The Record from Hackensack, New Jersey • 36

RTF MONDAY, MAY 29. 1989 THE RECORD KKD05YK1 JER SEY SIP Parannies-Catholic loses -final. Paladins' offense vanishes Push to protect pitchers With one out and a runner on first, Paramus Catholic second baseman Chris Clemens dropped a throw that would have completed a forceout The Lancers then sandwiched two singles around a walk to score their runs. "I think I pitched to the best of my ability," said LiButtL "But I had trouble adjusting to the umpire. He was calling them high, but he wouldn't give me the drop pitch." "I think it really came down to that third inning," said Del Vecchio.

"The second baseman threw the ball before she caught it. If we get the out, there's two outs and only the runner on first." The Paladins had an opportunity to take a lead in the top of the second. Cleanup batter Bernadette Arbucho led off with a triple just inside the right-field line. But she was thrown out at the plate on a suicide squeeze attempt. Rebecca Goodwin's bunt rolled about 15 feet, but Kriza flipped the ball home in plenty of time.

The play was a thorn in the Paladins' side as third baseman Val Hammel followed with a fly-ball out to right that would have scored Arbucho. Paramus Catholic had the tying run at the plate with two outs in the seventh. Clemens singled to right and right fielder Susan Calocino walked. But Arbucho's line drive to center was caught. Del Vecchio remained upbeat.

"Of course everyone wants to win it," she said. "But we have nothing to be ashamed of. It's a great accomplishment making it this far." Paramus hurler gets a lift Fires a shutout after day of rest By John Mayer Correspondent EMERSON Probably no one was happier than Melissa Laganella when Saturday's Bergen County Women Coaches Association softball tournament semifinals were rained out. The Paramus pitcher said she could tell from just her warm-up throws Saturday morning that she wasn't at her best after having thrown less than 24 hours earlier in the Group 3 sectional final against Pascack Hills. By Greg Mattura Correspondent TRENTON Paramus Catholic faced a pitcher in the Parochial A softball championship Sunday who hadn't given up an earned run in three state tournament games.

The Paladins couldn't reverse the trend. Holy Cross senior Karen Kriza limited Paramus Catholic to five hits and led the Lancers to a 3-0 victory in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association game at Trenton State College. "We hit the ball pretty well, just right at people," said Paramus Catholic coach Beth Del Vecchio. "She was definitely the key," said Holy Cross coach Walt Walsh, whose team had won 10 of its last 11 games. "I called about four or five pitches and she called the rest.

She was like a professional all Jubilant teammates swarm around Ricky pji mm mmmmp I -is 1 .2 v- v- -v f- 1 1 I I' Ym- Lj the way." The Paladins (19-6) had no consistency against the right-handed Kriza (10-3), whose inside fastballs to a right-handed-hitting lineup induced six ground-ball outs to third. Paramus Catholic finished with four singles and a triple. Holy Cross (14-8) had better success against Paramus Catholic senior righthander Janine LiButtL The Lancers had six hits and took advantage of three singles, a walk, and an error to score three runs in the third inning. LiButti (18-5), who struck out five and walked five, escaped jams in the first two innings. A one-out error led to two unearned runs in the third.

Lutz after his three-run, 375-foot home run in For inspiration, his players only had to take an up-the-middle look at the St. Joseph defense to find their Washington Township neighbors: catcher Tom McConnell, pitcher Steve Hayward, shortstop Dave Perno, and center fielder Pete Arcuri. Muilenberg, who has been beset by arm troubles, led off for the first time in the opening game, and he continued to thrive in that spot against Paramus Catholic. The left fielder had a single, a walk, and a double against the Paladins. The Cardinals took a 3-1 lead in the first two innings against unbeaten Paladins pitcher Matt PiccinL Muilenberg beat out an infield hit to open the game, stole second, was bunted to third by Rob Good.

He scored on a sacrifice fly by Popovic. After Brett Perlmutter drew a one-out walk in the second, Mills homered over the fence in center for a brief 3-1 lead. Paladins coach Ed Bertolini dominated the conversation when he went to the mound to check on his talented junior. "I asked him if he was OK. He said he was fine.

