A North softball teams have different look

Manalapan and Colts Neck should have been playing for first place on Friday. Instead, in thewildworld of what has become Shore ConferenceANorth Division softball, the teams found themselves fighting for survival.

PHOTOS BY ERIC SUCAR staff Above: Manalapan starting pitcher Deannna Daluise pitches to a Colts Neck hitter during the first inning of a game in Colts Neck on April 11. Manalapan went on to edge the Cougars 2-0. Left: Colts Neck's Nicole Wisniewski tries to make contact with a Manalapan pitch during the game. Manalapan, the three-time defending champion had already dropped two division games, and Colts Neck, which thought it would be right up there with Manalapan battling for first place, was 1-3 in the division.

The two teams brought their A games with pitching dominating. The Braves broke through with two runs in the top of the seventh to pull out a 2-0 victory that kept them breathing at 2-2 in the division and 3-2 overall.

"We're trying to pull ourselves together," said Brave head coach Jeannette Bruno.

The Braves lost several veterans from last year's teamthatwent all theway to the central Jersey Group IV title game, including pitching ace Ashley Rampino.

Bruno pointed out that in seniors Nicole Gurrieri (catcher), Danielle LaCugna (first base) andDanielle Calogera (shortstop), she was confident that the Braves were in good shape as far as senior leadership was concerned. Replacing the talented that departed was different.

"This is a year where I'm hoping chemistry can be more important," said Bruno.

Based on the team's last couple of games, the chemistry appears to be clicking in.

Pitcher Deanna Daluise has big shoes to fill, but the sophomore is giving every indication that the team has another solid ace.

"Deanna has been a pleasant surprise," said Bruno. "She's impressed me. I knew she had talent. She's making a name for herself."

Friday, Daluise spun an impressive onehitter as she hooked up with the Cougars' NicoleWisniewski in a classic pitchers'duel. She carried a no-hitter into the last of the seventh before Brianna Dunbar broke the no-hit bid up with a solid single to left. Daluise held on for the shutout and lifted her record to 3-1 overall. She had eight strikeouts.

Brianne Tanke (outfield), one of last year's hitting stars, came through with the clutch two-RBI single in the seventh.

Lauren Piccarelli andGurrieri led off the seventh with singles and Carisa Cook moved the runners up with a grounder to the right side, setting the stage for Tanke.

The Braves displayed an ability tomake in-game adjustments against one of the Shore's top hurlers. Wisniewski fanned the 10 Braves. The second time around, Bruno noted, the Braves choked up on the bat and shortened their swings.

LaCugna broke up Wisniewski's no-hitter with two outs in the sixth with a double to deep left field.

Jacqui Eadie and Jodi Berger complete the team's starting lineup with Amanda Mastrogiovanni (letter-winner last year), ElannaGordon, ChristinaD'Angelo,Angela Giarratano and Dana McGrane providing depth.

With an experienced, senior-laden team, Colts Neck was looking for a challenge for the A North crown, but its 1-4 start (2-4 overall) has forced them to re-evaluate. Coach Chris Hoffman said that the team's focus is now to qualify for the postseason.

"We're going to have to fight tomake the tournaments," he pointed out.

It's not that the Cougars have been underachieving this spring, according to Hoffman, it's beenMurphy's law.

"Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong," he remarked.

Despite the rough start, Hoffman pointed out that "we're in good spirits."

The Cougars have all the tools to turn things around. Wisniewski's four-hit, 13- strikeout performance against Manalapan is the type of game she can give the team regularly.Wisniewski,whowill continue her softball career at Franklin and Marshall College starting next year,was 19-8 in 2007.

Kate Kuzma (outfield) is one of the bestrun producers in the Shore as well as one of the best power hitters. She already has connected on three home runs.

Dunbar, Nicole Walsh, Kuzma and Nicole Kelly are one of the best top-of-thelineups in the division, and they've been productive.

Taylor Kuzma, Kassie Jordan, Sarah Leder and Samantha Payne round out the starting nine.

Dunbar (Quinnipiac), Kelly (Coastal Carolina) and Leder (Mount St.Mary's) are seniors who will also be playing in college next year. They've beenwith the varsity like Wisniewski, for four years.

The slow start will test the Cougars' resolve and Hoffman is confident that his teamwill be dangerous for the remainder of the season.

Tom Mulcahey's Marlboro Mustangs have been one of the biggest surprises thus far. They shook things up in the firstweek of the season by beating Colts Neck, 2-0, and Manalapan, 14-4.

The team's 2-2 start did not come as a complete surprise to Mulcahey.

"We have nine returning starters, seven of themseniors," he pointed out. "They got a lot of experience last year.

"Wewon six of our last 10 games and the girls got a lot of confidence," Mulcahey added. "We're still on a roll."

