By Jim Hintelmann
RED BANK – It was a big day for Middletown North sophomore first baseman Christine Gebhardt in Saturday’s 6-1 non-division softball win over Red Bank Catholic.
Gebhardt accounted for all six of North’s runs with a pair of two-run homers while freshman winning pitcher Riley Kernan scattered four hits, fanned six and didn’t allow a walk.
“Christine has been an awesome hitter,” said North coach Mallory Kirchner. “She works very hard at it. Kernan is only a freshman but she does well every time she steps out onto the field.”
After wasting scoring chances in the first two innings, North finally got on the scoreboard in the third inning with Audrie Thomas getting things started when she was hit by a pitch.
One out later, Nikki Alfano singled and then Gebhardt hit a long fly over the centerfield fence for her first home run of the game.
“I had two strikes on me and wanted to attack the ball,” said Gebhardt. “It was an outside fastball and I was able to hit it well.”
RBC, 3-5, which had lost to state power Immaculate Heart Academy, 11-0, in an earlier game Saturday, scored its only run in the fourth inning when Tess Griswold doubled to center and Allie Savino came through with an RBI single. Maggie Rue followed with a single, but Kernan got Jessie Larkins on a liner to Gebhardt and then retired the final 10 batters of the game, including striking out the side in the seventh.
“My changeup was working today and I gave it all I got,” said Kernan. “The girls were great behind me and I love that. I played basketball this year, but I’ll stick to softball next season.”
North got its other three runs in the fifth when Behan and Alfano singled and Gebhardt smashed her second home run almost to the same spot as her first homer. She has three for the season.
“The girls were ready to go today,” said Kirchner. “They played well and are working hard in practice. We have a lot of depth on the team and they are pushing each other to do their best.”
RBC, a traditional area softball power, is in a bit of a rebuilding year.
“We play a tough schedule,” said RBC coach Tony Flego. “Immaculate Heart was state (Non-Public A) champions last year and all of the teams we played this year were ranked ahead of us.
“We’re not hitting the ball very well now,” he said, “but we’ll get better and hope to peak by the end of the season.”