So I said, 'If you're OK, then let's get somebody Bertolini said. "He was a little shaky because it was his first county tournament start." Piccini (7-0), who entered the game with a 1.09 earned run average, pitched a complete game, but never once set down the scrappy Cardinals 1-2-3. He allowed six hits and four walks, but fooled the Cardinals when he had to. After his teammates had tied the score in the second on a run-scoring double by Jeff Gomez and a run-scoring single by Anthony Sansano, Piccini stranded four runners in scoring position in the third, HIGH SCHOOLS Most high school coaches take good care of their pitchers' arms. However, a few think only of victo- ries and will use their best pitcher until his arm is hanging down to the diamond.

Bob Kurland As a result of the few bad apples, the National Federation of State High School Associations is recommending that every state association limit the number of innings a high school player can pitch. Little League establishes limits, but this is the first time a rule is aimed at high school hurlers. "I think this is a step in the right direction," says New Jersey State In-terscholastic Athletic Association executive director Robert Kanaby. "I don't find a rule limiting pitchers to be objectionable. After all, we are dealing with young arms.

The NJSIAA has sent out a questionnaire to coaches to get their input. Their answers could prompt a vote on the issue. Regardless of the rule agreed upon, Kanaby predicts it will be in place for the next baseball season. Three members of the Harrison girls basketball team, which finished 24-4 last season, have proven to be just as talented in the classroom and will receive academic scholarships. Robyn Kaczor, who is ranked No.

2 in her class and played soccer, will attend Muhlenberg Tammy Bubenas, who is ranked No. 3 and captained the softball team, will attend Pace, and her twin sister Kim, who played soccer, will attend William Paterson Elmwood Park is suddenly in the market for head coaches after the resignations of football coach Don Pantano and basketball coach Bob Gardiner Jeff Hammonds, a center fielder for Scotch Plains-Fanwood, is the Ga-torade Circle of Champions New Jersey Baseball Player of the Year. Jennifer Frame, who starred for Emerson's outstanding softball team last season, had a 6-4 record with a 3.05 earned run average at Lehigh this season Jon Fisher, who was a standout baseball player at Glen Rock, continued to do well at Lynchburg College Knee surgery cost him most of last season, but this year he came back to hit .333. Midway through this season, the team went into a slump, so coach Gerry Thomas asked Fisher to make out the lineup. His lineup was so good the club won nine of its last 10 games for a 20-8 record.

"I had no doubts that Fisher could put the right people in the lineup," says Thomas. "We put a lot of emphasis on our senior leadership and Jon did a real good job." St. Joseph first baseman Mark Garcia will attend Seton Hall along with teammate Steve Hayward. "I think Mark is a diamond in the rough," says Seton Hall coach Mike Sheppard. "He is a lefty swinger with nice power, and with our short right-field fence should do well for us.

He also has better than average speed." Jeff Gomez of Paramus Catholic will attend Pace. He already holds the school record with 40 ca- reer stolen bases An organizing meeting for a Bergen County football coaches association will be held at 7 p.m., June 14, at River DelL All head coaches are invited to attend. Lyndhurst recently inducted nine members into its Hall of Fame: Eugene Rosa (football), the late Robert Pattlson (football), William Berna-dino, (football), Robert Palo (baseball), Warren Bogle (baseball pitcher who played for the Oakland Athletics), Rosemary LaPollo (basketball), Jon Macula (wrestling), Arnle Per-rone (coach, 111-60 in wrestling, 45- 33-6 in football, including school- best 11-0 in 1983), and Jim Scottl (contributor) Twenty-nine walks were issued as Bergen Catholic (21-1) edged Old Tappan (20-2), 6-5, last week to win the Bergen County freshman baseball title. Lute's 3-run homer downs Westwood I was really hoping for the rainout Saturday. The weather was miserable, I wasn't ready to pitch.

ff Melissa Laganella The extra day of rest seemed to pay off Sunday when the senior right-hander struck out a season-high 16 as the fifth-seeded Spartans defeated 16th-seeded Elmwood Park, 2-0, in eight innings. In the second game of the doublehead-er, Michelle Kozuch pitched a one-hitter and Dana Van Syckel drove in four runs as second-seeded North Arlington blanked third-seeded Emerson, 8-0. The title game is set for today, 1 p.m., at Emerson High School. Paramus wiil try to become the first team to repeat as champions in the 16-year history of the tournament. "I was really hoping for the rainout Saturday," said Laganella, who has been the only pitcher for Paramus in its 22-2 season.

