CRANBURY: A team of their own

C-PLL 12s softball wins first two district games

By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
   The Cranbury-Plainsboro Little League finally has a 12-year-old all-star softball team of its own again.
   And this summer’s squad is a good one.
   C-PLL opened up the District 12 Little League tournament with back-to-back wins to march into Saturday’s 4 p.m. winner’s bracket final against pre-tournament favorite Robbinsville.
   ”This year, they’re looking to get their title back,” said C-PLL manager Rob Garthe, whose daughter Nicolette played on the East Windsor Little League that won the district title last year. “Robbinsville, they’re the clear favorite, but you never know what we can do.”
   Just fielding a team of its own is news for Cranbury-Plainsboro. They haven’t had a team of their own since 2006, two years after they reached the district finals. In 2007, there was no team, and in 2008, four players were part of the Princeton entry.
   Last year, Cranbury residents Nicolette Garthe and Kelli Swedish were on the East Windsor PAL team that won the district title, but this year there are enough players to field their own C-PLL entry.
   ”I think for the program, it says a lot,” Rob Garthe said. “Over the years, we’ve had players who’ve been able to play. This is the first time we’ve been able to put a team together in six years. We have some good talented kids. The good news is a lot of them are 11-year-olds, so hopefully they’ll be back.
   ”There was a lot of excitement with the two girls going far last year. I think that helped. They’re excited to put together the team without anyone else.”
   C-PLL is young, and may not have the tournament experience of some teams, but it hasn’t shown through their first two games. Kayla Volante struck out 10 in a one-hitter to key a 2-0 win over Florence on Tuesday in their district opener. Everyone got in the act in a 14-2 win over West End on Wednesday night, led by another strong showing in the circle.
   ”Our pitcher had an awesome game, Taylor Britt,” Garthe said. “She had nine strikeouts in four innings. She threw to 15 batters. It was a pretty impressive game. She let up two runs. It was a two-hitter. It was a great pitching performance. She hit her spots and did the job so we could ten-run them in four innings.”
   Priya Kothari went 2-for-3, including a drive to the fence on which she motored around the bases for a home run, and 4 RBI.
   ”The team played an overall good game,” Garthe said. “We made an adjustment to their pitcher. Ally (Garthe) was 2-for-4 with 3 RBI and had a good game catching behind the plate. She’s one of the true Cranbury kids.”
   The trio of Cranbury residents are Ally Garthe, Bianca Guidi and Kayla Volante. The Plainsboro players are: Allison Duane, Ashlyn Rogers, Taylor Britt, Vanessa Richardson, McKenna Carpenter, Delaney Cochrane, Emily Garron and Jackie Williamson.
   ”We lack experience that some teams have in terms of being through this before at this level,” the elder Garthe said. “It’s a different level. In the week and half that we’ve worked together, they’ve matured quickly into good ball players. It’s a challenge and we’re heeding that challenge.
   ”It showed (Tuesday) night. It was a 2-0 game and we played a good defensive game. It was good to go out there and not give up. They kept fighting and got the two runs and held the other team down. It was good to see.”
   Five of them did play on a 10-year-old team at East Windsor that finished second to Robbinsville. One of them, Britt, delivered a two-run hit in the fourth inning against Florence. It was all that Volante needed.
   ”Kayla threw a great game,” Garthe said. “She’ll be a big, big part of us moving forward as we get to the better teams, and there are better teams ahead.
   ”Kayla is our No. 1 pitcher. She’s a 12-year-old. She was a part of the 10U team at East Windsor when she was a 9 year old. They won the state championship. This is her first time back as an all-star.”
   It was a tough challenge to start the tournament, but it was an encouraging sign to come away with a win over Florence.
   ”They’re absolutely a quality team,” Garthe said. “They put the bat on the ball. They had a solid pitcher. We had a big fourth inning. We had a leadoff bunt by Ally Garthe and then a string of hits.”
   Garthe would love to see the hitting produce the way it did against West End every game. That will be tough against Robbinsville, but C-PLL does have firepower at the plate to balance their well-rounded teamm.
   ”I like their offense,” Garthe said. “We have some really good hitters. Kayla is a strong pitcher. Those are two things we need. We have energy and the kids have played together for a while. They’ve played together for four or five years. They’ve played in rec together for a while. They have gelled well together and they respond well to coaching. I’m pleased with how they’ve progressed so far.”
   Despite being one of the younger teams in the tournament, Cranbury-Plainsboro has started quickly. Their back-to-back wins have them moving on and feeling better about their potential this year.
   ”We’re excited to be 2-0 and see who stays in the winner’s bracket,” Garthe said. “We play Saturday at Robbinsville, so they have home-field advantage. Hopefully we can give them a run for their money. You never know who’s going to win. That’s the reality of it. It’ll be a fun night to get out and play Saturday.”
   Especially as their own standalone Cranbury-Plainsboro softball team.