Softball: IHA claims 13th Bergen County Title with win over Ramapo

WOOD-RIDGE — Immaculate Heart Academy’s record 13th Bergen County softball title didn’t come easy.

“It’s hard every year,” coach Diana Fasano said.

The Blue Eagles won their third straight Bergen County title Saturday with a 6-2 win over Ramapo, taking advantage of multiple defensive mistakes by the Raiders and getting a key two-run single from freshman Leah English in the fourth inning.

The victory was another step forward for an IHA team that entered the season having to rebuild its infield, but it had standout catcher Gabby Shadek to build around and great leadership from shortstop Gianna DiMeglio.

“We graduated four starters last year, the whole infield was pretty much new,” Fasano said. “They’ve really worked together to figure this out. I have been talking about puzzle pieces and how things work and they’ve really done a great job this year.”

The clear difference Saturday was defense. IHA made big plays to keep Ramapo from ever sustaining any momentum.

“You have to be able to make plays,” Fasano said. “We did enough to win. It was a big difference. Today we walk away and we’ll be back at it on Tuesday.”

What it means

Fasano ties River Dell softball coach Brenda Canal and her mentor, Anthony LaRezza, with four Bergen County titles. IHA’s 13 is the most of any Bergen County team.

It’s the third time any school has won three consecutive Bergen County softball titles. Ramapo did it from 2006-2008, and IHA did it from 2011-2013. No one has ever won four in a row.

That will be the big storyline in Bergen County entering 2025. Ramapo – which should have just about its entire team back next season – Ramsey, Rutherford and Indian Hills should be contenders. No one was thinking about that just yet, though, after the game.

“We have to win states this year, hopefully, and keep the grind going,” Shadek said. “We will see how it goes next year.”

Key plays

A tight strike zone made the game long (more than two hours) and each at-bat critical. Ramapo left the bases loaded in the second, fourth and seventh innings.

The Raiders even brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh, but the last batter lined out to Brielle Bakker at second base.

“You can’t make six, seven errors and leave 13 runners on base,” Ramapo coach Darren White said. “Give them credit, there was a lot of traffic on the bases all day. They put the ball in play and we didn’t execute a few times, and when we put the ball in play, they made the plays. That’s why they’re the three-time champs.”

IHA scored two runs on errors in the first inning and another run on a bases-loaded walk by Ariana Hernandez in the third. English then delivered her two-run single in the fifth to make it 5-0.

The freshman has been a major contributor to the Blue Eagles' run to the county title (she’d get my vote for unofficial MVP). She had a walk-off homer in IHA’s win over Ridgewood in the quarterfinals and six RBI in the semifinal win over Indian Hills.

“She’s incredible. You watch her, and she plays the game like she’s been here for 10 years already,” Fasano said. “She knows what’s she’s doing. She’s a gamer and she’s been put in tough situations all year long hitting behind Gabby [Shadek], so when Gabby walks, she knows she has to do her job. She’s amazing.”

Up next

IHA will play a regular-season game against Morris County champion Morris Catholic on Tuesday, then start the North Non-Public A tournament on Wednesday. Ramapo will meet Sparta in a North 1, Group 3 sectional quarterfinal on Tuesday.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Softball: IHA claims 13th Bergen County Title with win over Ramapo