Softball rankings and notebook: Greater Middlesex Conference, area UCC, through April 29
Here’s the softball notebook and Top 10 ranking in the Greater Middlesex Conference and southern Union County through April 29.
(Records through Monday)
1. Spotswood (13-2) - last week No. 4 — The Chargers have won 12 of their last 13 games, and prevailed over divisional contenders Woodbridge, Sayreville and East Brunswick last week before Monday’s big win over South Plainfield. Spotswood faces another challenge from within the division against Colonia on Wednesday, before taking on another Red Division contender at Old Bridge on Friday.
More: Softball ballot: Vote for Central Jersey Player of the Week for Week 4
More: Softball roundup: Daily April results and links for Skyland , GMC, area Union County
2. South Plainfield (10-3) - last week No. 2 — The Tigers carried a six-game winning streak into Monday’s lost at Spotswood, including last week’s 1-0 decision over St. Thomas. South Plainfield has a huge divisional match against Old Bridge on Tuesday before closing the week against South Brunswick and Delaware Valley.
3. Old Bridge (11-4) - last week No. 3 — The Knights knocked off Colonia and South Brunswick, and snapped St. Thomas’s 66-game Middlesex County winning streak, before losing to Metuchen. Old Bridge got back in the win column with a 1-0 win over Woodbridge on Monday, and faces another difficult, four-game week, facing ranked teams in South Plainfield, Monroe and Spotswood.
4. St. Thomas Aquinas (10-5) - last week No. 1 — The Trojans suffered back-to-back, shutout losses, their first defeats to Middlesex County schools since 2019, before defeating South Brunswick in a divisional game. Following Monday’s win at Highstown, St. Thomas faces Red Division foes Monroe and Metuchen.
5. Metuchen (4-6) - last week No. 9 — The Bulldogs began the week with a loss to unranked Monroe and ended it with a victory over then-No. 3 Old Bridge. Metuchen faces two divisional games this week, at South Brunswick on Tuesday and hosting St. Thomas on Thursday.
6. East Brunswick (9-6) - last week No. 5 — The Bears rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh to edge Sayreville, then fell to West Morris and Spotswood. East Brunswick has a five-game schedule this week facing Ewing, North Plainfield, Kennedy, and South Brunswick, before a big White Division clash with Colonia on Saturday.
7. Colonia (10-5) - last week No. 6 — The Patriots dispatched J.F. Kennedy in four innings, then lost to J.P. Stevens before handing Blue-Division champion North Brunswick a 3-2 defeat. Colonia faces a six-game week, including White Division contenders Woodbridge, Spotswood, Sayreville and East Brunswick.
8. Woodbridge (6-5) - last week No. 7 — The Barrons went 3-1 within its division last week, with wins over J.F. Kennedy, Sayreville and North Plainfield, and a 3-2 loss to Spotswood. Woodbridge began the week with a hard-fought 1-0 loss to Old Bridge, and has a big White Division date with Colonia on Tuesday.
9. North Brunswick (11-3) - last week No. 10 — The Raiders clinched the Blue Division title by defeating Middlesex, but fell to South Brunswick and Colonia in ventures outside its division last week. North Brunswick can complete its undefeated run in the division against Carteret on Thursday and will spend the rest of the week playing non-divisional foes, beginning with Monday’s win over J.F. Kennedy. Next up is J.P. Stevens, Bridgewater-Raritan and Lawrence.
10. Monroe (5-6) - last week unranked — The Falcons split its divisional games last week, defeating Metuchen and falling to South Plainfield. Three more divisional matches await Monroe this week, at St. Thomas on Wednesday, home to Old Bridge on Thursday, and at South Brunswick on Saturday.
ALSO RECEIVING CONSIDERATION: East Brunswick Magnet (12-2), Edison (6-7), Middlesex (9-5), Mother Seton (9-1), Sayreville (8-5), South Brunswick (5-9).
Going international
Sarah Alves was MIA for the Wardlaw-Hartridge School softball team during the first week of the season, but she wasn’t AWOL.
The senior was in Monteria, Colombia, representing Brazil at an 18-under tournament.
The Springfield native did not take the circle and played left field for the surprising Brazil squad, which finished fourth in the 12-team field.
“The whole experience was really mind-blowing, it was life-changing,” Alves said. “Lots of experience to gain from it, going against great competition, getting to know other girls from different countries. The most amazing experience, I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Alves, who has dual-citizenship, qualified for her first national team appearance because her mother was born and raised in Brazil. She was the only American-born player on the squad, although another teammate, who was born in Brazil, now resides in the U.S. Though she was one of only two Americans on the roster, Alves said the team treated her warmly.
“They are the most welcoming people I’ve ever met in my life,” she said. “I love playing over here, my girls are just as fun and amazing. But the Brazilian team is very much like a family. I feel like those girls are my sisters and they were just the most welcoming, kind-hearted people I’ve probably ever met. Same thing with the coaches as well as the parents. A great, tight-knit family type of group.”
Brazilian teams are known for playing their sports with a certain style and flair and the teenage softball squad was no exception.
“Energy-wise, we’re always connected together. We’re always bringing each other up and, no matter what the score is, you will always see us in the dugout with our little tambourines, cheering each other on,” said Alves. “I feel like many people were rooting for us. All of the people from Colombia were supportive, always cheering from us even though we’re not Colombian.”
The competition was far superior to what the FDU-Madison commit faces in the GMC Silver Division, which may account for her .586 batting average and .724 slugging percentage this spring.
“It’s obviously a big difference, we went against girls committed to UCF, Alabama, pitchers throwing 70 miles per hour,” Alves noted. “Wardlaw helps me work on my leadership skills on and off the field. These girls are like my family and I missed them so much when I was out. It’s just great to be back. Even though it’s a big difference, game-wise, I have the most fun over here.”
Alves has certainly had fun lately. Wardlaw-Hartridge (10-1) begins play this week riding a four-game winning streak, during which she has gone 11-for-16 and driven in five runs.
Divisional roundup
There’s been some major upheaval in the Greater Middlesex Conference divisional races in the past week.
St. Thomas appeared to be sailing to another Red Division title, before suffering shutout losses to Old Bridge and South Plainfield in consecutive games, not only losing control of the Red Division race, but also having its 66-game winning streak snapped against Middlesex County schools. South Plainfield (7-1) now tops the Trojans (7-2) in the divisional race, with a huge divisional match with Old Bridge (6-3) scheduled for Tuesday.
The White Division race appeared to be a four-team affair between Spotswood, Colonia, East Brunswick and Sayreville, before Woodbridge injected itself into the picture. Spotswood (7-1) has won 11 of 12 to move into first place, though its lone loss was to Colonia (4-2), who it plays again on Wednesday. East Brunswick (6-2) is still very much in the race.
North Brunswick has wrapped up the Blue Division and could complete a double-sweep of the loop with a win over Carteret on Thursday.
East Brunswick Magnet (8-0) remains undefeated in the Gold Division, again, but needs to defeat Woodbridge Academy (5-3) Wednesday and Highland Park (7-1) on Thursday to retain the crown.
Mother Seton (7-0) defeated Wardlaw-Hartridge (7-1) by a 9-8 margin last Monday, and will need a repeat outcome in their rematch on Tuesday to capture the Silver Division.
Follow GMC softball beat writer Josh Rosenfeld on Twitter/X @JoshPRosenfeld
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ Softball rankings and notebook: GMC, area UCC, through April 29
