CALDWELL- Mount St. Dominic led 4-0 in the top of the fourth inning in Tuesday’s Non-Public, North A state sectional semifinal; however, the comfort zone of that advantage nearly midway through the contest appeared perhaps in jeopardy as Morris Catholic loaded the bases with no one out.
It was definitely bear-down time for Lions pitcher Ava Kelshaw, who did just that in proceeding to strike out the next three batters stranding three baserunners in the process and all but deflating any remaining offensive energy that the Crusaders might have had.
Kelshaw dominated over the final three innings in the Mount’s 4-0 triumph which advances the second-seeded Lions (25-4) into Thursday’s much-anticipated Non-Public, North A state sectional final against their longtime state tourney rivals, top-seeded Immaculate Heart (24-1) for the right to advance into next Wednesday’s (June 11) Non-Public A state championship game against the St. John Vianney-Donovan Catholic South A victor.
Except for a couple of bloop hits, including an RBI single by senior Carlee Paez in the first inning, and sophomore Bella Iannitelli’s 2-run hit to highlight a 3-run second, Tuesday’s contest was basically a pitching duel between sixth-seeded Morris Catholic’s impressive junior left-hander Sofia Reisinger, who tossed a 3-hitter with six walks and nine strikeouts, and the irrepressible Kelshaw who showed guts and guile in snuffing out the Crusaders’ fourth inning rally, and then finishing up the job over the final three frames to record the shutout.
Kelshaw, who has shown great perseverance while battling through a nagging back strain which has limited her innings this spring, is in a more comfortable place now physically, as the spring weather finally heats up, and in her mental toughness which has been fully evident as she continues to return closer to her freshman all-county and all-state form just as the importance of each upcoming games increases.
She was simply superb vs. Morris Catholic (16-11), allowing just three hits while walking two, hitting a batter and striking out nine, including seven Crusaders being caught looking at a third strike.
“Everyone knows Ava’s been hurt all year, and I still don’t think she’s 100 percent, but she’s a warrior, and she is going to go out there on guts to pitch and give us all she’s got,” said Mount coach Rob Stern. “She wants the ball, she’s been throwing well since the (Essex) county (tournament) final, and she was definitely sharp out there today.
“Ava’s a competitor and you don’t teach that. She recorded an epic 1-2-3 right there in the fourth inning when she got out of a bases-loaded jam.
“And, I’m not the only one who is glad it’s going to be 90 degrees on Thursday!”
Kelshaw, who relied mainly on a high-octane fast ball with an occasional effective change-up thrown in the mix to keep Morris Catholic off balance, agrees with her coach as far as being quite pleased with the warmer, back-friendly temperatures which are slated to greet those teams still alive and playing in state sectional finals later this week.
“I’m definitely feeling good with the warmer weather,” she said. “And, I’m ready to keep going.
“I’ve never played IHA, and we know that it’s been a huge rivalry through the years, so I’m excited to go out there and pitch against them.”
“Army-Navy, Bergen-Joe’s, IHA-Mount, that’s how it’s supposed to be,” added Stern. “When we began the season, we point to Cedar Grove in the county and IHA in the states.
“It’s been a great game through the years and I know our girls are definitely looking forward to competing against them on Thursday.”
Mount-IHA is always an epic battle and everyone attending the game on Thursday up in Washington Township will look forward to seeing the matchup between Kelshaw and IHA’s all-state slugger, Duke-bound Gabby Shadek, who has now set a new state record with 49 career home runs after hitting three round-trippers and driving in six runs in her team’s 12-0 rout of fourth-seeded Pingry in six innings, in Tuesday’s other North A semifinal.
The Mount and IHA did not play last season when the Lions routed Pope John in the North A final and then fell to St. John Vianney in the overall Non-Public A state championship game at Kean University, but the two longtime rivals did meet in the state tourney in seven straight seasons from 2016 to 2023, including in five North finals and two semifinals with the Mount holding a 4-3 edge during that span of time.
