The Record from Hackensack, New Jersey • 71

11 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1 1 2003 NORTH JERSEY SPORTS 2 THE RECORD S-11 STATE FINALS EXTRA SCOREBOARD ectom rims into tro "BASEBALL Bad first inning dooms Wildcats PENNSVIUE BECTON 9 2 GROUP 1 Pennsviile 9, Becton2 Bwton 0000020- 2 44 MmsvMt 710 010 9 9 2 RBfc (B) Corey Schanel 2. (P) John Humphreys 2, Zach Kappler, J.B. Meadows. Records: Becton (22-5), Pennsviile (26-4). WPi Humphreys (10-3).

LPi Travis Tyrrell (22-5). GROUP 4 Shawnee 5, Kearny 3 (9) Shawnee 100 000 004 8 10 2 Kearny 000 100 002 1 81 Records! Shawnee (21-5), Kearny (21-3). WPi Shawn Doolittle (12-1). LP: Hugh Mac-Donald (8-2). PAROCHIAL A Seton Hall Prep 6, CBA5(11) C8A 011 101 100 00 10 0 SetonHal 000 020 300 01 6 11 1 HRi (CBA) Rob Parks.

(SHP) Nick RBb (CBA) Parks 2, Pete Delleani. (SHP) Christian! 2, Ryan Clark, Rich Goulian, Rob Clark, Eric Duncan Records: CBA (21-7), Seton Hall Prep (30-1). WP: Steve Brennan (8-0). LP: Kevin Lillis (7- 2) PAROCHIAL Gloucester Catholic 3, St Mary's 0 StMaryl 0000000- 0 11 GkxxxsterCathocO02 010 x-3 SI RBI: (GC) Blake Ortiz 2, John McMullin. Records: St Mary's (23-7), Gloucester Catholic (25-5).

WP: Ortiz (5-3). LP: Kenneth Hernandez (8- 3) By ART STAPLET0N SPECIAL TO THE RECORD DOVER TOWNSHIP This was the last thing any of the Becton players expected: Their season to remember ended with a game to forget in the Group 1 baseball championship. Pennsviile scored seven runs in the first inning Tuesday en route to a 9-2 victory over the Wildcats for its second consecutive title. 'We came here expecting to win, and we came out like garbage," Becton senior Mike Roberts said. "It's frustrating because we knew they were a good team, but with our best we'd battle them and win the game.

"Any other day, we battle them until the end and we probably win our share. Today just wasn't our day, and that's very frustrating." Perhaps it was a bad omen for Becton when the team bus spent nearly two hours navigating back roads along the Jersey shore after an accident clogged the Garden State Parkway. The journey ended more than three hours after the Wildcats (22-5) left East Rutherford. Not long after the first pitch at Tom River North, Becton's dream run through the postseason turned into a nightmare. "I don't think we've made four errors in any week this season, let alone in any one game," Becton coach Paul DeSimone said.

"Don't take anything away from Pennsviile because they are a very good team, and their pitcher pitched a great game. I'm not going to blame anything on a three-hour bus ride, because we were prepared to play. You take away that first inning, and we're even with them. "But let's face it, the first inning counts, as it should, and we came up short" Junior Travis Tyrrell failed to make it out of the first inning, recording just one out as the team from Salem County scored four times against him with just two hits. He threw 38 pitches before Roberts replaced him.

"I didn't have my best stuff, and that was frustrating," Tyrrell said. "I got behind batters early in the count and I was forced to throw a lot of pitches. I felt good, but I just didn't have it" By the time the inning ended, Pennsviile had done more than enough damage in support of junior John Humphreys. The righthander allowed just four hits in a complete game, striking out 12 and walking one. Corey Schanel, who had two hits, provided Becton with its only runs via a single in the sixth inning.

Schanel is one of seven junior starters who will return next spring along with freshman Mike Deleasa. "I don't want to talk about next year yet because it wouldn't be fair to Mike Roberts, and he's done so much for this team," DeSimone said. "But I'm sure we'll talk about that at some point, and I think they'll use this as motivation." Tyrrell insisted that would be the case. "This will all help us down the road," he said. "Hopefully next year we'll be back here, and we'll come out and win it" Art Stapleton's e-mail address is Stapletonnorthjersey.com KYE-RYUNG LEESPECIAL TO THE RECORD Ryan Flannery of Becton taking a cut against Pennsville's John Humphreys, who struck out 12 Wildcats and allowed four hits in a complete-game effort Tuesday.

silence St Maty m.JJ i Gloucester Ca By MARK J. CZERWINSKI STAFF WRITER i'A Afrr-v; Mv GLOUCESTER CATH. 3 ST. MARY'S 0 if. in team in the game." Center fielder Joseph Apple-gate had St.

