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Owls recover to beat Leonia 7-6
(by Erin Patricia Griffiths - June 04, 2008)
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Staff Photo by Erin Patricia Griffiths
Kevin Herget winds up at the mound to deliver another pitch, mustering up all his strength to bring home another win.
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It seemed as though the Park Ridge Owls might be playing their last game of the season as they trailed Leonia 5-0 going into the fifth inning of the North 1, Group 1 semifinals on Wednesday, May 28. But the team rallied scoring five runs in the fifth inning to tie the game.
Danny Franco capped off the rally with a two run homer to tie the score. The far-reaching hit was a remarkable personal achievement for Franco, a senior at
Park Ridge
High School . Franco has been limited to being a designated hitter for the team due to shoulder surgery this past summer.
A home run by Leonia’s Michael DelOrbe in the sixth gave his team a one run lead until
Park Ridge ’s Matt Moreno tied the game with a solo shot, his 12th home run of the season.
In the end it came down to Ryan Howell at bat. With two outs and a runner on third, Howell reached on an infield hit to bring in the winning run.
Pitcher Kevin Herget went all seven innings, throwing a strong game despite exhaustion from pitching in and winning all three state games prior to the semifinals. Seniors Alex Clemente and Jesse Buckman will relieve Herget on the mound in the games to follow.
Coach Pete Crandall was elated after the game saying, “It is the first time in a long time we’ve made it this far. We’re on a nice little run here. It is due to a little bit of luck, a little bit of skill, and a little bit of hard work.”
As for their following games in the tournament, Crandall says confidently, “We are fielding the ball pretty well and if we don’t give them too many extra outs, we’ll be in pretty good shape.”
Park Ridge backed up Wednesday’s win with a 7-6 win over Cedar Grove in the North 1, Group 1 final on Friday. The Owls were scheduled to play Lyndhurst, the Section 2 winner, on Tuesday, June 3 at
Ramapo
College .
Erin Patricia Griffiths' e-mail address is GriffithsE@northjersey.com.
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