"The weather was miserable, and I wasn't ready to pitch. Today, I was throwing much harder in warm-ups." The high velocity carried right into the game as Laganella struck out at least two batters in every inning except the seventh. She pitched a one-hitter, surrendering a bunt single in the fifth to Tracy Pastor. Elmwood Park's sophomore righthander, Cheryl McClanahan, held the Spartans to four hits, two coming in the top of the eighth. Paramus' Chrissy Sailer started the eighth with a single, moving to second on a wild pitch and to third on a fielder's choice.

Michelle Celia reached first on a bunt single. Fran Aiello's squeeze bunt scored Sailer and Celia moved to third on the play. A single by Danielle Baraty drove in Celia. North Arlington scored in the top of the first in its semifinal game when Cheryl Gnoiski drove in Jennifer Lemke, who scored three times in the game. The Vikings scored two runs in the third on a run-scoring single by Andrea Sprague and a run-scoring double by Van Syckel, who went 2-for-2 with two sacrifice flies.

With her team leading, 5-0, Van Syckel's two-run single keyed a three-run sixth inning for North Arlington, which suffered a heartbreaking, 5-3, loss Thursday to Pompton Lakes in the Group 1 sectional semifinals. "We were denied a shot at the state title and the kids, especially Michelle Kozuch and Dana Van Syckel, were determined not to let that happen again in the county tournament," said North Arlington coach John Galante, wholl make his second trip to the county final in three years. Like Van Syckel, Kozuch did her part, allowing only a bunt single to Cheryl Ziemba in the fourth. Kozuch was supported by excellent defense as center fielder Lisa Leal made a diving catch on a shot in the gap in the second. LINDA CATAFFOTHE RECORD the fifth gave the Paladins a 6-3 lead.

LINDA CATAFFOTHE RECORD Undefeated Matt Piccini (7-0) struggled, but went the distance for the Paladins. fourth, and fifth innings, all on called third strikes. His teammates scored five times in the fifth. The rally began with a line-drive single by Luis Garcia and an error on a likely double-play grounder. Lutz's home run followed.

"Of all the teams in the county, we didn't know anything about Westwood," Bertolini said. "I go to a lot of games, and so do the coaches, and our kids are from a lot of different towns. But none of us had seen Westwood. They were tough." The Paladins advance to the second round against two-time defending state Group 3 champion Pascack Hills today at noon. By Ron Fox Record Staff Writer EMERSON Ricky Lutz termed two of his at-bats Sunday afternoon as laughable, and the Paramus Catholic shortstop did most of the laughing.

It was a self-deprecating bit of joviality after he had looped two weak singles to short center field. The first drove in a run, and the second enabled him to score the top-seeded Paladins' final run in a 9-3 victory against Westwood in the first round of the Bergen County Coaches Association baseball tournament. Between those two at-bats, Lutz hit a 375-foot, three-run home run. "I was jammed on one, and I was off stride on the other," Lutz said of his two singles. "I was looking for the fastball, and it was a spinning change-up.

But the home run was the whole game for me. I hadn't hit one in at least the last eight or nine games, and I was in an RBI slump, too." Lutz's sixth homer of the season came in the fifth inning and snapped a 3-3 tie. It cleared the center-field fence at Emerson's James "Doc" Sweeney Field, which was officially dedicated in honor of the school's late trainer. To play against the Paladins, Westwood first had to face St Joseph a perennial county challenger in a qualifying round in the morning. Catcher Rich Popovic was 2-for-3 and drove in three runs as the Cardinals prevailed, 6-3.

Greg Mills and Dan Muilenburg also had two hits each. "I didn't have to do anything to motivate them today," said Cardinals coach Dick Cella..