REGION 19 TOURNAMENT WEEKEND at RCSJ-GLOUCESTER May 14-15
Entering the tournament as the #2 seed, the Lady Colts defeated #3 seed RCSJ-Cumberland by a score of 2-0 in Friday's opening round game. Clutch hitting, stellar defense, and the pitching of Kaitlynne McCarthy (Woodbridge H.S.) propelled the Colts to victory. The Colts fell to Camden C.C. by a score of 4-1 later in the day. The Colts out-hit Camden 9-6, but left 11 runners on base and committed 5 errors in the loss. Coming back on Saturday morning in an elimination game to again square off with Cumberland, a team they had beaten 3 straight times, the Lady Colts dropped a 9-1 decision to end their season. The offense was only able to register 4 hits, and along with committing another 4 errors on defense, which led to 8 unearned runs, was too much for the Colts to overcome.
In the tournament opener against Cumberland, Kaitlynne McCarthy threw another gem, striking out 8 and allowing only 5 hits – none after the 3rd inning – in the complete game shutout. Abigail Jason (J.P.Stevens H.S.) reached on an error to start the game, advanced to second on a sacrifice but by Jennah Schiraldo (Carteret H.S.), and scored on a 2-out double by Julie Davis (South Plainfield H.S.). In the 6th inning, Alida Pellicane (Edison H.S.) walked, was sacrificed to second by Alyssa Dima (Manville H.S.), and scored on a throwing error. Jason also added a triple, and she reached base safely 3 times.
In a round two match-up with Camden C.C., the Lady Colts dropped a 4-1 decision, as the lack of timely hitting and a porous defense (5 errors) proved too much to overcome. The Lady Colts outhit Camden 9-6, but stranded 11 base runners in the game. Jennah Schiraldo had 3 singles, and Julie Davis also recorded 3 hits, including an RBI double to score Schiraldo with the Colts only run of the game. Kaitlynne McCarthy only allowed 2 earned runs in absorbing the hard-luck loss.
Facing elimination in game 3 against familiar foe Cumberland, the Lady Colts committed 3 errors in the 3rd inning, leading to a total of 8 unearned runs, as their season ended with a tough 9-1 loss to the eventual Region 19 champions. Kaitlynne McCarthy took the loss while only allowing 7 hits. She also tripled and scored the Colts only run on an infield single by Alida Pellicane. Katelyn Herman (E.B. Tech H.S.) had a hit and reached base safely in her 2 at bats.
In concluding their regular season with a record of 14-14, and their overall record at 15-16, the Lady Colts matched the highest winning total by a team since 2016.
The following young ladies played their last games in a Lady Colt uniform: Shayla Benbow (Piscataway H.S.), Julie Davis (South Plainfield H.S.), Kaitlynne McCarthy (Woodbridge H.S.), and Alida Pellicane (Edison H.S.). We wish them nothing but the best in their future endeavors.