Peddie Softball Captures State Title

Junior Olivia Bundschuh delivered a two-out, two-run double in the sixth inning and freshman pitcher Carly Hattman came through in the clutch, leading the Falcons to a 5-3 victory over The Hun School yesterday to capture the NJISAA Prep A championship. Peddie previously defeated the Raiders, 3-2 and 11-10, so no one expected this one to be anything less than a tense tussle.

“I saw the catcher setting up inside, so I knew it was probably going to be there,” said Bundschuh, who hit the first pitch for the game-winning RBIs. “I just turned on it and hoped for the best."

She turned it perfectly as the ball nestled 10-feet fair midway down the left-field line, sending home senior Ali Valentin and junior Melissa Bollmeyer. With one out, Valentin walked on a 3-2 pitch and Bollmeyer followed with a slicing double to left on a 2-2 count. Previously to her pivotal at-bat, Bollmeyer walked three times.

The Raiders jumped out to a 3-0 advantage in the first inning on two walks, an infield hit, a missed cut-off and a two-base throwing error after a sacrifice fly to center. Unrattled by two unearned runs, Hattman retired 18 of the next 19 Raiders, allowing only a walk in the third inning on a 3-2 count. The runner was erased at first base on a line-drive double play started by Bundschuh at third.

The top of the seventh turned into a nail-biting adventure. Sophomore shortstop Evie Claussell gunned down the lead-off batter on a bang-bang play at first. A tricky-bounce infield hit near second base was followed by a walk and a wild pitch, advancing the tying run to second. Digging deep, Hattman worked back from an 0-3 count and struck out the next Raider batter swinging for the second out.

Then things got interesting as a hit batsman loaded the bases. The softball gods scripted a fitting end when a dribbler down the third-base line was picked up by Bundschuh and fired across the diamond to senior first baseman Caroline Abin for the final out, setting off a jubliant celebration at the pitcher's circle.

“Carly (Hattman) settled down there and wound up pitching a heck of a game,” said Peddie head coach Tim O’Reilly in the post-game interview. “She did what she had to do and did a great job of handling their best hitters. Her command was good, she was spot on.

“Hun is a great team and fortunately we have had some good luck against them in the playoffs lately.”

Etching her stellar perfomance all over the scorebook with a 3-for-4 day and three RBI, Bundschuh was on center stage during the fourth-inning rally that knotted the game with two down and the bases filled with Falcons. She grounded to the shortstop's backhand side and beat the throw by a cleat to plate senior Shannon Kortmann.

Not exactly a routine victory, but the Falcons persisted and made the big plays with the game in the balance.


Hun (11-7).... 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3-2-1
Peddie (14-5) 0 2 0 1 0 2 x 5-8-1

WP- Carly Hattman (12-5) LP- Alexis Goeke (11-7) 2B: PED-Bollmeyer, Bundschuh; RBI: PED-Bundschuh 3, Hargrove, Huelbig; HUN-Kristen Monachio.

Strikeouts: Goeke 3, Danielle Beal 1, Hattman 3.