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Montana pitches South past Albertus
WEST NYACK, N.Y. — When Clarkstown South battery mates Brittany Montana and Allie Tobias take the field, the Lady Vikings feel like they have a chance to beat any team in Section 1.
On Thursday afternoon, that team was Albertus Magnus.
The Lady Vikings cruised to a 9-0 win over the Falcons (2-3) behind a dominant pitching performance from Montana, who tossed nine strike-out, two-hit, complete game.
“I just wanted to stay focused throughout the whole game and keep up everyone on the team,” Montana said. “We had to stay in it the whole time to be successful.”
While Montana was the star on the mound, Tobias was a powerhouse at the plate. The senior catcher went 2-for-2 from the plate with two walks and five RBIs and broke the game wide-open with a long grand slam in the fourth inning.
“It felt really awesome,” Tobias said of her grand slam. “I was really focused today. I went up there just trying to drive someone in and it worked out really well.”
Tobias drove in another RBI on a double in the fifth inning. Montana was 2-for-3 from the plate with two singles and a walk. Right fielder Sami McDonald went 2-for-2 with two walks, a triple and an RBI double and Briana Keaveney went 2-for-4 with a single and an RBI double. Carly Feuer also had an RBI double.
“We laid off the higher pitches and made (Albertus Magnus’) pitcher bring it down," Clarkstown South coach Maura Heebink said. "That allowed us to hit the ball. Brittany hit her spots, changed her speed and mixed it up well. She had a lot of pop.”
Albertus Magnus’ Lauren Capello broke up Montana’s no-hitter in the fourth inning with a long double and also had a single for their only other hit of the game. Capello also pitched well in relief, keeping Clarkstown South’s run total down after the Lady Vikings scored six runs in the second inning.
Clarkstown South's now 5-0 on the season and will face East Ramapo on Thursday before jumping into one its biggest weeks of the season. The Lady Vikings face rival Clarkstown North on Monday, host Suffern on Wednesday, and then head back on the road at Tappan Zee on Friday.
Heebink has come up with a new team philosophy to help prepare for the tough stretch and the rest of the season.
“We want to W.I.N. — Whatever Is Needed,” Heebink said with a smile. “We approach each game one at a time and set a goal for each game. Each game is going to have a different goal and we’ll have to do whatever is needed W.I.N."
Follow Jordan Griffith on Twitter @MSGV_Jgriffith
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