Wolverines fall to sharp pitcher in South Jersey Group I softball quarterfinals in Wildermuth’s final game
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I SOFTBALL PLAYOFFS
Tuesday’s quarterfinals
(1) Audubon 15, (8) Paulsboro 0
(4) Pennsville 9, (5) Maple Shade 8
(3) Haddon Twp. 3, (6) Woodstown 1
(2) Buena 6, (10) Gateway 4
Thursday’s semifinals
Pennsville at Audubon
Haddon Twp. at Buena
Saturday’s game
Championship game at higher seed
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WESTMONT – Dave Wildermuth made it a point to hug every player in Woodstown’s post-game huddle. He saved the longest hug and kindest words for senior shortstop Tulana Mingin.
The best three-year run in Woodstown softball history and a longtime teaching and coaching tenure came to a mutual close Tuesday when Haddon Twp. scored two unearned runs in the sixth inning and ushered the Wolverines out of the South Jersey Group I softball quarterfinals, 3-1.
The Hawks broke a 1-1 tie on Mikayla Callahan’s two-run single. They will now travel to second-seeded Buena for one of Thursday’s semifinals.
Earlier this year Wildermuth announced his retirement from teaching and coaching effective at the end of the school year. He didn’t want to talk about any farewell tour while the season played out or even at the start of the playoffs, but coming up just short in a hard-fought game brought a sense of reality to the situation. If you listened real close, you could hear him getting emotional during his post-game interview.
Wildermuth coached Woodstown softball for the last three seasons, to a combined record of 49-20 and three straight division titles. He had never missed the playoffs and reached the South Jersey Group I semifinals each of his previous two years. Mingin was among his most decorated players, setting the program’s all-time hits record this season (137) and going out as a .523 career hitter.
“I just told the seniors I’ve coached a lot of different sports at Woodstown, all different levels, the last three years coaching softball – and I’ve only coached three years – has been the ride of my life with these girls,” he said. “Probably the greatest era of girls softball in Woodstown High School history and they’ve been a big part of it.
“It was unbelievable. The girls from day one took to me, everybody got in line and we just had three great seasons.”
The players felt the same way about their coach.
“It actually hurt me a lot (that today was the end) because I’m just so grateful he came in and stepped in to coach us,” second baseman Kayla Brown said. “He’s the best coach I could ask for. It’s just tough to see him leave, but I’m glad I got to experience my high school career with him.”
“I’m going to miss him – a lot,” Mingin said. “I’m going to miss high school softball a lot, so it meant a lot to me.”
The Wolverines made the first move to keep it going by striking first against Hawks pitcher Jordan Strauss, but the run they scored in the first inning was their only one of the game.
Mingin helped create it when she drew a leadoff walk, advanced to second on Ellie Wygand’s infield out and scored on Brown’s two-out single up the middle. It was the 117th run of Mingin’s career.
“I felt pretty confident with (Strauss),” Brown said. “I was fouling off a lot of pitches, so I felt like hitting the ball was something I could do. I knew I had to make an adjustment because I kept fouling the ball off and I made the adjustment perfectly and it got through the gap and Tulana scored. It was a really exciting moment.”
The Hawks got the run back in the bottom of the inning when Strauss tripled into the right field corner and scored on an infield ground out.
Strauss and Woodstown pitchers Liv Boultinghouse and Grace White went head-to-head in the circle. Strauss held the Wolverines to two hits and struck out 13. Boultinghouse pitched the first four and gave up only two hits after the first.
The Hawks broke the tie against White in the sixth. White got the first two batters out, but the Hawks kept the inning alive when Jamie Kozarski reached on a low throw to first from Mingin and went all the way to second.
“It was a slow roller and a slow roller in the gap like that the throw is going to be a little rushed, so I threw it a little low,” Mingin said.
The Wolverines still had a chance to get out of the inning with no damage, but Abby Lyons followed with a bunt single to move Kozarski along and she kept moving to second. Callahan then delivered her two-run single to center.
The Hawks continued to load the bases but the inning ended when Strauss was out for interference for plowing through Mingin on a grounder to short.
Strauss put the Wolverines down in order in the seventh to close out the game.
“We ran into a really good pitcher today, so give them credit,” Wildermuth said. “I told (his players) at practice the other day at this point everybody’s a good team (and) it’s going to come down to the team that makes the less mistakes or gets that one key hit.
“That’s what happened today. We had the one defensive play that kept the inning alive and then they capitalized with a hit. That was the difference in the game.”
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