South Jersey Softball:
Pennsauken Takes 2 From TBAA

Saturday, June 26, 1999

By Bob Beatrice
SJSports Special Correspondent

On Friday, June 25, TBAA traveled to Pennsauken for the first of a home and home weekend series in the SJGSA Junior American Division. Each team scored 1 run in the first. TBAA scored 4 in the second on 2 errors and 2 singles. Pennsauken answered with 4 of their own runs in the bottom of the second. The big hit was a 2-run single by Kerry Hanson. pennsauken broke it open with 4 runs in the third and 4 more in the fifth. Pennsauken won 11-7. Jessica Martino pitched 5 strong innings for her fourth win of the season. Christina Tofani struck-out 4 in 2 innings of relief. Stephanie Sylvia was 3-for-3 with 2 RBIs. Ashley Keich had 3 RBIs.

Pennsauken then traveled to TBAA for a Saturday afternoon game. TBAA started strong, scoring 5 runs in the first. Cherie McNellis had a 2-run single. Pennsauken answered with 3 in the second and 1 in the third, to cut the score to 5-4. Stephanie Sylvia came in for relief in the second inning and shut down the TBAA attack for the next 3 innings, striking out 5 and allowing only 1 hit. Pennsauken took their first lead in the fifth when Ashley Keich scored on a groundout and Randi Beatrice stole home.

As the temperature soared into the nineties, both teams got tired. TBAA scored 5 runs against 3 pitchers on only 1 hit to retake the lead, 10-6. Each team scored a run in the 6th,as McNellis had another RBI single for TBAA. The score was 11-7 after 6 innings. That's when things got exciting! With 1 out, Ashley Keich hit a triple. After 2 walks, and a force at home, Pennsauken was down to their last out. Annie Bilinsky was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Krissy Rup then stepped up and hit a 2-run single. TBAA overthrew third base and another run scored, and Bilinsky moved to third. The score was now 11-10. On the second pitch, Bilinsky stole home, game tied.

TBAA got the third out and came to bat in the bottom of the seventh. Lauren Shilling and Tammy Schina drew walks to start the inning. Sylvia, back in for her second relief appearance, bore down and coerced two pop-ups and a grounder to get out of trouble. Extra innings! Pennsauken continued with the momentum scoring 4 runs in the eighth. Kerry Hanson had the key hit, an RBI triple, and she scored on an overthrow. Sylvia worked an easy 8th for her first victory of the season.

Pennsauken is now 10-2 and in second place. Their next game is at home on tuesday against Stratford (10-3, 3rd place). A win will clinch second place for the season.