By Warren Rappleyea
After dropping its first two games, Sayreville War Memorial High School’s softball team has won five of its past six games and is 5-3 on the year.
The hot streak came just in time for rematches April 27 with South Brunswick High School and April 29 against J.P. Stevens High School — the two teams that downed the Bombers at the beginning of the season.
Sayreville’s roster includes several veterans who helped the team go 18-6 last season and win the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Tournament championship and also reach the finals of the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group IV tournament.
Sayreville is coming off a 5-4 win over East Brunswick High School, where shortstop Ryane Brush went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and first baseman Kayla Stvan doubled in a pair of runs to key the victory April 22.
Two days earlier, pitcher Kelly Duffy hurled her second shutout of the season, allowing just one hit, and went 3-for-3 with a triple and three RBIs, as the Blue and Gray upended Old Bridge High School, 11-0. The Bombers scored four first-inning runs and never looked back. Brush added a pair of hits and two RBIs.
The Old Bridge win followed the only blip in the streak, a 3-2 loss to East Brunswick April 19 in a game where Duffy struck out seven and allowed just six hits. Duffy and Emma Herrick drove home the Sayreville runs.
Brush has been the team’s top hitter, sporting a .500 average to go with four home runs and nine RBIs. Duffy is at .421 with a home run and eight RBIs. The sophomore has become a presence in the circle, where she owns a 5-3 mark. Earlier in the season, she tossed a one-hit shutout in a 6-0 win against Spotswood High School.
Infielder Emily Cabrera is batting .444 in the early going and Stvan is batting .407. Left fielder Mary Kate Kersting is batting .375, and third baseman Christina Misiur, who went 4-for-4 in the April 22 win against East Brunswick, is hitting .367. Freshman Jalyn Dzamba is batting .312, and Stephanie Tuquero is at .292.
Sayreville coach Christa DeLucia is looking for her team to continue to improve to prepare for another postseason run.
“A lot of our girls have been through this last year, and they know what it takes to prepare and win big games,” the coach said. “The experience from last year will really help us.”
Following its rematches with South Brunswick and J.P. Stevens, the Bombers will travel to Middletown High School North April 30 for non-conference matchup.