2-B Thursday, June 12, 2014, The Chatham News/Record
SPORTS
of
Chatham
2-A title just out of reach
East Rutherford wins Game 3, topping Lady Jets 4-2 in nine innings
Jeff Davis photo
Big Run . . .
Jet baserunner Hanna Stackhouse slides across home plate as East Rutherford catcher Emily Dotson fields the ball. Stackhouse’s run scored was in the bottom of the seventh inning
when the Lady Jets rallied to tie the game up at two each. The final game of the series went to nine innings and East Rutherford won after scoring two runs in the ninth to win the
game 4-2.
Game three was a nine-inning doozy with a twist
at the Walnut Creek Softball Complex
last weekend, to the extent of forcing extra innings in the third and final game Saturday afternoon, but in
the end the Lady Cavaliers managed
to push across a pair
of runs in the top of
the ninth en route
to claiming a 4-2
triumph that earned
them the distinction
of state champions.
East Rutherford
closed out the year
with a final record
of 27-4, whereas JM finished at 24-6
overall.
For the second
time in two days
Savannah
Davis
hurled the Lady
Cavaliers to victory,
once again outdueling J-M ace Holly
Clark. In the process of throwing 111
pitches, including 77
(69%) for strikes,
Davis scattered eight
hits and yielded two
runs (one earned)
while issuing one
base on balls and
fanning seven.
Clark, who was
tagged for nine hits
and four runs (three
Jeff Davis photo
earned) in addiBig Inning . . .
Lady Jet players Dee DeCristafaro, left, Hanna Stackhouse, center, and Holly tion to walking one
Clark all meet at head coach Chris Mote on the baseline near homeplate in and whiffing three,
the third game Saturday afternoon. The Cavaliers had called a meeting on the threw a total of 128
mound after J-M tied up the game. East Rutherford wound up winning the game pitches, including 83
4-2 in nine innings.
By R. C. “Duck” Duckson
RALEIGH – As the saying goes, close only counts
in horseshoes and hand grenades.
The Lady Jets of JordanMatthews gave it their best shot
against East Rutherford in a
best-of-three series competing
for the NCHSAA state 2A title
(65%) for strikes.
Jordan-Matthews fashioned a 1-0 advantage in
the bottom of the second
as Caroline Webster was
hit by a pitch with one
away and came around
to score on back-toback singles by Sydney
Graham and Kaitlin
James.
East Rutherford answered with a run in
the top of the third as
Jordan Gray reached on
an infield error with one
away, advanced to third
on a two-out base hit to
right by Davis and tallied
on a throwing error.
The Lady Cavaliers
went ahead 2-1 in the
visitors’ sixth as Emily
Dotson led off the frame
by stroking a double to
center and moved to third
when Ashlynn Vickers
lined a single to left.
Clark proceeded to
strike out Jori Whiteside
and retired Jenna Carter
on an infield pop-up
before the game took a
strange twist.
Catching the Lady Jets
off-guard as they were
returning to their positions after the pop-up,
Dotson broke for home
and scored while Vickers
stole second. J-M coach
Chris Mote made a formal protest on the play,
arguing the ball was dead at the
time, but following a meeting
on the field between officials
and school representatives, the
run was allowed to stand.
When play resumed, Leanna
Briscoe belted a double to
center that apparently scored
Vickers from second base, but
it was ruled Vickers failed to
touch home plate and she was
called out to end the inning.
Down to its final three outs,
Jordan-Matthews rallied in the
home seventh to tie the score
and nearly pull out a win.
The Lady Jets loaded the bases
as Hanna Stackhouse reached
on an infield error with one
away, Madison Poe singled to
center and Dee DeCristofaro
June 12, 2014 Edition
Sending them back . . .
Jeff Davis photo
The home plate umpire sends Dee DeCristafaro, 12 and Alexstra Lask,6, back to the bases after a controversial ruling in
game three. With Lask on first base, DeCristafaro hit a shot
to left field where the ball got by the leftfielder, then the ball
wound up under the portable fence. The leftfielder raised her
arms, signaling the ball under the fence, giving her a ground
rule double.