Perennial softball power Red Bank Catholic aims to take next step after winning 2024 opener
RED BANK - After a 22-7 season and an A-Central division title in 2023, it may seem a bit overzealous to presume that Red Bank Catholic needs to set their sights even higher this spring. But in an elite Shore Conference that might be the most competitive league in New Jersey, there is no such thing as good enough.
The No. 4 Caseys showed they're up for that challenge with an impressive 6-2 victory over No. 9 Wall when the division rivals met Thursday at Count Basie Park. And as the players explained, the first step forward toward competing with the elites of the Shore is to ensure there are no steps back.
"Never come out thinking you're the best. You never know what could happen on the field. You never know who's gonna come out to play," said RBC pitcher Morgan O'Sullivan. "You always have to prepare yourself for the worst and expect for that."
That preparation seemed to serve O'Sullivan well on Thursday. She got herself out of several tough jams, including in the top of the seventh when Wall had runners on second and third with no outs. The senior struck out one batter before conceding a run on an infield blooper and then finishing off the inning with a strikeout and a groundout to seal the win.
"I knew what I had to do," said O'Sullivan. "My team obviously always has my back, they get me out of most situations I'm in, but I just knew I had to execute."
The Caseys will try to maintain that focus into their matchup on Friday against another strong divisional rival in Raritan before facing North Jersey powerhouse Immaculate Heart on Saturday in the Catholic Challenge in Toms River. The three games in three days to start the season will serve as a litmus test for how this team can take the next step this season: no setbacks against divisional foes and competing toe-to-toe with the best Non-Publics in the state.
"It's about the girls, it's about the time and effort that they put into it. So you want to challenge them," said RBC coach Tony Flego. "We challenged them with a great schedule. Our division is strong, there's some good pitching in it. So hopefully that'll keep us fine tuned to get to where our goals are. What are our goals? Well obviously, we want to be one of the teams in the Shore Conference final. We want to be one of the teams in the state final."
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Caseys 'have to know how to respond' as they aim for Shore title
Red Bank Catholic looked the part of a team capable competing in the elite tier of the Shore, even as the lineup was still clearly a work in progress. Facing a Wall squad that finished 16-8 last season and was ranked ninth in the APP's preseason rankings, the Caseys withstood a strong performance from the Knights and capitalized on their mistakes.
RBC was first to get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first when junior Lily Hagan hit an RBI double to score Nicole Knox. The next inning Wall's Brielle Coppola hit a solo home run to tie the game at 1-1. The Caseys utilized some astute base-running in the third, combined with solid hitting, to ultimately score on two separate wild pitches and take a 3-1 lead. Hagan essentially put the game out of reach with a two RBI triple in the bottom of the fourth that extend the lead to 5-1.
"I was definitely attacking first pitch strikes, just trying to get ahead," said Hagan. "I was seeing the ball pretty well today, so it was easier for me to make contact and find those gaps."
The unsung story of the game was O'Sullivan and the RBC defense. The Caseys got out of several jams, including two particularly threatening situations in the third and sixth innings. Both times they ended the inning with a double play. O'Sullivan was in a rhythm after retiring the side in the fourth and fifth, but an illegal pitch call resulted in a free base for Wall and seemed to disrupt RBC's momentum.
"It threw me off, but you know things happen like that," said O'Sullivan. "You have to know how to respond, can't let it get it to you."
The response was always emphatic for the Caseys, and it could foreshadow a leap forward this season. They relied heavily on the offensive production of Knox and Hagan in the season opener with some strong at bats from Grace Lombardi and Brianna Santangelo.
But the depth and talent of the lineup was not on full display as it was a relatively quiet day from standouts like Abigail Zebick, Jordan Terefenko and Lana Rudolph. When the Caseys are hitting on all cylinders, they could have one of the most well-rounded lineups in the Shore.
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RBC ready for tough opening weekend after 'butterflies' in opener
Wall will also be back in action with three games in three days to open the season. The Knights will turn around and face Shore Regional on Friday before facing Middletown North and ace pitcher Madilynn Boyce on Saturday. The opening weekend of the season also presents a litmus test for they're talented group, which showed flashes of their offensive prowess on Thursday.
After passing the first test with flying colors, Red Bank Catholic will try to maintain the philosophy of consistency against Raritan on Friday. The Rockets finished third in A-Central at 15-11 and, like Wall, would relish in the opportunity to knock off the division champ in what will be their season opener.
"You don't want to show up and just go through the motions," said Flego. "We've got another tough opponent tomorrow (in Raritan). And it's tough on Saturday (against Immaculate Heart)."
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If the Caseys play like they did on Thursday, they'll be well positioned to prevail against Raritan. But they'll need be at their best to knock off Immaculate Heart after the Blue Eagles reached the North Jersey Non-Public A section final last season.
"You want to get off on the right start," Flego said. "I had butterflies all day leading up to this."
After rain pushed back the start of the season by several days, the anticipation of the season openers has subsided across the Shore. Now, the Caseys just have to play ball.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: NJ shore softball: Red Bank Catholic beats Wall in opening game
