By ED MILLSPARK RIDGE – Becton has been nothing if not resilient this season. The Wildcats have been shut out twice and held to one run another time [7-1, four-hit loss to Dumont on Tuesday], but still own a solid 7-3 overall record with four wins in their past five games.
On Saturday, Becton staged a strong offensive performance, pounding out 16 hits — nine coming from the duo of Faith Banca and Samantha Frola — to overcome Park Ridge, 13-7, at the sixth annual Coaches vs. Cancer softball tournament.
The game was one of 10 softball and four baseball games played at different Park Ridge sites [the high school, Memorial Field and Sulak Field] to highlight the fight against cancer, with all proceeds raised going to help battle the disease. Also, there were pink balloons and other reminding items at the three diamonds.
Banca, a senior second baseman, went 5-for-5 with five stolen bases and five runs scored. Frola, a junior first baseman, had four hits in five at bats with two doubles, a triple, a home run and four RBI.
“We never quit; we just kept coming back and coming back and eventually we prevailed,’’ Becton coach Dwight Hall said. “Our positive attitude all the way through no matter the score was a big factor. Park Ridge was a very tough test They rebounded well, too, when they were down and would not give in either.”
Becton put up four runs in the top of the third, sparked by Frola’s two-run blast, to take a 5-2 lead. But the host Owls rallied for three runs in the bottom of the inning to tie it at 5, before one run in the fourth and two in the fifth made it an 8-5 Wildcat advantage.
Sophomore shortstop KellyAnn Rubino smashed a two-run home run in the first inning, senior catcher Melanie Gasnick had a two-run single in the third and junior first baseman Angela Rivera had a booming RBI triple in the sixth for Park Ridge (2-8).
http://www.northjersey.com/sports/h-s-softball-thanks-to-faith-banca-samantha-frola-becton-tops-park-ridge-1.1318987
