Kristy Kwiatkowski’s offense would have been enough to qualify her for most post-season honors, but she is also an excellent defensive catcher whom most teams learned quickly not to challenge on the base paths.
Freehold Township broke new ground in softball this year, becoming the first Freehold District team to play for a state sectional title. Although the Pats lost the Central Jersey Group IV final to J.P. Stevens, wins over No. 1 seed Edison and Steinert proved that John DeVincenzo’s Pats had arrived as a championship contender.
Earlier in the season they had won a title, the Brave Invitational, behind their powerful hurler Meagan Hennessy, who won 17 games for the season. Township just missed its first 20-win season, going 19-10.
Manalapan was making noise this year as well, led by catcher Kristy Kwiatkowski. Manalapan fielded one of the most potent attacks in the Shore and rode it to the Shore Conference and Central Jersey playoffs.
Howell and Freehold Borough made noise as well. They proved they are teams on the move when both advanced to the Gray Division final of the Lady Buc Tournament. The Rebels won that interdistrict game, 7-5.
Hennessy and Kwiatkowski head the News Transcript’s 2000 All-Freehold District Softball Team.
Joining Kwiatkowski as infielders are Howell’s Dawn Tyrrell, Freehold Township’s Jaimie Marangelli and Julie Saporito and Freehold Borough’s Dana Braff. Manalapan’s Allison Bartley and Jessica Latawiec, Howell’s Staci Minuskin and Colts Neck’s Jessica Delia are the outfielders. Freehold Township’s Kristin Tozzi is the designated hitter, and Marlboro’s Hayley Derris the utility infielder.
Hennessy and Manalapan’s Cherisse Maltais are the All-District pitchers.
Hennessy put up one of the greatest pitching performances ever in the District. The sophomore was 17-8 with an earned run average of just 0.77, and she struck out 224 batters in 173.2 innings of work. Her performance in the state playoffs was magnificent as she gave up only one run in four games. The big improvement from last year for Hennessy was her mastery of four pitches that she could throw for strikes. Her best pitches were her riser and her out pitch, the change-up.
Hennessy helped herself at the plate. She was a major cog in the offense with her .393 batting average, .452 on-base percentage and 17 runs scored. Her 35 hits were among the best in the Shore.
Kwiatkowski followed up a great sophomore season with an even better year in 2000. She set a number of Manalapan records, including single season marks for batting average (.532) and hits (42). The batting average was the best in the Shore Conference, and the hits, the second best. She had five doubles, six triples and three home runs. Those numbers produced 28 RBI and 28 runs scored. She put fear into everyone facing the Braves.
As great as her offensive numbers were, Kwiatkowski may have been even better as a defensive catcher. Her rocket arm took the running game away from teams. Those that dared try were humbled as she threw out 14 of 16 runners who tried to steal a base. She was named to a number of All-State teams.
Tyrrell closed out her career with a big season, helping the Rebels win the Gray Division title in the Lady Buc Tournament. She was the Most Valuable Player of the final, going 2-4 and making several splendid plays in the field. On the season, Tyrrell rapped out 34 hits and batted .391, both team highs. She had three doubles, four triples and a home run. She led the team in RBI (17). A solid shortstop, she had 96 assists during the season.
Marangelli had a solid season for the Lady Patriots with the bat and the glove. The junior third baseman was a major part of the offense with her .316 batting average, 15 runs scored and nine RBI. She had 30 hits, and among them were three doubles and a triple. Her speed (nine stolen bases) helped the Pats manufacture runs.
Braff hardly played like a freshman this year. She led the drive to the Lady Buc finals with her bat. The first baseman supplied the power in the middle of the line-up, batting .295 and leading the team with 19 RBI. She had five doubles and four triples, leading the team in the extra-base-hit department. The Colonials are on the rise, and they will have Braff to build around for the next three years.
It was a big year for freshmen coming in and having an impact, and Saporito was another of the promising young stars. She was the table-setter for the Pat offense from the lead-off spot. The second baseman had 30 hits (including three doubles and one triple) and batted .306. She scored 19 times, tops on the team, and had 10 RBI.
Derris gave Marlboro a steady presence. The senior second baseman batted .297 and led the team with 19 runs scored and 12 RBI. She stole eight bases. She was just as effective with her glove.
Bartley has been a model of consistency since starting as a freshman. This year the junior was better than ever, batting .506 and pounding out 40 hits. The 40 hits were third best in the Shore. She had four doubles, three triples, three home runs and 26 RBI. She was near-flawless in the field again, making only one error and throwing six runners out.
Latawiec has been a fixture in the Manalapan line-up since her freshman year. One of the few seniors on the 2000 Braves, the outfielder went out in style, batting .413 while smacking 38 base hits. Kwiatkowski, Bartley and Latawiec combined for 120 hits this year. That’s softball’s version of Murderer’s Row.
Minuskin had a fine all-around campaign for the Rebels. One of the District’s best basketball players, Minuskin emerged among the top players on the diamond. The left fielder batted .325 with 25 hits, including four doubles. The senior had 11 RBI and stole 12 bases.
Colts Neck made its varsity debut this spring, and sophomore outfielder Jessica Delia was among the Cougars who showed the most promises. She led the team with a .351 average and had a 10-game hitting streak during the season. She had seven RBI to pace the team as well.
Tozzi was the power in the middle of the Lady Patriot line-up. The sophomore clean-up batter batted .298 on 28 hits, of which eight were doubles and one a home run, a fence-clearing blast in the Brave Invitational final against Manchester. She led the Pats with 18 RBI and scored 10 times. She surprised teams with her speed, stealing eight bases.
Maltais has a bright future in front of her. The freshman had quite an impact on the veteran-laden Braves. She got to pitch in big-games throughout the season and not shrink. She was 13-9 with a 2.91 earned run average. Not a big strike-out pitcher (she had 59 in 149 innings), she threw strikes, stayed ahead in the count and let her defense do the job behind her.
Those earning Honorable Mention for the 2000 season are: Marion Protano, Colts Neck; Jen Kelly, Danielle Vento and Kerri Ferrar, Freehold Borough; Pam Zaranka and Carolyn Teufel, Freehold Township; Gina Portella, Lauren Lisi, Jackie Piscitelli and Janella Pini, Howell; Nicole Menoni and Danielle Petrazzolo, Manalapan; and Nicole McGinty and Vicky Adornetto, Marlboro.

