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A team that couldn't quite get it done in the big games in past years found the winning formula in 2009. The Pequannock softball team completed a remarkable season by topping Cranford in the New Jersey Group II state final. The Panthers add that trophy to county, league and sectional titles won earlier this season to complete a remarkable year. Coach Maryann Goodwin's squad finished 27-2 on the year and ranked within the state's Top Ten.
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As has often been the case, Pequannock's winning formula included more than just the starting lineup. Pitcher Megan Brain kept Cranford off the board for the first five innings, working out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth. But when she got into trouble in the 6th, Goodwin decided to bring in her younger sister Kristin to relieve. The move paid off as the younger Brain struck out five of the six hitters she faced.
Offensively, the Panthers struggled against Kelly Hardman in the first three innings. But as the softball game moved on, Pequannock started to figure out her curveball and changeup. In the fourth, Kristin Brain reached on an infield single. After a bunt, Tara Earley battled Hardman, fouling off several pitches before hitting a sharp bouncer to short. The ball glanced off the fielder's glove, allowing the pinch-runner to score to make it 1-0.
Pequannock really broke through in the fifth. Pinch-hitter Jess Blossfeld led off with a double down the left-field line. Two batters later, Kayla Lombardo's looper landed for an RBI single to make it 2-0. Then with two outs, Noelle Ramirez and Earley came through with clutch run-scoring hits to give Pequannock a 4-0 lead.
Cranford got a run back in the sixth before the pitching change. After Kristin Brain struck out the first two hitters she faced, Liz Snyder hit a line shot that appeared headed for the right-center field gap. But centerfielder Christine Zaher made another great defensive play, tracking the ball down to end the threat.
After Kristin Brain closed the door by striking out the side in the 7th, the first player to reach her was her sister. The two embraced as the rest of the team celebrated around them. Appropriately enough, Megan Brain would be the winning pitcher, while Kristin would get credit for the save.
In recent seasons, Pequannock had suffered through a number of near-misses in big softball games, falling short in county and state tournament play. All those disappointments just served to make this season sweeter, as the Panthers reached all their goals in a remarkable month-long stretch. And now they've topped every other team in school history, earning Pequannock's first softball state title--truly a high school sports season to remember. -- Paul Mencher for Jersey Sports Now
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