Delran, St. Joseph crowned sectional softball champions

DELRAN – Before heading off to the prom later Friday evening, the Delran High School softball team figured to get the party started early.

The Bears earned the program’s second sectional title in four years and third in its history with a 2-1 victory over Burlington County Scholastic League rival Bordentown in the Central Jersey Group 2 final.

“It’s something I’ve always dreamed about with this group of seniors,” said Kean-bound Riley Ahrens, who is one of seven graduating players on the squad.  “We’ve been playing together since 8U. It’s just something magical with this group. We’ve been training and playing together our whole lives to get to this point.”

Head coach Danielle Carlotto correctly predicted the future when she saw this group enter the hallways at Delran.

“Their freshmen year, we knew they were going to be a really special group,” Carlotto said. “They’ve been together for a long time. They’re a good team, they are great teammates and they play for each other.”

Delran (22-4) looks to take the next step toward a state title when the Bears play the South Jersey champion, which will be determined Saturday when Cinnaminson and Haddon Heights face off. The state semifinal will be on Tuesday. Delran has a history with both, earning a win over Haddon Heights and a loss against Cinnaminson in the regular season.

The Bears had plenty of familiarity with Bordentown too, including a regular-season sweep over the Scotties this spring.

In a pitching dual on a hot June morning, Delran’s Olivia Powell and Bordentown’s Katelin Hoppe exchanged zeroes on the scoreboard through the first four frames.

The game took on a feeling that it would be one big hit that would decide the victor.

Ahrens was happy to provide the knock.

With two runners in scoring position, the senior roped a shot down the left-field line, easily scoring two runs for the Bears in the fifth inning.

“My thing is usually to bunt there,” said Ahrens, a No. 2 hitter who possesses plenty of power and owns a team-high four homers. “But I wasn’t getting (the bunts) down today. I looked down the line at Coach and I was like, ‘Please let me swing’.”

More: What you need to know about the NJSIAA South Jersey high school softball finals

According to Carlotto, Ahrens didn’t need to ask to swing away.

“With Riley, when she goes up there, she knows I don’t even have to give the sign,” the coach said. “It’s up to her. If she’s feeling it, she’s going to hit.”

Powell put together a gem as the sophomore right-hander, who missed all of last season following foot surgery, twirled a three-hitter. She took a shutout into the seventh inning before the Scotties dented the scoreboard.

“She’s been pitching lights out for us all year,” Carlotto said. “After missing all of that time with an injury, to come out and do what she’s  been doing this year is fanstastic.”

Powell, who has won each of her last 11 starts and has posted 16 wins this spring, struck out the side in the fourth inning, mowing down the heart of the Scotties’ order. She finished with four Ks, bringing her season total to 107.

“She’s so special,” Ahrens said about the young ace. “She just brought the heat, she stayed calm and didn’t let anything bother her.”

Four-peat for Wildcats

HAMMONTON – Winning sectional championships never gets old, according to Macie Jacquet.

And she should know. She doesn’t know what it feels like not to win one.

After the pandemic wiped out the 2020 season, Jacquet has been a member of the St. Joseph Academy softball team that has won sectional titles each of the last three years. The program has won four straight South Jersey Non-Public B titles dating back to 2019.

“It never does (get old),” Jacquet said. “It’s the same enjoyment and the same excitement every year.

“There might be new girls every year, a new squad, but we’ve always had that chemistry and the drive to win. We’ve had (ace pitcher Ava Fisher) for the two years and that’s been a crucial part. But we have a younger team this year and that has changed the dynamic a little bit.”

The top-seeded Wildcats chalked up another championship with a 9-2 win over third-seeded Gloucester Catholic in the final. St. Joseph improved to 21-6 and will play North champion Morris Catholic (24-6) for the state title on June 9 at Kean University. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.

“This team seems a little bit closer,” St. Joseph head coach Les Olson said about the difference of between this squad and the previous two titlists. “For my old-school coach liking, they’re a little too laid back for me.

“You have to be energized all the time. I don’t know if that (six-run third inning) put us in cruise control, but that can’t happen.”

St. Joseph broke the game open in the third, padding its lead to 7-0. Angelina Bill had a three-run knock and Alaina Dorsey delivered a two-run triple to spark the rally.

Olson got the energy he wanted when he handed over the championship trophy. The excitement grew even more when he told them there would be no practice on Saturday.

“It’s our third day off in four months,” the Townson-bound Jacquet said.

Fantastic Fisher

Mother Nature wasn’t the only one throwing heat on Friday.

With a heater that tops out at 68 mph and consistently sits in the 63-65 range, Ava Fisher showed off the ability to be one of the state’s elite fireballers. She limited the Rams to two hits and struck out 14 while walking six.

“Working on my command was the big thing for me last summer and over the winter,” said the junior, who has already committed to East Carolina. “I don’t care about the speed, I needed to get better command of my pitches. It’s all about throwing bullpens and trying to hit certain spots. I’m feeling a lot more comfortable.”

And that has made opposing hitters feel uneasy in the box. Fisher has struck out 253 batters in 151 innings this spring.

“Coming in as a sophomore starter, throwing mid-to-upper 60s, it’s hard to control that,” Jacquet, her batterymate said. “It takes time to learn how to control a ball moving that fast, but she’s really improved her game. She has a lot of big things coming up for her in future, that’s for sure.”

Game notes

Bill picked a great time to cash in her best game of her young career. The junior drove in four runs, including her first homer, and a sacrifice bunt that set up the Wildcats’ first run of the game.

“She probably had the best batting practice of her career (on Thursday),” Olson said. “I told her if you just relax and take that approach to the game, that’s all you have to do.”

Along with Jacquet, St. Joseph’s other two seniors on the squad are Jenna Calchi and Bella Davis. Calchi, who will play ice hockey at Neumann next winter had an RBI hit while Davis contributed two runs scored and an RBI.

Gloucester Catholic finished its season at 14-7, the Rams’ first under head coach Mark Hutchinson. Star pitcher Adrianna Green was lifted after two innings as she was called for multiple illegal pitches during the stint.

“I’m proud of all of these girls,” Hutchinson said. “Adrianna, the adversity she faced all season, it’s not easy.

“There are no excuses though, we have to hit the ball better.”

Tom McGurk is a regional sports editor for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Delran, St. Joseph softball capture sectional titles