Township girls hoping for a strong finish
BY WAYNE WITKOWSKI
Staff Writer

Brick Township’s softball team, making its first postseason appearance in many years, measured up to the challenge as it hammered Point Pleasant Borough, 10-3, in its Shore Conference Tournament opener.

Unfortunately, the Green Dragons then suffered a tough 2-1 loss to Toms River East in the quarterfinals.

The Green Dragons renewed their quest for another championship when they played at West Windsor-Plainsborough in the opening round of the NJSIAA Central Jersey tournament on Tuesday. And they needed to add a win to their 13-13 record to avert a losing season that has included many fond memories and a strong rebound from a 1-6 start.

“I’m very proud of the girls. As a coach, you can’t ask for more from a team,” said coach Mike Fletcher of his team’s effort against Toms River East.

And the Green Dragons showed resilience. After beating Point Pleasant Borough, they dropped a 7-0 verdict to Raritan and then had to come back against a Toms River East team that pummeled them twice during the season, the first time as the 10-run rule was invoked and the second time by an 11-2 score.

This time, Brick Township played perhaps its best game of the season as Elizabeth Erbig (8-8) scattered six hits and Christina Rodriguez, who is headed to Drexel in the fall, poked a run-scoring single.

“It was a really good game,” said Fletcher. “We grew up as a team since the first two times we played them. Actually, we walked away from it not happy that we competed but disappointed we didn’t win it.”

Joey Afflito, who smashed a single and moved up two bases on an error, scored on the single by Rodriguez before Toms River East pitcher Danielle Olsen retired the next 13 batters. Afflito also relayed a throw in the third inning to catcher Ciara Iasillo, who tagged out a runner at the plate. Danielle

Prozzo earlier in the inning tripled in a run. Meghan Ward slugged a run-scoring single in the fourth inning.

Brick Township threatened in the late innings. Brenda Miller beat out a bunt but was stranded at second base in the fifth inning. Rodriguez also was left at second base in the sixth after she smacked a single and stole second before Jess Wilenta and Alvarez had deep flyouts.

Rodriguez had two hits.

The Green Dragons likewise struck first against Point Pleasant Borough in the Shore Conference opener, but this time, a 5-0 lead after three innings was enough for Erbig, who scattered seven hits. Wilenta collected three hits, including a triple. Alvarez, who is tearing up the Shore with a .573 batting average and 30 stolen bases, and is leaning toward a college career at Monmouth University, lined two doubles and a single. Each player drove in a run.

After Point Pleasant Borough pulled to 5-3 in the fourth inning, Brick Township pulled away as Iasillo smashed a run-scoring double in a two-run fifth and connected for a two-run double in the seventh inning, when the Green Dragons scored three more runs.

The dramatic moments against Toms River East had carried to the following game on Saturday, a regular season 7-6 loss at home to Freehold Township, which ended the game with a well-executed relay that tagged out Afflito at the plate. Afflito, a freshman who is hitting .412 this season, drilled a one-out double and eventually tried to score on Wilenta’s fly ball.

Rodriguez, who is hitting .441 with 18 RBIs this season, delivered two runs with a single in the third inning when Brick Township scored four runs to tie it, 5-5. Freehold Township eventually pushed across the game-winner in the sixth inning off reliever Erbig, who replaced starter Caitlyn McElroy in the second inning.

But Fletcher said his team was looking to leave the last two bitter losses behind them and were approaching Tuesday’s game “just like we have the last three or four weeks: one game at a time. If we do that, we won’t commit errors.”