Bonacci spins 1-hitter, Steinert advances to semifinals
HAMILTON » It took two extra days for the game to be played and an inning for junior pitcher Isabella Bonacci to find her stride, but in the end the Steinert softball team was able to do something it has done with a remarkable regularity over the last decade.
Advance in the Central Jersey Group III Tournament.
Taking on Freehold Borough in a quarterfinal round game on Sunday morning, Steinert fell behind in the first inning before rallying for a 2-1 victory.
With the victory, topseeded Steinert (18-4) advanced into a home semifinal game on Tuesday. Its opponent will be the winner of Monday’s game between Allentown and Robbinsville.
Should Steinert win its next game, it will mark the seventh straight time and the eighth time in the last nine seasons the Spartans will play in a sectional championship game.
Sunday’s game against Freehold Boro (12-9) did not get off to a good start as Bonacci walked lead-off batter Lina Ciesnicki on four straight pitches. Following another walk, Ciesnicki eventually scored on a wild pitch.
Although it didn’t figure in the scoring, Freehold Boro also got a single from Lin Edwards in that first inning.
No one could have known it at the time, but that was the end of the offense for the Shore Conference team as Bonacci roared back with a dominating one-hitter and 13 strikeouts.
“Usually the first inning isn’t my strength, but I get better as the game goes along,” said Bonacci.
“It had nothing to do
with her warm-up,” said Steinert coach Jenn Melker. “It was just a matter of settling in.”
With Bonacci completely handcuffing Freehold Borough after the first, it was simply a matter of could Steinert’s potent line-up get to sophomore pitcher Giana Abinanti.
Abinanti ended up pitching a very nice game herself with a six-hitter and six strikeouts, but she could not prevent Steinert from tying the game in the third and scoring the winning run in the fifth.
It was Steinert’s short
game that produced the first run as No. 9 batter Jayci Conover put down a bunt single and raced all the way to third when the throw to first rolled down the right field line. Conover then scored on a squeeze play in which Makenna Spak also beat the throw to first for a bunt single.
In the fifth inning, Spak led off with a bunt single, stole second and raced home on a single to center Avery Kontura.
The Spartans nearly scored insurance in this inning, but Freehold Boro was able to throw out Kontura
at the plate on a single by Ceara O’Neal. As was the case in the third inning, Steinert missed a chance to blow the game wide open by leaving the bases loaded in the fifth.
“She (Conover) had a phenomenal game,” said Melker when it was pointed out her team becomes much tougher to stop when it gets production out of its No. 9 batter. “We weren’t hitting the long ball today so we made some adjustments. It was nice to see the short game come through.”
Watching all of this was Lauren Fischer, the former
Robbinsville pitching great, who is also Bonacci’s cousin.
“When I was growing up I went to all of Lauren’s games for Robbinsville,” said Bonacci. “She taught me a lot and has been a tremendous help to my career.”
A career that is showing more promise all the time for a Steinert team that is attempting to add a sectional title to this year’s Mercer County Tournament championship.
Freehold Boro (12-9) 100 000 0 — 1 1 1 Steinert (18-4) 001 010 x — 2 6 0 WP-Bonacci. LP-Abinanti. RBIs: S-Spak, Kontura.