Miscues prove costly-Sixth-inning errors doom Terriers in city championship

As St. Francis Prep battled St. Joseph’s by the Sea Tuesday, May 23rd for the Catholic League’s softball city championship (it was also a state semifinal), the team’s anchor, shortstop and leadoff hitter Nicole BiFulco, was recuperating from jaw surgery. BiFulco also suffered a concussion and badly injured her left wrist in a car accident Saturday evening.
The operation was a success, and BiFulco should be okay. After their five-run fifth inning, the Terriers were performing fine without here. But it all unraveled for them in the sixth, when St. Francis committed five errors, including one by BiFulco’s replacement, sophomore Krystil Hofmann, which paved the way for the Vikings’ 8-6 win at Queens College. “In a game like this,” Terrier catcher Justine Clifford said, “you shouldn’t be making that many errors.”
When the team heard of BiFulco’s unfortunate predicament they were far more concerned about their shortstop’s health than who would replace her. “They were all calling her house,” said Ann Marie Rich, the St. Francis Manager.
But by Tuesday afternoon, with a championship on the line, they were focused on the task at hand, scoring an unearned run in the first, and exploding for four runs on five hits in the bottom half of the fifth to take a 5-4 lead. “I honestly thought we were going to win at that point,” said Clifford, who singled twice, scored a run and also drove one in.
After Lauren Ferenc drove in two runs with a single to right, giving St. Francis the lead, the Terriers’ rally stalled; Bonnie DeFina grounded out and Kristyn Ciccone lined out, stranding a pair in scoring position. “We’ve had a problem with base runners all year,” Rich lamented. “We’ve left quite an amount of runners on.”
The Vikings took advantage - with some help. Kristina Schipani reached on Hofmann’s fielding error and advanced to second when the ball scooted past left fielder Kristyn Ciccone. She scored on Alyssa D’Ellia’s single to leftfield, which also whizzed past Ciccone, allowing another extra base. Starter Lynn Schiano retired the next two hitters, but her wild pitch allowed D’Ellia to cross for the go-ahead run. Consecutive errors by Ferenc at third and an RBI single by Joanna Tepedino plated two more.
Afterward, Clifford pointed to BiFulco’s absence as a vital factor, especially against the speedy and aggressive Vikings (17-1). “Little Nicky is a big aspect of the team,” Schiano agreed. “It’s a different game without her.”
Although Hoffman, who scored twice and singled, committed a pair of errors, Rich felt her inexperienced shortstop - the one who pitched the Terriers (19-4) to the Brooklyn/Queens title over Stella Maris - held her own.
“I was very proud of her today,” she said. “It’s kind of hard to put anyone in that position. But there was no one better than Krystil to fill Nicole’s position.”