Ngo’s walk-off hit gives South win in Agganis Softball Classic

LYNN – In the 11 previous editions of the Agganis All-Star Softball Classic, the South stars had only two wins and a tie to show for their efforts. On Sunday at Fraser Field, the South got win No. 3 in dramatic fashion.Salem’s Jessica Ngo broke a 3-3 deadlock as her single with two outs in the bottom of the seventh scored Masconomet’s Rachelle Haas with the game-winning run in a 4-3 barnburner.Click here for an Agganis photo gallery.It looked like the teams were going to play to the second tie in the game’s history (the other being a 0-0 game in 2001) as Danvers’ Diana Bean and Beverly’s Kristen Lojko were outstanding on the mound.Bean, who pitched the Falcons to a 23-1 record and a spot in the Division 1 North finals, allowed five hits and two earned runs over seven innings for the South. Lojko, meanwhile, was just as good for the North as she held the South to one earned run over the first six innings.A one-out single by Haas in the bottom of the seventh was followed by a groundout back to the mound by Danvers’ Jill Carroll. Ngo dug in and lined a shot to left that brought Haas in with the game-winning run.”It’s a lot of fun to be here in a game like this,” South coach Tara Petrocelli of Danvers said. “It was a great time.”The way things started, it looked like the first team to 10 runs might be the one in front at the end. The North got the festivities started early, striking twice in the top of the first.Swampscott’s Marissa Gambale reached on an error to open the game. Concord-Carlisle’s Jessie Pearl followed with a bunt hit before Bean struck out Casey Tarca. Marblehead’s Sam Norman followed with a double to left-center, scoring Gambale and Pearl easily.The South charged right back in the bottom of the first, tying the game against Lojko.Winthrop’s Ashley Fiandaca singled in front of St. Mary’s Jenna Fraher, who ripped a shot to right-center to score Fiandaca. Fraher also scored on an error on the play to tie the game.It stayed 2-2 into the fourth, when the North went back in front. Once again it was Gambale getting the rally started with a single. After going to second on a groundout, she scored when Tarca’s liner to center turned into a three-base error.The South rallied back to tie again in the fifth as Winthrop’s Courtney Finn reached on a throwing error. Olivia Frontiero followed with an infield single and Finn scored on the back end of a double steal to tie the game.”The way the game started, I thought it was going to wind up 14-13,” North coach Ed Henry of Ipswich said. “But both pitchers settled down and did a nice job.”