Pennsville first baseman Bella Rappa more determined than ever to help her team win following her dad’s passing
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – In almost every interview they’ve done since the start of this all-star summer, the players on the Pennsville Little League senior softball team have talked genuinely and passionately about how much they are a family.
Now, on the cusp of their biggest tournament so far, that family is hurting and the players are once again rallying behind one of their own.
Saturday night, two days after successfully defending their Section 4/South Jersey championship and a week before their state tournament opener, the team lost one of its parents and biggest supporters.
Nick Rappa, the father of first baseman Bella Rappa, passed away early Saturday morning after suffering a cardiac arrest the day before. He was 51. Less than two weeks earlier dad and daughter were celebrating Bella’s first ever over-the-fence home run in the team’s district tournament opener at Franklin Twp.
This coming Saturday, Pennsville will play its first game in the New Jersey LL State Tournament in Parsippany and Bella will be in her customary spots: batting cleanup and playing first base.
“My first reaction was there’s no way she’s going to continue, but then I realized it’s Bella Rappa we’re talking about and how important softball was to her and her dad,” Pennsville manager Chris Watson said. “Of course, she’s playing. She’s absolutely playing. She’s more determined now to win than ever. Said she wants to do it for her dad.”
Nick Rappa is a big reason his daughter is playing the game today. Among Bella’s fondest memories is going to her dad’s High-Arc Softball games and getting to hit and field between games of his doubleheaders. His teammates would play makeshift games with her in the lineup and purposely overthrow on her hits so she could run the bases.
He encouraged her to play up in youth leagues to accelerate her development and stepped up to coach a team when there wasn’t one for her to play on. When her team won the LL senior softball state title last year he was the first person she ran to. When she got home the night of her home run he was over the moon greeting her.
“My love for the game came from being with my dad,” Bella said. “A lot of like Chris and them didn’t think I was going to play, but mom and dad would want me to play and I would want to play for my dad. On a post I made for my dad on Facebook I said ‘we will win the World Series.’ There’s nothing that’s going to stop me.”
“Words can’t describe what I am feeling right now … Who am I gonna giggle with at 3 in the morning when we can’t sleep and we put on some dumb scary movie. Who am I gonna call when I have a bad game and need someone to talk me from quitting. Who am I gonna talk to about college and playing D1 softball … I can promise you this, everything I will do is gonna be for you and I can promise you We WILL win the World Series for you dad.” – Portion of Bella Rappa’s Facebook post to her dad.
This isn’t the first time these Pennsville players have faced adversity – personal or otherwise. They’ve had two deaths and one serious illness all within the immediate family over the past three seasons and every time they’ve been there for each other and on the field they’ve exhibited extreme resiliency.
“It’s not just a cliche, this is a real family and it shows the way they circle the wagons in moments like this,” Watson said. “Bella has not been alone since this has happened. She has a big family, too, but she also has this softball family and the girls have been with her all weekend. She has a support system like none other.”
“I’ve never had a more supportive group in my life,” Rappa said. “Bella Farina came to my house as soon as she heard. Everyone reached out, saying no matter what we’re here for you … It’s like a second family and I wouldn’t trade that in for the world.”
Watson said the team had “something in the works” to honor Nick’s memory, but he wasn’t prepared to disclose those plans. Funeral arrangements are pending, but it was his intention for the players to attend the service as a group.
Bella, meanwhile, plans to wear the silver chain and “00” pendant her dad wore “forever” at the games going forward. If the rules won’t allow her to wear it, she plans to hang it in the dugout where she can see it every minute of the game.
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