By Jeff Appelblatt
Things started slow on the diamond for Woodbridge High School’s softball team. Its record quickly fell to 0-3, but one win was all it took to turn the season around for the Barrons.
Following three straight losses to start the campaign, Woodbridge entered the last week of April with a .500 record (6-6).
The first 10 days of the season were tough for the team’s sophomore pitchers, Jordan Cinelli and Ashley Dugasz. But after being roughed up in those first three games, the tandem settled down.
They have realized that they can help their own cause with some offense. Cinelli had two hits combined in the club’s first three games, and Dugasz had one. After the next nine games, Cinelli had nine hits and Dugasz had 10. The two have been prime parts of the defense and the offense.
The Barrons offense has been on fire. In recent wins over North Brunswick Township High School and Perth Amboy High School April 13 and 15, respectively, Woodbridge scored 32 runs, beating North Brunswick, 12-1, and Perth Amboy, 20-0. In addition to the nine hits and five RBIs Cinelli and Dugasz combined for in the victories, many Barrons joined the fun. Kylie Gautier had three of her first four hits of the season, while Taylor Greco had her first three.
Also in the two blowouts, Brooke Timinski had a pair of hits, Justine Stefura had five hits, Kendra Tobias had three hits, Mackenzie Thomas had two and Carly Kjersgaard went 6-for-9 with a home run, three doubles, eight RBIs, five runs and two stolen bases.
As impressive as the numbers may look for Kjersgaard, it was nothing out of the ordinary for the senior. Since she was a freshman in 2013, Kjersgaard played a crucial role for the softball team — she has for the volleyball team as well.
This year on the softball field, she’s batting a hearty .632 with nine doubles and three home runs. Not that pitching got in her way too much last season — she batted .539 to go with the 103.1 innings she threw — but perhaps not pitching this year has helped her keep an utmost focus at the plate.
Monroe Township High School has given up only one hit in two outings against the Barrons to Kjersgaard, but no other team has held her hitless in a game. In fact, Bishop George Ahr High School was the only other team to hold her to just one hit.
The senior had at least three knocks in five games, including Apr. 24 vs. Rahway High School. She went 4-for-4 with a home run and two doubles. The Barrons won the game, bringing them back to the .500 mark, thanks to Kjersgaard’s and Stefura’s domination with their bats. Besides Kjersgaard’s four hits and six RBIs, Stefura went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs. One of the two hits for Stefura was a home run — her second of the year.
Samantha Carroll added a triple and Timinski doubled en route to the victory.
Dugasz, who was walked in each of her three plate appearances, threw all five innings, giving up only three earned runs on four hits. It was her third win of the season.
As a team, Woodbridge entered its game April 25 against South Plainfield High School having won four of five. The bats of the Barrons were flaring, having won three of the four by a combined score of 49-7 (15-1, 20-2, 14-4).
Woodbridge would have needed to remain just as hot to have a chance against the Tigers (11-1).
Not that any team wouldn’t like every game to feel just like batting practice, but following the battle vs. South Plainfield, things won’t be getting much easier.
Woodbridge will play Spotswood High School (10-2) April 27 at 4 p.m. in Woodbridge. Spotswood ace Alexa Raba, who will be pitching for Felician University in the fall, gave up only 28 earned runs in the first 73 innings she pitched this year. She allowed more than three earned runs in only the two losses.