BY WARREN RAPPLEYEA
Staff Writer
The Sayreville War Memorial High School softball team needs to win five of its next eight games to qualify for the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III Tournament.
Coach Lynn Taylor’s youthful Bombers have played well, but a lack of varsity experience has hurt at times. Sayreville is currently 3-5.
"In general the girls have done a very good job, particularly on defense, but physical and mental errors have cost us a few games, and that’s to be expected with a young team," Taylor said.
Although Sayreville has had some trouble scoring runs, sophomore shortstop Jessica Nicola is hitting .600 and senior center fielder Lynn Olender is batting .475. DH Lorianne Miklaszewski has shown promise at the plate.
"Actually we have a pretty good hitting team; it’s just that we haven’t been able to string a group of hits together on a consistent basis," Taylor said. "As the girls gain more confidence, I think that will change."
On the mound, hard-throwing freshman Amanda Olender has pitched better than her 1-3 mark might indicate. Sophomore Megan Mazur has also pitched well, compiling a 2-2 record.
The defense has been bolstered by the play of freshman catcher Caitlin Moskwa, whose emergence enabled Nicola to move to shortstop. In addition, Shantai Dixon has moved in from the outfield to shore up third base.
"As a team we’ve had a little trouble putting everything together on the same day, and the weather hasn’t helped," the coach said. "They’re coming along though, and we’re getting stronger with each game."
Diamond notes…. As April comes to a close, a handful of local softball teams find themselves in the heat of division races.
The East Brunswick Bears sit atop the Red Division with a 6-2 mark overall, and a 6-1 record in the division. The Bears, who are currently ranked fifth in the GMC, will need to hold off J.P. Stevens (5-2, 4-1), Old Bridge (4-3, 4-2) and South Brunswick (5-3, 3-2) the rest of the way if they hope to capture the division crown.
The South River Knights entered the week in the middle of a tight Blue Division race with Middlesex. The Knights are 9-1 and 6-1 in the division, while Middlesex is 5-0 overall, including 4-0 in the division. Since the Knights have played five more games than the Chiefs, it’s tough to pick a favorite at this point, but the Rams have got to feel good about their start.
The Spotswood Chargers, who entered the week at 5-2 overall and 4-2 in the division, are also hoping to play their way into the Blue Division, though they’ll need both South River and Middlesex to slip up along the rest of the way.