CLARK, NJ- The Johnson varsity softball team will face off on the road at Bordentown HS in the NJSIAA Central, Group 2 Semifinals Thursday afternoon at 4:00 p.m., a game featuring two programs who have talented players and a lot of good storylines over the past month.
Chris Di Nucci leads Johnson in his first season, while Hillary Allen is in her fourth season at the helm of the Bordentown softball team. Johnson defeated Raritan HS on the road on Tuesday by a final score of 4-3 in the NJSIAA Central, Group 2 Quarterfinals, while Bordentown took out Voorhees HS 6-0 Monday afternoon.
The two teams met in last year’s NJSIAA Central, Group 2 Semifinals, with Johnson winning by a final score of 4-2.
The Crusaders battled back from early adversity against Raritan, after they got a home run in the first inning. Junior Mackenzie Purcell hit a two-run double to give Johnson a 2-1 lead. Senior Gianna Randazza crushed a solo home run that helped put her team ahead 4-1 in the top of the fifth inning.
Despite two more runs from Raritan in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Crusaders held on and closed out the game to secure the win.
Johnson got eight hits on the four runs in the win, while Raritan got seven hits on the three runs.
A team like Bordentown is one loaded with a lot of power and great players, including ace pitcher Debra Jones. It’s going to be a game where a lot of superstars will provide major competition for the Crusaders. This is the fourth trip to the NJSIAA Central, Group 2 Semifinals for Johnson.
Johnson comes into the game with a 19-9 record, while Bordentown comes into the game with a 13-6 record.
Johnson wins IF: First, the offense comes through and capitalizes on scoring opportunities. That’s what they did in the win over Raritan HS. Trailing 1-0, they cashed in with Mackenzie Purcell’s two-run home run. Gianna Randazza got the right pitch to hit that would help give her team the insurance they would need.
Second, the defense will need to make the plays and get the necessary outs needed to get through the innings and pick up Gianna Randazza whenever they may run into tough parts of the game. Bordentown will capitalize on scoring opportunities, so errors cannot be made, especially in a big game like this.
Third, timely hitting will be a theme for Johnson. In last year’s NJSIAA Central, Group 2 Semifinals game, they jumped on timely hitting and took the lead when they needed to score runs. It paid off for them in the victory at Raritan HS and will need to be done to give themselves a chance to play a great game tomorrow afternoon.
Projected Lineup:
1. Shannon Brogan- SS (Senior)
2. Lauren Donah- LF (Junior)
3. Gianna Randazza- P (Senior)
4. Nicole Cassano- RF (Junior)
5. Victoria Zatko- C (Sophomore)
6. Megan Tinger- 1B (Freshman)
7. Mackenzie Purcell- 2B (Junior)
8. Jenna Addie- DP (Sophomore)
9. Jen Tinger- 3B (Junior)
Chris Di Nucci is in his first season as the Johnson softball head coach and his assistant coaches are Laura Bundy (JV head coach), Andrea Ascolese and Amanda Merten, a 2015 Johnson graduate.
