On Senior Day, Central's Seniors Bring Home Extra-Inning Win Over Lacey

by Karen Wall

On the day set aside to honor its graduating seniors, it was those seniors -- the two of them -- who had the starring roles in one of the biggest victories for the Central Regional softball team this spring.

With two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning and senior pitcher Stephanie Pepper batting, senior outfielder Erin Trapp sprinted home on a passed ball to score the winning run as the Golden Eagles (8-6) upset rival Lacey, 1-0, on Monday afternoon.

Pepper, meanwhile, dominated the Lions on the mound, recording 20 strikeouts en route to handing Lacey (11-2), ranked second in the Shore Conference by the Asbury Park Press, just its second loss of the season.

The 20 strikeouts also gave her the one Central pitching record she didn’t have: most strikeouts in a game. She tied her older sister, Katelyn, who recorded 20 in a 10-inning affair in 2009.

Katelyn, in attendance at Monday’s game, tipped her cap to her younger sister however, because Stephanie recorded the 20 in eight innings.

Lacey had its chances. The Lions put runners on first and second in the first inning with one out, but Pepper erased the threat with two strikeouts to get out of the inning. In the third, she hit the first batter, and the runner stole second, but again she shut down the threat with three strikeouts. And a single to center to start the sixth inning went nowhere as shortstop Kaitlyn Diou caught a fly ball at the edge of the infield for the first out and threw out a Lacey runner on a ground ball for the second before a Pepper strikeout finished the inning.

In the top of the eighth, Pepper -- who has more than 700 strikeouts for her Central career -- set down Lacey’s 9-1-2 hitters without incident.

That put the bats -- and their destiny -- in the Eagles’ hands.

Trapp drew a walk to open the bottom of the inning, and then took second base on a passed ball. Sophomore Shannon Edler then dropped a sacrifice bunt just a few feet in front of the plate, moving Trapp to third. A fly ball to short right field brought Pepper to the plate with two out and Trapp still at third. Pepper took a strong cut at the first pitch, then the 0-1 skipped off the glove of the Lacey catcher. As Lacey scrambled, Trapp sprinted home and the desperation throw got knocked away, giving Central the victory.

The victory keeps Central in the hunt for berths in both the Shore Conference and NJSIAA playoffs, which would be a sweet prize for a very young team that has struggled this season. In addition to Pepper and Trapp, the Golden Eagles have three juniors, and then a bevy of sophomores and freshmen fill out the lineup.

(Central’s Stephanie Pepper jumps for joy as Erin Trapp is called safe at home after the ball was knocked away (second photo). Pepper struck out 20 Lacey batters in the eight-inning victory. Credit: Karen Wall)