Pickin' Splinters

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Enscoe’s 2-run home run, Phelan’s career milestone lift Kearney/Chesterton over Bloomfield

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Coral Enscoe connected on a two-run home run in the third inning, and Bishop Kearney/Chesterton went on to defeat, Bloomfield 3-2. (Photo: DAVE YATES)

By PAUL GOTHAM

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Coming off a road loss on Monday against Nardin Academy from Buffalo’s Monsignor Martin Athletic Association, the Bishop Kearney/Chesterton softball team faced the prospect of taking a three-game losing streak into sectionals as they hosted Bloomfield on Tuesday.

Bloomfield, the top seed in Class C1, entered play winners of seven straight.

A pair of juniors made sure BK entered the postseason on a high note.

Coral Enscoe connected on a two-run home run, and Carmella Phelan reached a career milestone as Kearney/Chesterton (14-4) avenged an earlier loss with a 3-2 victory.

“We got lit up last night,” Kearney/Chesterton head coach Dave Herbst said of the 11-1 loss. “Nardin is awfully good. And we didn’t get home until almost 11 o’clock after that. I told the kids before the game ‘the opponent is not them. The opponent is us today.’ We had to try and rise up after last night’s game. This is a signature victory. Bloomfield is a heckuva ball club.”

Kearney/Chesterton shrugged off some early struggles and improved to 14-4 on the season.

“This is good,” Herbst said. “If we had gotten beat today, now we’re going into postseason having lost three straight.”

Bloomfield struck early, but BK didn’t waste any time with a response.

Alaina Ruffino tied the game in the bottom of the first with a two-out RBI double that scored Enscoe from second.

Two innings later, Enscoe deposited a shot over the fence in left field.

BK had a lead it did not relinquish at 3-1. The home run came off Bloomfield starter, Ashlyn Wright – Enscoe’s travel teammate with UNY Revolution.

“She’s a really good pitcher,” Enscoe said. “I was looking for a pitch that I could hit, a pitch that I could pull, and I was able to get around on it and here we are.”

Enscoe wasn’t sure on contact how far the ball would travel.

“It was off the end of my bat,” the junior said. “I felt really lucky afterward.”

Phelan walked the first batter she faced and then surrendered an RBI double off the bat of Wright. The junior right-hander settled in and retired nine of the next 10 she faced and did not allow another runner past first until the sixth inning.

“I do think it was a carry over from last night,” Herbst said of the early struggles. “It was a quick turnaround for her. That might have been part of it.”

Phelan settled in and struck out 12 including the 700th of her career.

Carmella Phelan struck out 12 in the win including the 700th of her career. (Photo: DAVE YATES)

“But once the game gets going, she gets back into that mode. She just wants to play.”

Bloomfield came away with a 5-2 decision when the two teams met on April 16th.

A 14-and-1 team a season ago, Bloomfield clinched the No. 1 seed in Class C1 and then fell in the quarterfinals without so much as registering a postseason victory.

Tuesday’s matchup marked the 10th time this season Bloomfield (14-2) has faced a school from a larger classification. Among those, the Bombers have notable wins over Victor (Class AA/6-2 and Our Lady of Mercy (Class A/3-2) along with the earlier victory against BK. They also lost to Wellsville, the No. 2 seed in Class B by a score of 1-0.

“I don’t care how big the school is, we’ll play with you,” said Bloomfield head coach Mark Jacobs. “We may not beat you, but when we get done you’re going to know you have been in a ball game.”

Tuesday’s one-run game was exactly what Jacobs had in mind when he put together the schedule for this year.

“When we look back on last year, we didn’t have this situation,” Jacobs said. “We hit sectionals, and we didn’t know how to react. That’s why we upgraded our schedule and have been playing in games like this, a couple of one-run games.

“We’ve learned. The girls kept fighting against a very good team. We knew Bishop Kearney is an excellent ball club. We knew they would give us everything that they could. We just came up a little short.”

Wright struck out nine for Bloomfield. The junior hurler had thrown three straight shutouts heading into Tuesday’s matchup. The three runs represented the most Bloomfield had allowed in a single game this season.

Bloomfield’s Ashlyn Wright struck out nine and drove in a run with a double in the first inning. (Photo: DAVE YATES)

“She wasn’t as sharp early as she normally is,” Jacobs said. “She battled. The girl who hit the home run on her is a great hitter. You’re going to get hit at times. She didn’t get rattled. She kept us in the game and gave us a chance to win.”

Cece Falsone cut the deficit to one in the sixth inning with a two-out RBI single through the right side of the infield that scored Calla McCombs. Falsone went 2-for-3 on the day. Add Falsone also singled for the Bombers.

Wright finished 1-for-3 at the plate with an RBI double in the first inning that brought home Syd Falsone and gave Bloomfield the early 1-0 edge.

Allison Decker singled and scored on Enscoe’s round-tripper.

Sectionals open on Thursday.

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