The ball nearly folded her in…
By Mitch Abramson
Alma Pupovic knew her chance to retaliate would come soon. In the second inning of a PSAL ‘A’ first round game, Pupovic, a senior on Bryant’s softball team, was hit in her side by Bushwick’s hard-throwing Beverly Nembhard.
The ball nearly folded her in half, and the Jackson Heights’ resident looked woozy running to first. Her next at-bat, Nembhard, who hit two batters on the day, challenged her inside and Pupovic grounded out to short.
On the centerfielder’s final time up, with her head clear and the score tied 4-4 in the bottom of the seventh, Pupovic blooped a single to centerfield to drive in Sandy Tejada for the game winning run.
The 5-4 win propelled No. 10 Bryant into the second round of the ‘A’ playoffs against No.7 Murry Bergtraum Thursday and ended a game that nearly got away from the Owls at home on Tuesday.
“I usually look to hit the ball in the opposite direction because I know the other team expects me to go to left field,” Pupovic said. “I was trying to hit in between center field and right field so this way I could fool the other team. They wouldn’t expect this from me. What happened was beautiful. ”
In her first playoff game as a pitcher, Nina Chao, a rightfielder on last year’s team that lost in the semis to Tottenville, struck out nine and helped her cause when she lined a fastball into center with the bases loaded, scoring Sandy Tejada, Pupovic and Melissa Pena to take a 3-1 lead.
“That’s what coach has me in there for: to pitch and hit,” said Chao, a resident of Long Island City.
Tejada scored again in the second inning after she was walked on five pitches. She stole second and reached third on an error and later went home when the catcher dropped a third strike called on Damaris Stevens and threw the ball over the head of the first basemen into right field to give Bryant a 4-1 lead.
Bryant (22-8) had its share of miscues too, but not before Nembhard almost single-handedly carried No.23 Bushwick past Bryant, in what would have been an enormous upset on paper.
Nembhard took the first pitch from Chao and launched it 183 feet over the center field fence in the sixth inning in the first home run ever hit at Bryant Field in its three-year existence. to pull Bushwick (3-12 Brooklyn I-A) to within 4-2.
Then things got interesting.
Chao hit the next batter, Yahaira Bernal, and misfielded a bunt, which she threw into right field allowing Bernal to score, and Bushwick trailed 4-3.
“I never got intimidated; I never lost my confidence,” Chao said.
The next inning, with rain showering the field, Nembhard, who struck out 10, doubled to left field. Bryant shortstop Melissa Pena, who has a rocket for an arm and who fielded the throw in from left, thought she had a play at second, but she overthrew the bag and the ball zigzagged into the bleachers behind the first base line. Nembhard, who also drove in a run during the first inning, scored to tie the game at 4-4.
“I don’t know how Bushwick is seeded No. 23. They’re much better,” said Wally Hausdorf, who won his 500th game at Bryant this season, his 24th. “We didn’t play wonderfully, but that’s a good team. They had my kids on the ropes.”
Francis Lewis 12, Brandeis 1. Eldina Dervisevic went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs for No. 6 Francis Lewis (21-7) in a first round PSAL ‘A’ playoff game Tuesday.
John Bowne 10, Environmental Studies 5. Marissa Singh went 4-for-4 with five RBIs for No. 29 Bowne (11-6) in a PSAL ‘B’ first round upset of fourth-seeded Enviornmental Studies Tuesday.
Forest Hills 20, Fashion Industries 4. Esther Doku went 3-for-4 with a triple, a grand slam and six RBIs for defending ‘B’ champs Forest Hills (15-6) in a first round playoff game Tuesday.
Bergtraum 21, John Adams 3. Jocelyn Dastas threw a two-hitter and struck out four for No. 7 Bergtraum in a first round PSAL ‘A’ playoff game Tuesday.
Jamaica 16, Richmond Hill 9. Samantha Ramautar had two hits and four RBIs for No. 32 Jamaica (10-7) in a first round ‘B’ playoff game Tuesday. Top-seeded Richmond Hill ended the season 15-1.
Franklin K. Lane 6, Telecommunications 3. Athena Pino had two triples and two RBIs for No. 21 Lane (11-4) in a first round ‘B’ playoff game Tuesday.
Reach reporter Mitch Abramson by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 130.
