Allentown High School second baseman Jane Minar makes a diving play on this ground ball during the Redbirds’ recent 6-1 win over Raritan High School at the April 21 Stephanie Coonan Memorial Softball Tournament held at Raritan, Hazlet. The Allentown softball team is 12-2 this spring, with their most recent win an 11-1 thumping of Red Bank Regional High School in the opening round of the Monmouth County Tournament on April 28. A llentown High School’s girls softball team, which got off to its best start in recent memory at 11-0 before losing a pair of games last week, showed its resilience onApril 28 when it beat visiting Red Bank Regional High School, 11-1, in the opening round of the Monmouth County Tournament. The game was stopped because of the 10-run rule in the fifth inning as sophomore Haley Peterson pitched a two-hitter and junior left fielder Brianna Smith, batting leadoff, collected three hits and two RBIs.
Allentown High School pitcher Hayley Peterson tossed a two-hitter in the opening round of the Monmouth County Tournament that was played April 28 in Allentown. The Redbirds advanced to the quarterfinals of the softball tournament with an 11-1 win over Red Bank Regional High School. More photos at gmnews.com. PHOTOS BY ERIC SUCAR staff “I’m happy to see them bounce back,” coach Bob Dubina said of his 12-2 team, seeded No. 4 in Monmouth County behind St. John Vianney, Middletown South and Wall.
The team in recent years has participated only in the Mercer County Tournament as a member of the Colonial Valley Conference, which has all of its teams compete in the tournament. Allentown is the only team in the CVC not from Mercer County. That tournament begins on May 14. But the Redbirds were able to return to the Monmouth County Tournament this season for the first time since 2000, when it played in the Shore Conference (Allentown won MCT titles in 1991 and 1994).
“I wanted to get [back] in it a while ago,” Dubina said. “We tried to get in in the past, but with the schedule, we were not able to. Even this year may be tough for us to play in it.”
Dubina pointed out that rain was forecast for the May 1 second-round game against a solid Howell High School team that is 12-4 coming into this week. There aren’t any openings this week on the schedules for either team to reschedule games. Allentown this week has games on April 30 against Lawrence, May 2 against Robbinsville and May 4 against Hopewell Valley.
On May 5 it hosts its MacReynolds Memorial Softball Tournament. Allentown plays Northern Burlington on one field at 3 p.m., and the Peddie School takes on Bishop Ahr on the adjacent field at the same time. The winners play at 5 p.m. that day, and the losers meet in a consolation at the same time on the adjacent field. “If it rains on Tuesday (May 1), I don’t know when we’ll be able to play Howell,” Dubina said
The game against Robbinsville at home is an interesting one forAllentown. The Redbirds saw their unbeaten season ended early last week by West Windsor-Plainsboro South, which rallied from behind for three runs in the sixth inning to pull out a 4-3 victory. In the next game, Robbinsville scored three runs in the first inning and went on to a 10-3 victory to raise its record to 16-0. Sophomore first baseman Chelsea Turner and freshman second baseman Jane Minar each batted in a run for Allentown.
Robbinsville also beat Allentown in the finals of the Mercer County Tournament last year and remained unbeaten all the way to a state title.
“We’ll definitely be competitive and have a good mindset about it,” Dubina said of his players bouncing back for the Robbinsville game. “We need to put the ball in play. These players understand they can compete [against Robbinsville].”
Peterson, who relies on off-speed pitches, has a solid supporting cast behind her offensively and defensively with Smith, senior shortstop Dana Sensi, junior catcher Erin Drennan and junior center fielder Maddie Brunk all hitting in the upper .400s. Minar has stepped in well for injured junior Alex Domenici, who has been out with a bruised knee and may return this week. Juniors Jessea Macaluso at third base and Christina Kinsey in right field complete the lineup.
Senior Elisa Andrew is the other pitcher and also relieves Anderson. She throws a fastball, curve and change-up.
During the win streak and against Red Bank Regional, Dubina said his team has played a “complete game,” and that will be important for upcoming big games. Although Dubina said the defense has played well all around, including Sensi, who is headed to Rider University on a softball financial scholarship package, he said the outfield is “solid, one of the better ones in the county. They’re making tough plays.”
Allentown committed only eight errors over its first 11 games, when it outscored opponents 130-19. The start was highlighted by a season-opening 3-2 victory over Nottingham in 12 innings and a 6-1 victory over a solid Raritan team in the Stephanie Coonan Classic. Allentown scored four runs in the top of the seventh to take a 6-0 lead over Raritan.