Mary's only hit, a grounder that was knocked down by the third baseman with two out in the third. Applegate also reached first base on a passed ball after a strikeout leading off the game, stealing second both times. "I thought we were in it the whole way," said Applegate, one of four St. Mary's seniors. "We all basically battled to try and stay in the game." Ortiz, who finished with 11 strikeouts, retired the last 13 hitters he faced.

The Gaels said he didn't throw as hard as some of the pitchers they faced in North Jersey this season, but they hit only three balls out of the infield. "It was a good baseball game," Giachetti said. "We made them play their best baseball, and they beat us. But we left nothing undone. They won, but we didn't give it to them.

They earned it." Giachetti said this game was a valuable experience for a team that has seven sophomores and three freshmen on the roster. And while the players were all silent on the bench after the game, the older ones were convinced that the Gaels would be back. "This was a blow, no doubt about it," Applegate said. "But you'll see next year. They'll be back." Mark J.

Czerwinski's e-mail address DOVER TOWNSHIP Two batters into Tuesday's Parochial championship game, Gloucester Catholic pitcher Blake Ortiz realized that St. Mary's was not like most of the teams he faced this season. "We read in the paper that their coach said they don't have a lot of power, but they like to move runners along and bunt a lot," Ortiz said after throwing a one-hit shutout at St. Mary's in a 3-0 victory at Toms River East High School. "When the second batter bunted with two strikes, the coach told me that now I know what kind of team they are.

That made me want to go after them and throw strikes on the first pitch." The Gaels (23-7) tried to play the same game they ve thrived on all season, but they couldn't scratch and claw for runs against Ortiz. They had a runner in scoring position in the first inning, but managed only an infield single against the hard-throwing righthander. "What I wanted to do was make that team press a bit," said St. Mary's coach Charlie Gia-chetti. "I wanted to play them close and push them through four innings.

That would've put the pressure on them because they were expected to win. We played well, but we didn't swing the bats." Senior Kenneth Hernandez (8- 3) pitched a strong game against a team that had much more offensive firepower than the Gaels. St. Mary's hit just three home runs as a team this season while Gloucester Catholic first baseman Scott Ward had 10 of his own. The Rams (25-5), winners of 19 of their last 20 games, took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning.

Vince Mazzacaro opened with a single and stole second. With one out, Hernandez intentionally walked Ward. John McMullin followed with a sharp single to left field, but Chris Innis nailed Mazzacaro at the plate with a perfect throw. "I was pumping my fist after that because I thought we were going to get out of it," Hernandez said. "Things just don't go your way sometimes." Ortiz (5-3) followed with a sharp single to left, scoring two runs.

Innis made another strong throw to try and stop the second runner, but it was up the line. "I was just choking up with one strike on me, trying to put the ball in play," said Ortiz. "Their pitcher threw strikes, and his curve was effective. We should have done better than we did, but give him credit His pitches kept us off balance, and he kept his yr i TARIQ ZEHAWISTAFF PHOTO St Mary's pitcher Ken Hernandez showing his frustration during a 3-0 State final loss to Gloucester Catholic. SOFTBALL GROUP 1 RosellePark2, Gloucester City 0 Gloucester City 000 000 0- 0 5 2 RoseHePark 000 011 2 61 RBb Erica Ollinick, Steph Kirste.

Records: Gloucester City (20-4), Roselle Park (24-1-1). WP: Becky Riccitelli (23-1). LP: Samantha Elder. GROUP 2 Manchester Twp. 1, Caldwell 0 Catdwel 0000000- 0 31 Manchester Twp.

000 000 1 1 51 RBI: Riana Vanchure. Records: Caldwell (28-3), Manchester Twp. (26-2). WP: Nicole Vbb. LP: Kristen Schindler.

GROUP 3 Jefferson 3, Hamilton 1 (8) Hamilton 100 000 00 1 12 Jefferson 000 010 02 3 3 3 HR: (J) Dawn Gilchrist. RBb (J) Gilchrist 2. Records: Hamilton (24-5-1), Jefferson (25-3). WP: Brittany Gerritsen (13-0). LP: Melissa Hodge (20-4).

GROUP 4 Cherokee 1, West Milford 0 (8) WestMMord 00000000- 0 20 Cherokee 000 000 01 1 5 0 RBb Danielle Cohen. Records: West Milford "(26-3), Cherokee (284). Z. WPi Cohen (22-0). LP: Michelle Bark (20-3).

