Clark, Woodstown blank Palmyra to reach first berth in South Jersey Group 1 softball final since 1979
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PALMYRA — The last time the Woodstown softball team played in a sectional final, none of their current players were even born. Probably not a lot of their parents either. Heck, it’d be another five years before Wolverines coach Rob Hildebrand even entered the game of the life.
The seventh-seeded Wolverines earned their first trip to the sectional finals since 1979 Tuesday when they shut out Palmyra behind record-setting Leah Clark 5-0 for their 10th straight win.
They will travel to fifth-seeded county rival Pennsville (17-7) Thursday for the 3 p.m. South Jersey Group 1 title. The winner is expected to host the state semifinals.
“A long time, a long time,” Hildebrand said. “(Girls soccer coach) Kieran Keyser came and supported us and he was like ‘ok, since 1979,’ and then he texted me back and said ‘holy crap, we’re getting old, that’s 47 years ago!’ It doesn’t sound like that long ago for us old people, but it really is. Almost 50 years ago.
“We have a banner in the gym. The first year my wife coached and my father-in-law helped her, he would always motivate the girls in the gym with look at that banner and see that first year 1979 and get our names on the banner for the division. Using that as motivation is kind of how they did it. I think it sinks in (with the current team). They do talk about it. I think they really want to leave a mark on it; we aren’t done yet, really you’re going to be kind of forgotten about unless you win this South Jersey championship.”
The Wolverines (19-8) had to work for their bit of history. They were being no-hit by Palmyra left-hander Jasmine Martinez for four innings, but came to life in the fifth.
They loaded the bases on a one-out walk to Gracie Hitchner and singles by Karly Spears and Macie Moore. The Panthers got the second out at the plate, but Ellie Wygand broke the scoreless tie with a two-run bases-loaded bouncer past a diving shortstop.
Wygand had two hits in the game, setting the Woodstown single-season hits record, which she said “came to me as a complete surprise.” The senior outfielder now has 44 hits this season, breaking Tulana Mingin’s 2022 record of 43. She went over 100 career hits two weeks ago.
“After the first four innings we were starting to get a little frustrated because we absolutely knew we could hit her and when that top of the fifth inning reached I knew something had to be done to get us on top,” Wygand said. “My hit wasn’t the best hit, but it got the job done and put us on the board and that’s all that matters.”
The Wolverines scored three runs in the seventh inning with two outs to put it out of reach. Talia Guardascione had an RBI double and Clark and Maddie LaPalomento had run-scoring singles.
“We weren’t hitting at all in the beginning of the game, but these girls just never give up,“ Hildebrand said. “They have quality at-bats. Even if they struck out they’re quality at-bats. They see so many pitches that by the time we get to that third time up at bat they start hitting these girls. I think it’s not a coincidence when it happens over and over again. It kind of felt like it was to be due.
“When you know you have your MVP up it’s going to come through more times than not – and she did.”
Clark, meanwhile, was virtually unhittable in the circle. She spun a two-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts to record her 17th win of the season, setting the Woodstown single-season record. She had a one-hitter through 5 2/3 innings. In three playoff games this spring she has allowed just 12 hits, three earned runs and struck out 31.
“It’s ice in the veins, it really is,” Hildebrand said. “I don’t know how she can be that way, but things don’t get to her. Whenever she has adversity to face she digs down deeper, becomes a bulldog and pushes through. She’s had so many times shes had bases loaded with one out, no out, and she gets out of it without any damage. Just time in and time out she just knows when to beat down. She just never ceases to amaze me.
“Two years ago when I took this job over I got told by countless people you’re going to suck (that year) because you have no pitching; she’s not a varsity style pitcher, you’re not going to win. I don’t know whether that’s true or not, I hadn’t seen these girls yet. Obviously she proved that wrong last year and for as good as she was last year she’s only been better (this year).”
Clark said she got a big jolt of confidence when she struck out Martinez in the first inning with one out and a runner on second. The Panthers put two go-ahead runners in scoring position in the fourth with one out and two tying runners in scoring position in the sixth with two outs and Clark got out of both jams to keep the shutout alive.
“I feel like during the playoffs I’ve really picked up the pace in the circle and thrown better than during the regular season,” he said. “I think it’s partially because the stakes are so high and the energy is up, but also partially because I’m just not ready for my last high school season to be over yet.”
| Woodstown | 000 | 020 | 3- | 5 | 10 | 2 |
| Palmyra | 000 | 000 | 0- | 0 | 2 | 2 |
GROUP 1 SECTIONAL FINALS
Thursday’s games
(Records, power points in parenthesis)
SOUTH: No. 7 Woodstown (19-8, 21.259) at No. 5 Pennsville (17-7, 22.191)
CENTRAL: No. 8 Florence (15-5, 18.83) at No. 7 Bound Brook (14-12 21.005)
NORTH I: No. 4 Indian Hills (19-8, 28.094) at No. 2 Midland Park (25-3, 32.675)
NORTH II: No. 4 Dayton (16-12, 22.889) at No. 3 Whippany Park (19-7, 26.917)
Power points to determine host team in state semifinals
Riverview Sports News 