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*Story updated (at bottom of page)
Late-lead slips away from RKA softball team, Lady Tigers drop third straight game by a single run
By Jason Eisenberg
April 29, 2011 -- Bob Finz was a mere four outs from the 100th win of his high school coaching career, but unfortunately for the longtime Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy softball skipper, the celebration of this impressive milestone will have to wait for at least one more game.
RKA carried a 3-1 lead into the sixth inning of Wednesday’s matchup with Dewitt Clinton and then proceeded to record two quick outs in the frame. Clinton’s only run so far had come during the opening inning, but from that point on, Lady Tigers’ starting pitcher Zanovia Pierce was in complete control and throwing one of her best games of the season.
The junior had allowed just the one run on three hits, while striking out nine batters through five innings. However, constant complaints throughout the contest from the Clinton coaches, who were accusing Pierce of stepping twice on her delivery, might have finally gotten into the pitcher’s head. With two outs in the sixth, the potential of a big win for RKA suddenly transformed in to a big disaster over just a span of a few minutes. Following a base hit, a walk, a two-run double and an RBI single, Clinton had erased the deficit and taken a 4-3 lead that would hold up the rest of the way.
“Well, if affecting Zanovia’s focus was what they [Clinton’s coaches] were hoping to accomplish, it looks like they got what they wanted,” said Coach Finz, shortly after his team dropped to 4-5 on the season. “This is another tough one to take, losing by one run for the third straight game, and all of them against top-ranked teams. There is only one game we have not been in the whole season and we seem to always be tied or leading late, so clearly we need to get better at closing teams out.”
The late-inning collapse was far from the only concern for RKA, as the team struggled mightily on offense for just about the entire afternoon. The Lady Tigers scored all three of their runs in the bottom of the third inning and put up nothing but zeros in every other frame.
Before Clinton’s comeback, it appeared that RKA sophomore second baseman Courtney Segal would be the hero of the day, as she smacked a clutch two-run double to centerfield in the third to score Jennifer Lorenzo as the tying run and Lea Cohen as the go-ahead run. Shortly after, junior catcher Rosa Le ripped a two-out RBI single to rightfield and Segal came around to cross home plate as the Lady Tigers’ third -- and unfortunately, final -- run of the game.
RKA managed to cling to this narrow advantage for the next two frames, thanks entirely to solid pitching from Pierce and strong fielding, especially by Segal at second base and Lorenzo at shortstop. Segal caught two hard grounders and made the throws to first base on both occasions to record the out. Lorenzo showed off her powerful arm two separate times, first making a tough throw across the infield to first base for an out, and then coming through with a run-saving defensive play in the fourth. Clinton’s Marigold Yin smashed a bomb to the outfield fence and was about to round third for a home run, but Lorenzo took the cutoff throw from centerfielder Erica Wilczek and launched a missile from the shallow outfield to catcher Rosa Le at the plate to prevent Yin from scoring.
As it turned out, though, Clinton would end up getting that run -- plus an additional two -- in the sixth anyway, and they went home with a come-from-behind win over the Lady Tigers.
Despite the recent setback and offensive struggles, Coach Finz -- who has been running RKA’s softball program since its inception 10 years ago and will be retiring at the end of the season -- still believes his squad will send him out on a high note.
“We could not hit this girl [Clinton ace Tayna Pena] at all today and she averages 10 K’s per game for a reason. This is what I expected for the most part, though, because we are not a team that can punch out a lot of runs and need to just scrounge for as many as we can get,” said Coach Finz. “But we have held our own against all the top teams we faced and I have no doubt we will get in the playoffs. Once we are there, to be honest, I would hate to be the team that has to face us.”
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK
RKA PLAYER OF THE GAME: Courtney Segal - The second baseman came through with a clutch two-run double that put RKA on top in the third inning. She then stole a base and eventually crossed home plate as the team’s third run in the frame. Additionally, Segal also made a pair of nice defensive plays in the field. The sophomore now leads the entire Bronx “A” Division in hits and continues to be one of the biggest surprises for RKA in her first season with the team.
“Courtney is a great ballplayer and I am not really surprised by how well she has done. I knew she had been playing outside ball before coming here and I could see her ability in practice,” said Coach Finz. “She has been one of our most consistent hitters all season and she comes through for us in just about every game.”
RKA Report Card
Offense: C
RKA’s offensive output was limited to begin with -- three runs and three hits in the game -- but it is even more concerning that all of this production came during one big inning. In fact, the Lady Tigers had just a single batter reach base -- Lea Cohen drew a walk -- over the last four frames of this contest.
Defense: B-
There were two specific hits by Clinton in the game that the RKA defense probably could have caught, but both were difficult enough to the point where I would not have considered them errors. Unfortunately, each of these plays would lead to runs on the scoreboard for Clinton. Second baseman Courtney Segal and shortstop Jennifer Lorenzo were the Lady Tigers’ best fielders on this day.
Pitching: B+
Through five-plus innings, Zanovia Pierce had pitched one of her best games of the season and was only four outs away from a huge victory. Then, everything fell apart for the junior pitcher, as she allowed three hits and a walk to the next four batters. This resulted in a three-run frame for Clinton and RKA lost the lead as well as the game. Pierce struck out 12, but also walked eight.
*Update (5/2/11)*
Earlier this evening, the Lady Tigers ended their three-game losing streak by defeating Bronx Science, 9-3. So, after a nearly month-long wait, Bob Finz finally saw his patience pay off, as the RKA girls helped him pick up the 100th victory of his coaching career.
Zanovia Pierce was the star of the day, both on the mound and in the batter’s box. The junior threw a complete game to get the win, allowing three runs on five hits, while striking out six. She also went 3-for-4 at the plate, with a pair of singles, a triple and three RBIs.
Courtney Segal drove in a pair of runs for the second straight contest, Rosa Le had three hits and an RBI, Erica Wilczek knocked in a run on one of her two hits, while Jennifer Lorenzo finished with two singles and scored both times she got on base.
This victory raises RKA’s record back to the .500 mark (5-5) and gives the Lady Tigers sole possession of third place in the six-team Bronx “A” Division. RKA now needs to win two of its final three games in order to automatically clinch a playoff spot.
