By Rich Fisher
Fish4scores.com

May 30: Kaylee “The Salad Princess” Whittaker had to admit it.

She was more nervous hearing how her team was doing in a state semifinal during her sister’s wedding last Friday, than she was actually pitching in the championship game on Tuesday.

That’s because today, Whittaker was able to control the situation, which she did magnificently by firing a three-hitter with nine strikeouts as 2nd-seeded Steinert took a 1-0 win over 4th-seeded Ewing in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III softball final at Steinert.

Carli  Backlund’s sixth-inning double plated Morgan “The Menace” Comfort with the game’s lone run as the Spartans (21-3) won their second consecutive CJ III crown.

In Friday’s semifinals, Whittaker could do nothing but get updates between dances, speeches and cake as Cora Bridgers was pitching Steinert to a 2-1 win over Wall.

“I had all the tweets on, keeping track,” Whittaker said. “I was making sure of the score every inning. It was tough knowing I wasn’t going to be there. But I have so much confidence in these girls, I knew they were going to pull out the win.”

Just as the sophomore knew they would pull it out with her back in the circle. It was another epic Ewing-Steinert game, thanks to Danielle Rinaldi matching Whittaker pitch for pitch.

“This was the third time we’ve played,” said Whittaker, now 6-0 in state games. “I knew this was gonna be a tough game, they were both tough previously, they came down to the last inning just like this one. We all went in with our heads focused on one goal, one inning at a time, one pitch at a time and it just worked out in our favor.”

Rinaldi retired the first 10 Spartans she faced before Comfort and Backlund singled with one out in the fourth and moved to second and third on a groundout. Rinaldi got a comebacker to the mound to escape unscathed.

Ewing (22-7) got a runner on second with one out in the third but couldn’t score, and put runners on first and second with two outs in the sixth before Kaylee slid free again.

“It’s pretty frustrating when both teams aren’t hitting or scoring,” Backlund said. “The pressure keeps building up toward the seventh inning. Once you get that run, it’s a bunch of closure and it feels good.”

Comfort started the winning rally with a one-out single in the sixth. Backlund then ripped a line drive in the right-centerfield gap that went to the fence as the Menace kept running the whole way.

“I was just thinking about getting a single and driving the runner to the next base,” Backlund said. “I wasn’t really thinking about getting a big hit. I was just thinking about getting a single to the right side. I like the pressure. I’m told I play better when I’m mad.”

And why was she mad?

“Because,” she said. “we didn’t have any runs.”

Oh. Duh.

In the sixth, Steinert thought they had Haley Allen called out on strikes and began a premature celebration that ended up becoming a walk to Allen. But Whittaker got a strikeout to end it.

“She’s amazing; I love her,” Backlund said. “I love being on the field with her on the mound, it makes me so relaxed. Same thing with Cora, I feel so relaxed on the mound with her. Kaylee did a really good job today.”

The result is a trip to Thursday’s Group III semifinal, 4 p.m. at Rowan University against Pinelands (20-8), a 3-0 winner over Seneca in the South Jersey title game. Steinert is two wins from becoming the first girls’ team to win back-to-back state titles in school history (along with baseball and boys soccer).

And while there is work to be done, the Spartans still found it special to win a second straight sectional crown.

“It’s a big deal to me,” Backlund said. “I won it as a sophomore now I’m winning it as a junior and I have a next year to go for my senior year so I want to keep winning them.”

“I think all of us are very excited it was the second time,” Whittaker said. “For the new girls it showed them what it feels like. We were focused on this game right now and going forward it’s amazing.”

It’s also more pressure and more work, which Steinert knows all to well after taking the Holy Grail last year. This season, there is even more to play for since there will be a Tournament of Champions for the first time.

“Yes, a lot more to go,” Backlund said. “Our mental game has to be very strong and we know a lot of teams are going to be coming after us, since we’re coming back as state champions.”

And with three straight one-run victories in the sectionals, they are definitely playing like state champions.