Bordentown’s Trogdon, Allen toss no-hitters

By: Sean Moylan
   The Bordentown High School softball team has had many fast starts over the years. Yet never before have the Scotties put together such a perfect blend of pitching, hitting and fielding to start a young season at 5-0.
   The Scotties’ latest heroics came last Friday when senior Reannon Trogdon hurled a masterful 13-0 no-hitter versus Pemberton at home. Trogdon pitched five innings (a 10-run rule complete game), struck out 10 batters and walked just three in the contest.
   "She’s pitched back-to-back five-inning no-hitters," said Bordentown Coach Michele Brennan of Trogdon, who threw a "no-no" against Riverside in her first start. Trogdon also helped her own cause by going 2-for-2 with a double and two RBI against Pemberton.
   The hitting star of day was Joan Jaczko, who had two three-run homers. Megan Temple had two hits, two RBI and two runs scored. Kara Lynch (single, double, two runs), Taryn Lynch (single, two runs), Meghan McDonald (2-for-3, two runs), Nicole Walls (1-for-1, run, RBI) Hillary Allen (1-for-2, RBI) and Jessica Swanson (2-for-3) all contributed to the Scotties scoring 13 runs.
   Defensively, the Scotties were tested so few times that Brennan was able to recall every fielding play in the contest. Trogdon allowed just a handful of grounders and second baseman Sam Hardy caught the only pop-up of the contest.
   Allen fanned 13 batters and tossed a perfect game in the Scotties’ 10-0 home win over Burlington City last Thursday.
   "She (Allen) was definitely solid on the mound. She threw a perfect game and nothing left the infield," remarked Brennan. "She was getting a lot of them (to strikeout) on changeups. She struck out the side in the first and the second and she had two in the third. Nothing was hit with any authority."
   Allen’s early dominance on the mound set the tone for the game. But the Scotties also got it done with the bats as they cracked 13 hits, with Allen 3-for-3 and scoring a run. Trogdon, meanwhile, blasted a two-run homer, doubled and had four RBI. T. Lynch tripled, singled, scored two times and knocked in a run. Jessica Villalba doubled and had a RBI and Nicole Walls (1-for-3), Temple (1-for-2, run), Jaczko (2-for-3, two runs, RBI) and K. Lynch (run) all did their jobs at the plate.
   Bordentown is scheduled at Delran today. It will host Trenton Catholic Academy on Monday and Palmyra on Tuesday.
   NBC
   Before this season even started, Northern Burlington High School softball coach Brian Wolverton told Kylie Walton that all he needed her to do for his Greyhounds this season was play good defense at first base. However, when Greyhounds’ starting pitcher Heather Danley got sick last week, Wolverton had no one to turn to but Walton, who had previous success as a hurler in Little League and at the junior varsity level. K. Walton answered her call to duty with a 10-2 home win over Willingboro last Friday afternoon. Then later that same day, K. Walton pitched NBC to an 8-4 home win over Hamilton West under the lights at Northern Burlington.
   Against Willingboro, K. Walton tossed the first four innings (two hits allowed, three strikeouts, no walks) to earn the win before giving way to her older sister Jaimie, who pitched the last three frames (one hit allowed, two strikeouts). J. Walton was able to ease the tension with a three-run homer to left-center in the first. K. Walton doubled in the Greyhounds’ 18-hit attack, which was led by Michelle Reed’s two doubles, a single and three runs scored.
   In the night cap versus Hamilton West — a much better team than Willingboro — K. Walton pitched even better to earn her second win of the year. She also helped her own cause with a pair of hits. J. Walton (a single and double and two runs scored) and Sam Garafalo (a triple, two RBI and a run) also picked up clutch hits in the contest.
   "It was more interesting and fun coaching that game than last year’s playoff game versus Hamilton West," remarked Wolverton. "We did something in last Friday’s game versus Hamilton that last year’s team never did — we came back."
   NBC fell behind 1-0 in the top of the first and then tied it with a run in the bottom of the frame. Then, when Hamilton pulled ahead 4-1 with three runs in the second, NBC answered with three runs in the bottom of the same inning. And NBC eventually put the contest away with a trio of runs in the third.
   Although Danley’s condition had improved enough for her to have started Monday’s contest at Pemberton, Wolverton didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks so he started K. Walton again. All K. Walton did was throw three scoreless innings (two strikeouts, a hit allowed) against Pemberton to win the five-inning contest, 13-2.
   Danley did get a chance to pitch, however. "Heather (Danley) pitched the last two innings. She’s beginning to feel a little better. She lost 16 pounds when she was sick," noted Wolverton.
   NBC collected nine hits, including two by Lyndsey Rohn, who also had stole two bases, scored two runs and knocked in a run. Natalie Conger was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Angela Barbero, J. Walton (two hits) and Garafalo each had two RBI while Kristin Tilbury knocked in one run.
   In Tuesday’s 10-4 road win over Holy Cross, Wolverton used all of his pitchers with K. Walton hurling the first two scoreless frames before giving way to Danley, who threw four innings to earn the win. Although J. Walton pitched a scoreless seventh to slam the door shut on the Lancers’ attack, her big contributions was a two-run triple which sparked a six-run second inning. Reed also had another tremendous offensive game (3-for-3, three runs scored and four steals).
   NBC is scheduled at Rancocas Valley today (Thursday). On Saturday it is scheduled to compete in the Rancocas Valley Elite Softball Tournament and later that same night NBC will leave for its annual playing trip to Florida. NBC is 5-0 and playing some sensational softball.
   FLORENCE
   The Florence High School softball team has dominated its first three game in a manner befitting a championship club. Yet Flashes Coach George Chwastyk wants his club to get an opportunity to show they can do much more than just batter the bad teams. He wants his Flashes to prove they can match up with almost anybody, which is just what they’ll get a chance to do this week. "We play at Riverside on Saturday, but next Tuesday is the big one at home versus New Egypt," noted Chwastyk. "We’re not seeing the competition until we see them (the Warriors)."
   Those upcoming games are so important to the Flashes that Chwastyk gave his star hurler Melissa Mehrer a day off to rest in this past Monday’s contest at Medford Tech. It didn’t matter. Freshman Kelly Garganio threw a five-inning complete game in leading the Flashes to a convincing 17-1 victory over Medford Tech. "Kelly Garganio, she did a nice job. She had nine strikeouts and gave up just two hits," added Chwastyk.
   In three contests, Florence has outscored the competition, 52-2. Against Medford Tech Kristin Garganio was one of Florence’s top threats at the plate with a double, a single and three RBI. The Flashes blasted 14 hits with Carlie Maple (a double, RBI), Nuran Onal (2-for-3, RBI), Stefanie Bulleck (1-for-2, two walks), Stephanie Wallace (1-for-2) and Jackie Miller (1-for-2) all having big games. With Kelly Garganio (who usually plays first) pitching, Ashley O’Nori shifted over from center field to play first base. "She (O’Nori) did a nice job over there at first," Chwastyk added.
   LCA
   The Life Center Academy softball team defeated Mercy Vocational High School, 19-0, on Tuesday. Stephanie Reitzel’s threw an 11-strikeout no-hitter for the victors. Reitzel also helped her own cause hitting for the cycle.
   Last Thursday LCA beat Mercer Christian, 15-1. Katie Steffen had a triple, double, single and three RBI. Kelli Michalski scored three times and had three hits.