HoVal eyes NJSIAA cutoff

SOFTBALL

By:John E. Powers
   The Hopewell Valley High School softball is at a pivotal point in its quest to qualify for the Central Jersey Group III tournament.
   The Bulldogs fell to 5-8 after Tuesday’s 6-1 loss to Colonial Valley Conference Patriot Division rival Ewing.
   But the good news is that junior right hander Courtney Sorg returned from an injury and pitched without trouble and there are seven more games left before next Friday’s cutoff for qualifying for the states.
   Hopewell has to go 5-2 to make it and head coach Lois Fyfe believes it can be done.
   The Bulldogs, 14-12 last year and 8-7 in divisional play, could muster just two hits against Ewing’s Tori Matlack Tuesday and they struck out 10 times. Junior shortstop Gina Colati and senior outfielders Ashley Wilson had the only Bulldog hits.
   That will have to change if the Bulldogs hope to return to the states.
   "If we hit," Fyfe said of her team’s chances. "The problem is putting them (the hits) together."
   The Bulldogs were scheduled to play Ewing again at home Wednesday, Nottingham Friday – also at home, and a third home game Saturday against Hamilton in the preliminary round of the the Mercer County Tournament. Hopewell is the No. 7 seed; Hamilton is No. 10.
   Next week has back-to-back games with divisional leader Allentown (14-1, 8-0) on Monday at home and Tuesday on the road followed by a road game with Lawrence Wednesday and another home game with West Windsor-Plainsboro South Thursday.
   The Bulldogs routed Trenton last Friday 17-0 as sophomore Emily Frank gave up just five hits and struck out six.
   Rosie Rarich doubled and knocked in two runs and junior catcher Gina Pagano had two hits and three RBIs.
   Pagano knocked in two runs and had a double Thursday and Frank pitched a shutout – her second of the year — as the Bulldogs knocked off Princeton 5-0.
   Frank allowed just four hits. Pagano, Wilson and Colati have all been hitting well.
   "We just need more people doing it," Fyfe said.
   The Bulldogs are 3-4 in divisional play.