BY WARREN RAPPLEYEA
Staff Writer
Matawan center fielder Tina Soltren tries to flip the ball to Jill Ortega for a force play during last Thursday’s Central Jersey Group III title game. With its first sectional softball title in its pocket, the Matawan High School softball team is looking for more this week in the NJSIAA Group II tournament.
The Huskies earned a berth in the overall Group II tourney by defeating Carteret in 12 innings on Thursday in an exciting 1-0 game to win the Central Jersey Group II crown.
Matawan ace Marianne Marinella went the distance to earn the win. Shortstop Jillian Ortega delivered the game-winner with a bases-loaded single that scored Danielle Davenport in the bottom of the 12th inning.
PHOTOS BY JEFF GRANIT staff Above, Jill Ortega jumps into her father’s arms after getting the game-winning hit in Matawan’s 1-0 win over Carteret on Thursday. At left, head coach Faye Irons joins in the celebration at home plate. There might not have been a 12th inning if not for a stellar defensive play in the top of the ninth when Huskies left fielder Holly Quinlan made a perfect throw to catcher Tricia Allutto that cut down a Carteret runner to keep the score tied.
“That was the difference,” Matawan coach Faye Irons said. “That was a great play.”
Prior to meeting Carteret, the Huskies defeated Raritan, 4-1, in the Central Jersey Group II semifinals. Matawan plated a pair of first-inning runs keyed by Jen Ortega’s double to jump out in front of the hot Rockets. Allutto’s two-run single in the fourth added the insurance runs needed for Matawan to gain its third win over Raritan this spring.
“We were wary of Raritan; they’re a good team with a good coach and they were hot,” Irons said. “And, it’s so difficult to beat a team three times in the same season. But our girls kept their focus and got the job done.”
Matawan is now 23-4 overall heading into yesterday’s Group II semifinal contest against Audubon at Lenape High School.
The Huskies will look for more production from Allutto, the team’s best hitter down the stretch, who went 4-for-5 against Carteret. She will play for Pace University next year. Jillian Ortega, who will play for UConn next spring, and Quinlan, who will play for Brookdale Community College, have also been swinging the bat well.
Marinella, who will play at Delaware next season, is the mainstay on the hill, but she has received solid defensive support when needed, as evidenced in the Carteret victory. In addition, sophomore Lizzy Robinson has been flawless at first base.
“This has really been a team effort,” Irons said. “Tricia Allutto summed it up best when she said, ‘This is not a team of one, it’s a team of 12 players.’ ”
Other members of the team include outfielders Maria Antista and Ebony Shaw; junior center fielder Tina Soltren; and sophomore right fielder Nicole Gorhan.