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As batter after batter reached base in the sixth inning, Pequannock softball coach Maryann Goodwin refused to turn around to look at the scoreboard. Runners headed for the plate with astonishing regularity, as the Panthers turned what had been a close game into a rout. Still, Goodwin didn't want to jinx things. Finally, when the inning ended, the coach took a peek and was stunned to see the number "20" on the visitors' side on the board.
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Pequannock scored 13 runs in that fateful top of the sixth, sending 17 batters to the plate. The Panthers had nine hits and received five walks; amazingly, the huge rally was not aided by a single Morris Knolls error.
A few minutes later, the Panthers were celebrating a 20-8 win that not only gave Pequannock its first county title since 2000, but also lifted a burden from the shoulders of the team's four seniors. In their high school sports careers, the quartet had been part of teams that came close to softball titles on so many occasions, only to come up a little short. Now, no matter what happens the rest of the season, these girls are champions.
It didn't necessarily look it would turn out that way earlier in the evening at Brundage Park in Randolph. After Pequannock scored first, Morris Knolls moved out to a 4-1 lead after three innings. But the Panthers came back in the top of the fourth to plate four runs and briefly move in front.
Morris Knolls responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the frame, chasing starter Megan Brain in favor of her sister Kristin. But Pequannock answered back with a pair in the top of the fifth, tying the game 7-7 and setting the stage for the huge rally.
Kayla Lombardo started off the inning by blasting a home run well over the fence in left-center. She would add a two-run single later in the frame. Game MVP Noelle Ramirez doubled off the fence to continue the rally, and later tripled to clear the bases.
The Panthers ended the game with an impressive 4-6-3 double play, and then celebrated as if they had pulled out a one-run game. Pequannock now hopes to carry the confidence from this triumph into the state softball tournament, where they are a #2 seed in North Jersey Section 1, Group II. -- Paul Mencher for Jersey Sports Now
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