3b Meade Anderwift 4010 Coyle of RunVrlb Torpey RHterpr FogRoM Tract ToM Ml ni we SchnorrbuKhti 4 010 Drumgoolecf 4110 Totok 14 1 4 1 ParomutCath. UVkmney E-Drumgoole 2, Meade, Komar I Taut. DP-St.

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Dream come true for Frank, Gaynor By TONY GRAHAM STAFF WRITER DOVER TOWNSHIP Toms River East coach Bill Frank clutched the gold-tinted NJSIAA championship trophy as if it was a priceless treasure. "I can't explain it. I've been coaching for 24 years, 18 as a head coach, and this has always been my dream," Frank said after the Raiders won their first Group IV title with yesterday's 4-3 victory over North Bergen. "I sincerely wanted this team to be the one to do it for me," Frank said. "They're such great kids and I wanted them to be the ones to do it, more for them than me.

I just love these kids so much, it's been a special group." "I'm happy for everyone, especially him," said senior catcher Colin Gaynor. Senior Andy Diaz saved the lead with an adventuresome catch in deep right field that ended a North Bergen threat in the sixth. "Once I jumped up I knew I had it, but when I dropped down it was hanging out the back of my glove so I didn't know what toxio, which way to get it," Diaz said. "I was over there pointing to first base, screaming for him to throw it back said pitcher Ryan Doherty. "He nailed him." By NEIL SCHUMAN STAFF WRITER DOVER TOWNSHIP About 11 hours had elapsed between Tami Coyle's 8 a.m.

wake-up call and her celebratory dousing of coach Aado Kommendant with the team water cooler. In between she experienced two events she won't be forgetting any time soon: her graduation from St. John Vianney and winning the NJSIAA Parochial A Softball championship for the first time. Yesterday's 2-1, lO-inning victory over Paramus Catholic allowed Coyle to complete a rare trifecta. As a freshman and sophomore, she played for Lancer teams that won Parochial A basketball crowns.

In November, Coyle was a midfielder for the Lancers, as they beat the nation's top-ranked team, Immaculate Heart Academy, to win the Parochial A soccer title. Coyle was one of four Lancer seniors along with Stephanie Torpey, Becky Riker and Jessica Pagoda to go graduate. "Sitting through graduation, knowing that we were playing a state championship game and then hearing our principal (Joe DeRoba) announce that we were going to win a state championship, the pressure was really on," Coyle said. "I struck out every time I was up, but that didn't matter." and third with nobody out. Lancers coach Aado Kommendant brought his infield in and Adelfio struck out Schnorrbusch on four pitches.

Drumgoole dropped a bunt, but third baseman Kelly Foglia charged in to snare the ball out of the air for the second out. Adelfio then got Walker on a mm..