Shawnee, Kingsway and Haddon Heights crowned champions, Northern Burlington falls short

MOORESTOWN – Defense really does win championships.

Just ask the Shawnee High School softball team.

The Renegades have the hardware to prove it.

In a game that featured several highlight-reel defensive plays, Shawnee pulled off one of the rarest of feats — a triple play — during a 5-0 victory over Moorestown in the South Jersey Group 3 championship on Saturday.

Shawnee (16-9) will host Central Jersey champion Steinert (19-5) in Tuesday’s state semifinal with the opportunity to advance to next Saturday’s state championship at Kean University.

According to Shawnee athletic director Rich Dodd, the South Jersey title is the first for the softball program. However, Courier-Post records have Shawnee winning the SJ Group 4 championship in 1979 with a 5-1 win over Willingboro.

Either way, it was time to celebrate for the Shawnee squad in Navy blue.

“This team has really put its heart and soul into this season,” Shawnee head coach Ashlie Donzuso said. “I really felt it was a special group and getting this championship is something to be very proud of.”

More: Delran, St. Joseph crowned sectional softball champions

While Shawnee fireballer Alexandra Pley didn’t rack up the strikeouts (three), the team's defense had the ace’s back, throwing the leather around throughout the game. The outfield of Ava Cardwell (left), Eden Ehle (center) and Madison White (right) combined for eight put-outs while third baseman Ava Heicklen contributed five more.

However, there was one web gem that shined about the rest.

Trailing 1-0, Moorestown (21-5) put two baserunners on to start the sixth inning. Pinch-hitter Melania Locatell ripped a two-strike line drive toward second baseman Ashley Murphy. The senior made the grab ranging to her right, ran over to tag second base for the second out and fired back to first to complete the triple play.

“I’ve never been a part of a triple play, I’ve never even seen one before,” said Murphy, the St. Peter’s bound-senior.

The second sacker wasn’t alone.

“I’ve never seen a triple play before in my life,” Donzuso said. “Even off the bat, you’re not thinking triple play. We’re focused on getting one out. That’s our focus on every play.

“We’ve just been solid all year defensively. They’ll dive, put their bodies in harm’s way just to get an out.”

While a double-play is a pitcher’s best friend, a triple-play turned out to be a momentum-swaying feat, giving Shawnee plenty of energy going into the final frame while obviously deflating the Moorestown squad.

“(The seniors) had never made it past the second round of the playoffs and we’ve overcome so much to get here, it’s really a special feeling,” said the Catholic-bound Pley, who scattered seven hits and two walks to earn the victory.

If Murphy’s favorite number isn’t three, it should be.

After turning the triple play, Murphy delivered a three-run triple in the top of the seventh as Shawnee broke the game open.

“Threes were definitely in our favor,” Donzuso said.

Kingsway Dragons on fire

WOOLWICH - Just when the Kingsway Dragons’ offensive firepower looked completely extinguished, the team turned to its table setter to start a mighty feast.

Held to one hit through five scoreless innings by Cherokee's Sammie Friel, Kingsway erupted for nine runs in the sixth inning en route to a 9-3 victory in the South Jersey Group 4 final on Saturday.

Kingsway (18-9) has won nine sectional titles in its history including three in the last four seasons contested. The Dragons will continue their quest for a state title when they host Central Jersey champion Marlboro in Tuesday’s state semifinal game.

Asked what jumpstarted a team that looked like it was on life support, Kingsway head coach Jill Ward didn’t waste any time providing the answer.

“Liv,” Ward said talking about Kingsway’s leadoff hitter Olivia Sciulli. “Her getting on base (with a triple) to start that inning, her energy just flipped everything. I think we finally believed.

“I don’t think they never didn’t believe, but they get into this place sometimes where they need someone to pull them out of it.

“There’s been a lot of obstacles this season and they’ve had to go through some tough losses to figure out how really good they are and how capable they are.”

After Sciulli tripled off the left-field fence, Kingsway got a huge lift from freshman Ava Snyder, who a little over 24 hours earlier was undergoing surgery on her nose.

Snyder turned a fastball into a big blow – a two-run homer that cut the lead to 3-2. It was the freshman’s third round-tripper of the season.

Snyder, who broke her nose when an errant throw in practice hit her in the face two weeks ago, said she was still in some serious pain on Saturday but …

“The home run definitely helped ease the pain so much,” she said with a laugh.

Ward didn’t think Snyder was going to play in the game.

“Not in a million years,” the coach said. “Even when she told me this morning that she was going to go, I still didn’t believe it. I needed to see her throw and hit (in practice), and she looked great. Obviously, she was seeing the ball well because she had that big homer.”

The energy in the Dragons’ dugout started to rise.

“I know it’s hard (to keep the energy up) when we’re not getting on base, but with this sport, it’s going to happen,” said senior Shelby Dyer, who thrives on helping to provide an energy boost for the team. “And that’s what happened in the sixth inning. We started putting things together and we busted the door open.”

Dyer contributed one of the biggest hits of the frames. And while it wasn’t the prettiest of knocks, her two-run single off the end of the bat was enough to get past the first baseman and give Kingsway its first lead of the game.

“It didn’t feel the best, you know those that go off the end of the bat never feel good, but when I got to first base, it felt awesome," Dyer said.

So has the ride for this young Kingsway team, which was 3-5 in its last eight games entering the tournament.

“We knew it would take a lot of work,” Dyer said. “We are a younger team and there were pieces that had to be put together, but we knew that when things did start to click, we’d take off and that’s what happen.”

Haddon Heights stays perfect

Sophia Bordi’s postseason performances hit another level on Saturday.

The sophomore spun her third straight perfect game as Haddon Heights successfully defended its South Jersey Group 2 title with a 1-0 win over visiting Cinnaminson on Saturday.

The Garnets (21-6) will host Central Jersey champion Delran in the state semifinal on Tuesday.

After hitting three home runs in last year’s sectional final, Bordi put together an impressive encore with a 19-strikeout effort.

Bordi has thrown 18 perfect innings this postseason with a whopping 46 strikeouts. Throw in Maddy Clark’s perfecto in the playoff opener and the Garnets didn’t allow a single baserunner in four games.

Heights got the game’s lone run when Gracie Granate circled the bases on a pair of errors in the fourth inning.

Cinnaminson finished one of its best seasons in program history at 21-5, which including a Burlington County Scholastic League Patriot Division title.

Northern Burlington bows out

The fourth-seeded Greyhounds had their magical tournament run end with a 10-inning, 3-2 loss at Marlboro in the Central Jersey Group 4 title game.

Northern Burlington finished its season at 15-11.

Mikayla Fontana and Abigail Valente each drove in runs as Northern tied the game at 2-2 in the third inning, but the Greyhounds were silent the rest of the way.

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: Three teams capture South Jersey titles in softball