STEVEN BASSIN/STAFF

Scotties continue to roll on the diamond with 12th straight victory

Nicole O’Leary wasn’t sure what to expect from her Bordentown Regional High School softball team coming into this season.

The lost 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic had O’Leary “worried” about how her players dealt with everything going on from a personal standpoint to a softball perspective and how it would affect them coming into the 2021 campaign.

Through 15 games this spring, O’Leary has seen her players not miss a beat from being away from the diamond last year.

There’s been no slowing down the Scotties, who are 14-1 on the season after their 11-5 victory over Burlington Township High School on May 24 in Bordentown.

The defending NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group 2 champions are currently on a 12-game winning streak as they have rolled through its competition in the Burlington County Scholastic League.

“The girls are playing really well,” O’Leary said. “They really have come out and worked hard and it’s shown. The upperclassmen and the underclassmen have messed really well together.”

During its 12-game winning streak, Bordentown has outscored its opponents 74-14 and has scored 11 runs in a contest four times. The Scotties have tallied 11 runs in a game five times this season.

The home run ball was a big part of Bordentown’s victory over Burlington Township, seeing three balls leave the park.

Junior catcher Brianna Fischer was responsible for two of the three home runs by the Scotties during her three-hit night at the plate.

Fischer connected for her first blast of the night in the third inning to give Bordentown back-to-back homers and a 3-0 lead after teammate Hailey Cope hit her first home run of the season in the at-bat prior.

The junior launched her team-high fourth home run of the season in the sixth inning that gave Bordentown a 7-2 lead at the time and helped Fischer finish with three RBI on the night.

Fischer’s other RBI came in the fourth inning on an RBI single. She now has 11 RBI and 17 hits for the season.

“I was in a bit of a slump, so I made some adjustments and I’m glad it helped the team win,” Fischer said. “The home runs feel good. It’s been a very exciting season. We’re very close as a team and we have great chemistry. It’s been a lot of fun.”

Junior first baseman Angelina Marino came up big in two key spots for the Scotties in the victory over Burlington Township.

Going hitless in her first three at-bats of the game, Marino made up for it with her last two plate appearances of the night, the first coming in the fifth inning with Bordentown clinging to a 4-2 lead and having the bases loaded with two outs.

Marino slashed a chopper right up the middle to score two runs and give Bordentown some breathing room with a 6-2 lead.

“It was all for the team,” Marino said. “The first couple at-bats everything was in the air. I was trying to hit the ball on the ground and get the runs in.”

Up in the same spot again in the sixth inning, Marino helped blow the game wide open for the Scotties by hitting another two-run single, this time lacing a shot to left field.

The two two-run singles by Marino adds to her team-high hits total this spring that stands now at 26. Marino now has 13 RBI this season after her game-high four RBI affair, which ranks second on the team.

Junior third baseman Sofia Peterson leads the Scotties with 16 RBI so far this spring.

Freshman center fielder Kaci Benton recorded her ninth RBI this spring to help get Bordentown on the board first in the second inning with a one-out single.

Junior second baseman Erin Hoppe tallied home her ninth run this spring for the Scotties with an RBI single in the sixth inning. Cope capped off the scoring for Bordentown by driving in her second run of the game with an RBI base hit, giving her three hits on the night.

Bordentown recorded 17 hits as a team in the victory.

“They consistently came out each inning to score runs and made that final score that much better,” said O’Leary.

The run support was plenty enough for sophomore ace Allison Hoppe, who collected eight strikeouts in a complete-game performance in the circle for Bordentown.

As her Bordentown squad heads into its season finale on May 28 against Northern Burlington High School, O’Leary hopes the awesome tear that her team has been on will continue with postseason play right around the corner.

Bordentown is scheduled to find out its seed for the sectional tournament on May 26.

“I’m hoping we can continue to work hard and hit well,” O’Leary said. “Hopefully we can make a good run in the playoffs.”