PAROCHIAL A IHA3, -St John Vianney 0(12) MA 000000000003-351 St John VrnOOO 000 000 000-0 62 RBb (I) Danielle Just 2. Records: IHA (23-6), St John Vianney (26-5). WP: Erica Lockhart (21-4). LP: Tricia Rein- gle. PAROCHIAL Gloucester Catholic 1, St Mary's 0(8) St Mary's 00000000- 0 31 GkuCath.

000 000 01 1 CO RBfc(GC) RiRi Ferrigno. Records: St Mary's (22-5), Gloucester Catholic (26-3). WP: Briarme Tobin (26-3). LP: Andrea DeLu-crezia(17-5). COACHING OPENINGS Bergen Catholic High School is seeking an assistant boys soccer coach.

Send resume to athletic director John Puzio, 1040 Oradell Ave. Oradell 07649 or fax to (201) 599-9507. Tenafly High School is seeking assistants in football (with line experience), boys soccer, and girls soccer. Contact athletic director Ed Craumer at 201 816-6647. River Del is seeking head coaches in girls tennis and ice hockey, and assistants in girls tennis, boys soccer, girls soccer, and an athletic bus driver with CDL license.

Send letter and resume to athletic director Dennis Nelson, 55 Pyle Street, Oradell 07649 or fax to (201) 261-3809. Midland Park High School is seeking a head girls volleyball coach and an assis- i tantfbotballcoach.Contactathleticdirec-tor Ed Salvi at (201) 444-7400 ext 205 or fax resume to (201) 444-0352. Pascack H9s High School is seeking a fall cheerleading coach. Contact athletic director Tom Gattoni at 201-358-7030. Immaculate Heart Academy is seeking a Softball head coach, and freshman and junior varsity coaches in volleyball.

Contact athletic director Doug Sage at (201) 445810 or fax resume to (201) 445-7416. TARIQ ZEHAWISTAFF PHOTOGRAPHER St Mary's second baseman Domenick Cirilli making a leaping catch of a liner off the bat of Gloucester Catholic's Blake Ortiz on Tuesday. is czerwinskinorthjersey.com Cherokee ace stops West Milford lumnrnj i ii. UU.JU I III IIIH MM 'wen CHEROKEE VVESTMILFORD 1 0 Colleen Takamoto with the game's only run. "I wanted to hit so bad because I had 99 hits, and I wanted to get the 100th hit so bad," Cohen said.

"To get that run in, it was very important that we won." Cohen dominated the West Milford hitters for the first three innings, finishing with nine strikeouts and two hits allowed. By the later innings, the Highlanders managed to get around. Katie Timinksy led off the seventh with a single, but a double play ended the potential threat "She's quick, she's really quick," West Milford's Gemma Chalkley said. "We expected it outside, she put it inside. She really knew what she was doing." The loss ended the high school careers of five West Milford players, Timinsky, Chalkley, Bark, Jessica VanDyk, and Dana Pordon.

"I trust my team to pick it up next year and do the same thing," Chalkley said. "We left everything here. We're proud of ourselves. We don't regret anything." Adam Zagoria's e-mail address is zagorianorthjersey.com By ADAM ZAGORIA SPECIAL TO THE RECORD DOVER TOWNSHIP The West Milford softball team was unable to solve the most dominant pitcher in New Jersey, and Cherokee came up with an eighth-inning run to end the Highlanders' season in the Group 4 title game for the second straight season. Danielle Cohen, a senior left-hander headed to Robert Morris on a softball scholarship, limited the Highlanders to two hits and drove in the game-winning run with a single to right field, lifting the Chiefs to a 1-0 victory at Toms River North.

The victory capped an undefeated season for Cohen (22-0) and Cherokee (28-0). The Chiefs are 6-1 in Group 4 finals, their only loss coming to Clifton in 1998. West Milford is 0-4 in Group 4 finals, including last year's loss to Washington Township. "We had an opportunity or two, and it's just a shame that we couldn't capitalize," Highlanders' coach Jim Drans-field said. "But in the eighth inning they I got a clean single to end the game.

I was glad it was a clean single, it wasn't like somebody made a mistake to end the game." West Milford senior right-hander Michelle Bark (20-3) escaped jams in the first three innings, leaving four Cherokee runners on base. But in the bottom of the eighth inning of a game that started more than two hours late because of the matchups preceding it, Cherokee finally broke through. Mandy Danser led off with a single to left field. Bark then walked pinch-hitter Jackie Taylor to put runners on first and second. After Bark got the next two batters, Alisha Gonzales hit an infield single to load the bases.

Cohen stepped to the plate, knowing she had 99 career hits. She drove a clean shot to right field, plating pinch-runner i 5 RECORD FILE PHOTO Michelle Bark allowed only five hits in West Mitford's 1-0, eight-inning loss to Cherokee. I.