Softball: South Plainfield overpowered by Cranford in North 2 Group 3 final

CRANFORD — Despite striking out three times in the first inning Saturday, the South Plainfield High School softball team managed to scratch out an early lead in the North 2 Group 3 championship game.

But the Tigers failed to cross the plate again and only managed one more hit off of Avery Toddings, while striking out 10 more times, as Cranford claimed the sectional title with a 5-1 triumph at Memorial Field.

For the second day in a row, the intentional walk figured prominently in a Middlesex County school’s demise in a sectional final.

On Friday, St. Thomas Aquinas failed to capitalize when slugger Mary Kate Murray was walked twice to fill the bases in a 3-0 loss.

Saturday, with the score tied at 1-1 in the fourth inning, South Plainfield elected to fill the bases by walking Sophia DeMarco, who tied the game at 1-1 with a solo homer leading off the bottom of the first with her state-leading 16th clout of the season. Maddy DeLong batting next, turned on a 3-2 delivery, and drilled it over the left field fence for a grand slam and the eventual 5-1 margin.

South Plainfield’s offensive output was limited to the first-inning tally, which began when Grace Capparelli took a one-out pitch to her left knee. Hailey Fonti singled her to second and Nicolle Swatko singled her home. Nicole Sikora was hit by another pitch to load the bases Toddings quelled the threat with her third strikeout of the inning. The Tigers did not manage another hit until Madison Matusz’s two-out single in the sixth.

DeMarco delivered an immediate equalizer leading off in bottom of the first by drilling the second pitch she saw over the fence in center.

The Cougars’ decisive fourth-inning rally started with a one-out single by Emma Grace Pachowski. Alexa Stulpin walked and when DeMarco stepped into the batter’s box with two outs, South Plainfield elected to walk DeMarco.

DeLong made them pay dearly with one swing that provided the winning margin.

More: Softball roundup: Results, analysis, links for Skyland, GMC and area Union County

What it means

With the loss, the Greater Middlesex Conference is once again shut out from winning a sectional title. The last GMC school to win a section came in 2017, when South Plainfield captured this section on its way to the state Group 3 title.

Key play

DeLong stepped to the plate in the bottom of the fourth of a 1-1 contest with the bases loaded and two outs. On the seventh pitch of her at bat she delivered the grand slam that delivered the title.

By the numbers

South Plainfield managed as many hit batters as hits (three), limited to first-inning singles by Fonti and Swatko, and Matusz’s single in the sixth. Erin Townley (9-4), South Plainfield’s top pitcher down the stretch, hurtled the first five innings and allowed five runs, six hits and five walks (one intentional), while striking out four. Swatko pitched a hitless and scoreless sixth inning, with help from a leaping grab at second by freshman Sophia Alvarez for the final out. Toddings tossed a three-hitter with three walks, three hit batters and 13 strikeouts. DeMarco and DeLong each reached first on all four of their at bats, as did cleanup hitter Sabrina Prata in her three trips to the palate.

Game balls

DeMarco (16th homer), DeLong (grand slam) and Toddings (13 strikeouts) deserve honors for Cranford. Catcher Grace Capparelli, who scored South Plainfield’s lone run after being hit by a pitch to her knee and also collided with Townley chasing a foul pop that the pitcher caught, joins McNelly as lone seniors on the squad. Her leadership, enthusiasm and skills behind the plate will be missed.

They said it

“One inning, it comes down to,” South Plainfield coach Don Panzarella began. “We hung ourselves. (Toddings) is a great pitcher. It was 1-1 and we knew that we had to keep the game close. She walked a few here and there and we got girls on but, after that grand slam, we hung ourselves. Bottom of the order we didn’t field a play, we walked a batter, a couple of full counts and we give up a grand slam. That happens, but we should have been out of that inning before hand, that’s what disappointed me. We had to play a clean game, we knew that coming in. But we battled, we battled until the end against a very good team. We’re a good team. The kid’s a dominant pitcher, she struck a lot of us out today. We had a great season, they played well all year. I don’t think anybody counted on us getting where we’re at and we’re disappointed because every time you get there, you want to win. If we came here and didn’t make any mistakes we might be still playing. I’m proud of these kids, they stepped up. We used three kids all year to pitch. Townley stepped up at the end. It’s young team, we only have Capparelli and McNelly. They battled all year and we played some good teams and stayed with (St. Thomas Aquinas) and Metuchen, so they had some good tests coming in and we knew it would be a great game today. I’m proud of the season they had.” On walking DeMarco: “It backfired, but it was the right thing. The way she’s hitting, she had 15 homers, she had the one in the first inning. It backfired but we went to a full count on the other kid. We could have pitched to her and it could have been a three-run homier. I thought it was the right move and we all did, as a staff. We felt we did the right thing, but we shouldn’t;’t have been in that situation. We should have made the plays before that, that’s all I’m saying.”

“They are a stud team,” Cranford coach Melisa Moreno offered about South Plainfield. “The shortstop (McNelly), she’s a known thing. They came with fire, that first inning, they showed up and I give them a lot of props.” On Toddings: “Avery did awesome. She shut it down from the beginning. She was awesome, she fought even when she was behind in the count, she came back.” On the intentional walk to DeMarco: “It’s been happening more recently. During regular-season games, not too much. She’s a great hitter. In that situation, I get it.” On DeLong’s grand slam: “She was due. I just had a good feeling that she was going to do something, whether it was a single, or that. She was zoned in and she was going to get a hit that at bat.” On winning the section: “This is a special group, we’ve been saying it from the beginning of the season. They have something special. Their bond, their friendship, on and off the field is just incredible. They work really well together.”

Up next

Cranford will face Morris Knolls, a 1-0 winner over Roxbury, in next week’s state semifinals.

South Plainfield has completed its season.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ Softball: South Plainfield overpowered by Cranford in final