CLEVELAND—Mentor’s Nicollette Noonan delivered in the clutch for the Army All-Stars in their 5-4 win over the Navy on Wednesday in the 2015 Ohio Varsity All-Star Classic presented by ScoreStream.com at Mather Park on the campus of Case Western University.
Noonan finished the game 2-for-3 with a run scored and the game winning RBI.
“We were tied 4-4 and only had one more inning left,” she said of her eighth inning single. “I was up to bat with someone on second. She had to score. Something had to be done.”
North’s Natalie Arnold reached on an error to open the bottom of the eighth and moved into scoring position on Abbie Thompson’s ground out to set up Noonan’s heroics.
“It was great,” Noonan said of playing in the all-star game, an official fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior Project. “It was a chance I’ll never get again. I really appreciated coming. It was really fun.”
The Navy, sponsored by Ward’s Lawn Care & Landscape Co., jumped out to a 1-0 in the top of the first inning when Independence’s Nicole Ferrara singled and stole second. She later scored on a passed ball.
The Army, sponsored by P&E Electric, tied it when Arnold reached on an error, stole third and scored on a passed ball.
“It was a great game,” said Army coach Marlana Mucciarone, who guided Wickliffe to a conference title in the spring. “It went back and forth a couple times. It couldn’t have ended any better—well, it could have ended in a tie like the boys; that would have been better for (Navy)—but I was happy. We came back in the last inning.”
Navy went up 2-1 in the second when Hawken’s Sydney Calabro reached on an error and scored on a wild pitch but that lead would hold up only for an inning as the Army scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Beachwood’s Emily Dann led off the rally with a single and Mayfield’s Alex Cappadonna walked. Dann would later score on Arnold’s sacrifice fly and Cappadonna came home on an error.
The Navy responded in the fifth with two runs to take a 4-3 lead.
NDCL’s MK Carney and Alyssa Iacobucci both singled. Carney scored on an error and Iacobucci scored on a wild pitch.
That was Navy’s last advantage.
“It was a good game,” said Navy coach Andy Palermo of Eastlake North. “It was an honor to coach these girls. I thought it was a well-played game. Unfortunately we came out on the losing end but it doesn’t matter. It was fun.”
The Army tied it in the bottom of the fifth when Noonan led off with a single. She moved to second on a ground out, stole third and scored on Chardon pitcher Steph Hunter’s ground out.
“We all worked together and everyone got even amounts of playing time,” Mucciarone said. “It was a great cause and they all enjoyed themselves and we had a whole lot of fun. It’s a great event.”
South’s Alison Barber and Nicole Mareino both finished 2-for-2 for the Army while Ferrara and Cuyahoga Heights third baseman Lauren Goetz both had two hits for the Navy.
- Photo Gallery
- Video Interview: Nicollette Noonan
- Video Interview: Steph Hunter
- Video: Sights and Sounds from the 2015 Ohio Varsity All-Star Classic
