By Tim Morris
Marlboro High School’s softball team goes into the postseason tournaments with a lot of momentum.
The Mustangs finished the regular season with a 14-6 record with four of those losses to state powers Middletown High School North and Middletown High School South in Shore Conference A North Division play and one to another perennial state contender, Red Bank Catholic (RBC) High School.
“We are heading into the tournaments with tremendous confidence knowing we can play with anyone,” head coach Nick Scalzo said. “We plan on making a run in each tournament and hoping we can continue playing solid softball and playing as a team.
“I think our will to win as a team and not as individuals is what will help us at this point of the year. The talent is there and so is the will to win, so we expect big things come playoff time.”
Marlboro began its postseason May 19 in the Shore Conference Tournament. The Mustangs were seeded No. 10 and defeated No. 21-seeded Point Pleasant Beach High School, 12-0, at home.
Pitcher Kaleigh Oplinger held Point Pleasant Beach to just one hit in the five-inning contest.
Marlboro’s lineup pounded out 16 hits, led by Phoebe Li and Elyse Shapiro, who were both 3-for-3. Jenna Pargament went 2-for-3 with two doubles, two runs scored and two RBIs. Lindsey Fhima also had two hits, three runs scored and two RBIs.
The next round of the Shore Conference Tournament is schedule for May 28. The Mustangs will go to Red Bank to play seventh-seeded RBC in the Round of 16 at Count Basie Field. RBC received a first-round bye.
In their regular-season game, the Caseys edged the Mustangs, 10-9.
In the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group IV playoffs, Marlboro is the No. 5 seed and played a very familiar opponent — No. 12-seeded Freehold Township High School — in Marlboro May 23. The Mustangs defeated the Patriots in both A North Division games they played during the regular season. However, the Patriots are fresh off capturing the Monmouth County Tournament White Division championship and are playing with confidence.
But so are the Mustangs, who have become accustomed to winning the last two years. They are doing the things that winning teams do, like moving runners along, getting the big two-out hits, making the right pitch and not giving teams extra outs by playing solid defense.
Marlboro has several players enjoying productive seasons, led by center fielder Macie Ditillo, who joined the 100-career hit club earlier this year.
“She is having a tremendous year,” Scalzo said. “He is really a fantastic player leading our team in every offensive category and playing a great center field.”
The junior is batting .531 with 29 RBIs, 12 doubles, two triples and four home runs. She has 34 hits and has scored 23 runs.
Li is batting .460 with 20 RBIs and a team-high 25 runs scored. She has eight doubles and four home runs. Jennifer Frometa is batting .469 with 18 RBIs, three doubles, one triple and three home runs.
Several other Mustangs have had stellar seasons as well and are the reason the team is averaging better than eight runs a game. Alexandra DiGrande is batting .464 with a team-high four home runs and 13 RBIs, and Jessica Zwerin is at .429 with 17 runs scored. Bonnie Piccone, a senior who was the first Mustang to reach 100 career hits (which she did last spring), is batting .391 with 19 runs scored.
Oplinger has given Marlboro consistent performances in the circle all year. While not a strikeout pitcher, she keeps the Mustangs in games by throwing strikes, not walking batters and letting her defense make plays behind her. It’s been a winning combination.
Fhima has won four games — mostly in relief — giving Marlboro a second option in the circle.
Marlboro established a school record for wins in 2015 when the Mustangs went 16-7. They would like to break that record and making deep runs in the conference and state sectional tournaments would do it.
The Mustangs are one of four Freehold Regional High School District teams to qualify for the Central Jersey, Group IV tournament. Howell High School made it in South Jersey, Group IV.
In addition to 12th-seeded Freehold Township, Manalapan High School and Colts Neck High School are seeded 13th and 15th.
The Patriots’ run to the county division title was led by pitcher Renee Marcinczuk and hitters Nicole Baptista and Kayla Butkus.
Manalapan (8-10) drew No. 4-seed East Brunswick High School from the Greater Middlesex Conference for its opening-round game May 23.
The Braves are coming on strong, winning six of its last nine games, including a 5-3 win over a very good Allentown High School team. Pitcher Rachel Hrevnak did not allow an earned run in the non-conference win.
Kristen Ruggiero and Brianna Spierto have been leading the Braves offense.
Colts Neck (8-9) will travel to No. 2-seed Hillsborough High School for its state sectional game. The young Cougars (seven sophomores and two freshmen) will benefit from the postseason experience. Seniors Jamie DiMario, Natalie Farparan and Angelica Galianese have helped the Cougars exceed expectations in 2016.
Howell is the No. 10 seed in South Jersey, Group IV and played No. 7-seed Washington Township High School in its first-round game May 23.
The Rebels (10-11) are a very dangerous team because of their explosive offense. Five starters are batting above .400, led by Hallie Barnes (.433, 33 hits, 18 runs, 16 RBIs), Paige Eckert (.433, 22 RBIs, 29 hits) and Vivian Montgomery (.426, 26 hits, 16 RBIs).
Howell can break games open with its power, having accumulated 20 home runs and 70 doubles. Stephanie Maxson has smacked six home runs, ranking among the leaders in the state. She’s batting .326 with 16 RBIs.
The state sectional quarterfinals are scheduled for May 25, with the semifinals taking place May 31.