The reasonMarlboro's early success is no mirage is the commitment of the players, especially the seniors. "It's a good group," he said of his seniors. "They have the attitude it takes to be competitive.

"They played in the Belmar League in the summer and they played club softball," he added.

Among the seniors is four-year starter Jocelyn Bellemare. The right fielder is one of the team's offensive catalysts. She batted .348 last year with an on-base percentage of .440. Catcher Sari Rodrig is in her second year as a starter behind the plate and she brings intensity to the team. She is an outstanding defensive catcher.

Dianna DiSanto (first base), Gayle Rotmil (second), Danielle Dellaccio (shortstop) and Sam Baccalo (third base) complete the veteran infield.

Center fielder Nicole Goldman is the lone junior among the field players. She is flanked in left by Colleen Hayes and Bellemare is in right.

Without a doubt, the pitching of junior Sam Tobin has made the difference.

"She can throwa lot of pitches for strikes and her pitches have movement," noted Mulcahy. "She keeps hitters off-balance. Sam is smart, she knows what pitches to throw."

According to Mulcahey, Tobin and Rodwig have good tandem as battery mates.

What Tobin has given the Mustangs is something that has been missing, a pitcher who will keep them in the game. That is added confidence.

Marlboro's veteran experience is best utilized on defense, where the team has been solid in support of Tobin. The Mustangs make the routine plays and don't give teams multiple opportunities to score.

Offensively, Mulcahey believes his team will be productive. Rotmil and Bellemare set the table as the one and two hitters in the lineup. Dellaccio, Goldman, Baccalo and Hayes have provided the power and run production.

With eight returnees from a team that was making progress in '07, Laura Savage expected her Rebels to be competitive this spring and they certainly have been that. Pitcher Keri Hardiman has been doing work with her arm and bat. In a 5-3 win over Middletown North, she smacked a grand-slam home run that provided the winning margin.

Michelle Piscitelli, a junior infielder, is coming off a sophomore season in which she batted .343.

Sara Owen, Taylor Germaine, Kelly Mormino, Ali Appell, Gabbi Ciacciarcilli and Annie Lynch complete the team's returning letter-winners.

The team's key newcomers are Jillian Friedman, Rebecca Ornstein and Kate Stoughton.

At 2-3, the Rebels at least aren't playing catchup in mid-April.

Freehold Township served notice with its 5-4 win over Colts Neck on Carly Friedman's home run in the eighth inning.

Coach Beth English has a nice mix of veterans and underclassmen who have been very competitive this year.

Cole Callahan (shortstop who has signed with Fordham University), Lindsie Sai (outfield), Erin Cordiner (outfield) and Christina Masitti, (outfield) who are seniors, junior Alyssa Ceravolo (second base) and sophomore Brittany Sinker (catcher) are all returnees and are the nucleus of this year's squad. Callahan is batting .500 and Sai, .412.

Friedman, a sophomore, has made her presence felt already. Brooke Gagliano (third), and Brooke Witcher (pitcher) are the other sophomores in the starting lineup. Junior Arianna Barres is the DH.

Witcher has been crucial to the Pats' play. She has pitched like a No. 1 and that has allowed the Pats to be competitive in every game.

Freshman Amy Benedict is the team's No. 2 pitcher.

The Pats' inconsistency at the plate from game to game has resulted in their 1-4 start.

One area where the Pats have made up for their inconsistency has been on the base path. They've been able to build runs.

"We're very, very aggressive on the bases," said English. "We have 12 stolen bases."

The Pats, as English noted, are better than their record and the rest of the division had better take that into account.

In A North, everyone is looking at Middletown South which has managed to go through its first four division games unscathed. Everyone else has at least two losses.

Freehold Borough has nothing to do with the A North race. The Colonials are in B North where Jerry Acevedo is looking for her club to bounce-back from a sub-par '07. The Colonials learned about life after Ashley Forsyth (the state's all-time strike out queen at her graduation) last spring and it wasn't pretty. However, the Colonials were in all of their ball games and Acevedo is counting on experience helping them turn things around.

Jaclyn Kelly is back on the mound with Lauren Trolli behind the plate. The other returnees are Gabby Cozzolino (third base), Meghan Gibson (outfield), Rachel Waldorf (first base) and Kristie Lynch (shortstop).

Jen Prinke (pitcher/outfield) and Cassandra Stimpson (outfield) saw varsity action last spring.

Key newcomers include Stephanie DeNicola, Viki Ahlers, Nicole Terrigno and Elyse Umansky.

The Colonials have started the season at 2-3. Gibson has sparked the offense with her power hitting.

Freehold's pitching and defense will hold up; it's a mater of how productive the team can be with runners in scoring position.