By Tim Morris
The Freehold Township High School softball team made the most of a second chance.
After falling in the first round of the Monmouth County Softball (MCT) Tournament and falling into the White Division, the Patriots could have lost interest in playing more tournament games and just mailed it in, but they wanted more.
“Once we lost the first round of this [MCT Red Division] tournament, it was our team goal to win [the White Division],” Patriots head coach Kate Kuzma said. “Last year, we lost in the semifinal, and it left a bad taste in our mouths.”
The returning Patriots removed that bitter taste by coming back this year to win the MCT division championship. Their motivation and desire to win were reflected in their one-sided victories. They beat St. Rose High School in the semifinals, 9-0, and then routed Monmouth Regional High School in the finals played at Wall High School May 14, 10-0.
Pitcher Renee Marcinczuk did not allow a run in the tournament. She pitched a two-hitter against St. Rose. The senior was even better in the finals. Marcinczuk allowed a leadoff single in the first inning, and that was it for the game. Only one other Monmouth Regional batter reached base, and that was on an error.
Freehold Township’s bats, which were on fire in the semifinals, remained on fire.
“We were really seeing the ball and hitting it well,” Kuzma said.
The scoring started modestly for Freehold Township. The Patriots took a 1-0 lead in the second on Taylor Tobey’s RBI single that plated Kayla Butkus, who had doubled.
Freehold Township began to pull away in the third, scoring three more, highlighted by Heather Lally’s two-RBI double. A Lally sacrifice fly and fielder’s choice plated two more in the fourth to make it 6-0 in favor of the Patriots.
Sydney Rathsmith doubled in the fifth and scored on Tobey’s RBI single.
The Patriots put the game away in the sixth, scoring three more times thanks to free passes from Monmouth Regional’s pitchers.
For the tournament, Nicole Baptista went 6-for-8 and Butkus was 5-for-5 with three doubles.
“Moving forward, we want to make it as far as possible in this tournament in the Red Division (championship division), but winning the White Division will always be a goal,” Kuzma said.
An MCT victory is just what a young team still learning how to win and looking for confidence needed. Kuzma is optimistic about the team’s future.
“Overall, this season has been the best in my three years,” said Kuzma, who played high school softball for Colts Neck High School before playing in college at Monmouth University. “The team is very young, but the girls play together very well. We have improved our defense tremendously, and we are hitting over .300 as a team. We truly play as a team, because everyone does their job in the field and at the plate.”
There is more to play for this year for the Patriots (9-14). They had a date with a very good Marlboro High School squad May 23 in the first round of the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group IV playoffs. The Patriots are seeded 12th, while Marlboro is the No. 5 seed.
This will be a good test for Freehold Township because they lost both regular-season Shore Conference A North games to the Mustangs. They’ll see how far the MCT win has taken them.
