Softball: Hillsborough uses team effort to top Hunterdon Central in North 2 Group 4 final

RARITAN TOWNSHIP – When you have, perhaps, the most dominant pitcher in state history toiling for you in the circle, it might be easy for a team to kick back and let its ace do the work, especially when she’s averaging over two strikeouts per inning and doesn’t need much in terms of run support – or defense – to help her team win.

For the Hillsborough High School softball team, Saturday’s sectional-championship-winning triumph was a great example of how even the best, sometimes, needs a little help from her friends.

Senior ace Sarah Davenport was plenty dominant Saturday, allowing just a run on three hits, walking three and striking out 12. But with the right-hander not quite at the very top of her game, battling through deep count after deep count all afternoon, and having more runners on and more balls put in play against her than she’s used to, the rest of the Raiders were front and center, doing their job, and helping Boro claim its second sectional crown in three seasons.

Davenport was still great in the circle, but certainly not unhittable. But after getting two runs to work with in the top of the first, before she even left the dugout, with her teammates continuing to come up with big hit after big hit all day, and with the defense getting it done to near perfection, the result was a 7-1 statement victory at Hunterdon Central, giving the Raiders the NJSIAA North 2 Group 4 championship

It started in the top of the first inning against Hunterdon Central sophomore righty Emily Van Cleef, who, along with Watchung Hills superstar Juliana Raymond, is one of only two pitchers to beat Hillsborough this year. Van Cleef struck out the game’s first hitter, but then the Raiders’ clutch bats went to work. Claire Murphy walked, and after a stolen base and a strikeout, Grace Brouillard delivered an RBI single on the first pitch she saw. Kayla Chess followed, lashing an RBI single to right field to make it 2-0, giving Davenport an early lead, as well – as it turned out — all the run support she’d need Saturday.

“Obviously, it’s relaxing – to the whole team – knowing there’s that cushion behind us and that if they score once we still have the lead,” Davenport said. “But it doesn’t change how I approach each batter. They’re all very, very good hitters and can all make contact at any time, so I really have to focus on each batter no matter what the score is. But it is nice to have a cushion.”

More: Bernards softball flips the script, beats Ridgefield Park for sectional title

The cushion was put to good use. Van Cleef retired the side in order in the second, and side-stepped a leadoff walk and a sacrifice bunt in the third. The Red Devils finally got to Davenport in the bottom of the inning, as senior No. 9 hitter Cora Gilio launched a leadoff home run to left field to cut her team’s deficit to 2-1.

Van Cleef set Boro down in order again in the fourth, but the Raiders came up with some big hits again in the fifth, tallying twice, getting an RBI grounder from Murphy, and an RBI single from Claire Marcinek to make it 4-1.

Hunterdon Central’s best chance to get back in the game came in the bottom of the fifth inning, before the Hillsborough defense turned in its biggest play of the game to thwart the threat.

Gilio reached on a one-out walk, and stole second. After a bunt attempt was grabbed on the fly by Chess at third base, Gilio moved to third on a wild pitch, before Emily Walsh walked. That borough up graduate and four-year starter Samantha DelHoyo, who ripped a drive toward the left-field corner. But Murphy, who had come up just sort of catching a liner that curved foul earlier in the inning, was equal to the task this time, making a beautiful running catch coming toward the line to retain her team’s three-run advantage.

“It’s been that way all year,” Hillsborough coach Cheryl Iaione said. “Everybody thinks it’s just Sarah, because she strikes so many people out, but teams have made us play defense by bunting and we’ve been big with that. And the outfield, in the few chances they get, they’ve been big. (Assistant coach) Lil (Torres) does a great job with the outfield, and Murph has gotten better every year, and she just got a great jump on that ball. That could have been a game-changer. And when you change the momentum, who knows.”

“They’re a very good hitting team, and we knew that coming in, so we really focused on fielding and staying calm while you’re fielding,” Davenport said of Central, one of only two teams (along with Watchung Hills) to score more than a run against Hillsborough this season. “So, I had lot of trust in my defense, no matter what the count was or what batter was up. That catch by Murph was amazing, and it saved us. It’s about having trust in each other, and I think we do that very, very well.”

Hillsborough added on in the sixth, effectively putting the game away, getting an RBI hit from Kaitlyn LaMotta, and, after Central made a pitching change, bases-loaded walks by Marcinek and Chess provided the final margin.

In all, Hillsborough collected seven hits and eight walks and were 6-for-13 with runners in scoring position. All but one Hillsborough batters reached base at least once, with the seven hits coming from seven different players.

“They executed the game plan perfectly,” Iaione said. “We talked all week about shortening up, putting the ball in play and how everybody had a job to do and it wasn’t going to be one person. And the kids did a really good job of buying into that.”

Van Cleef took the loss, allowing seven runs — six earned — on seven hits and four walks, striking out 10 in 5 1/3 innings. Sophomore Cassandra Stallwood went 2-for-3 for the Red Devils, with a great snag of a line drive in foul territory by Chess, the only time the Hunterdon Central designated hitter was retired.

More: Softball roundup: Results, analysis, links for Skyland, GMC and area Union County

What it means

Hillsborough wins its second sectional crown in three seasons, the program’s fourth sectional title in its history, and its first as a North 2 squad, after its previous crowns in Central Group 4. The Raiders also improved to 25-2, putting them a win away from matching the 2014 team for winningest season in program history. That team went 26-2 and made the state Group 4 final.

The win also gives Hillsborough a win in the season series against its Skyland Conference Delaware Division rival. Boro beat Central 2-1 in the teams’ first meeting of the year, before the Red Devils returned the favor by the same score the second time they played – the Raiders’ only regular-season loss.

Hunterdon Central fell to 23-6, falling in the sectional final for the third straight season, with two of those setbacks coming to Hillsborough on the Red Devils’ home field.

They said it

“They were not going to be denied today, and I’m really proud of this team.” – Hillsborough coach Cheryl Iaione

“When we lost counties, we knew we wanted to come out here, especially, in states and be able to win and show that we got this. So, it really did fuel the fire and lit something in us even more. And it showed us we’re not invincible and we have to go out there with 100 percent every game no matter who we play. And I think we did that today. We knew we were going to face really good competition, and Emily (Van Cleef) is an amazing pitcher, so we knew we had to have lots of energy and attack, because they’re the kind of team that will turn it back on you if you don’t.” – Hillsborough ace Sarah Davenport

What’s next

Hillsborough will play host to North 1 champ Columbia at 4 p.m. Tuesday in the state Group 4 semifinals, seeking its third trip to the state finals and first title. The Raiders fell to North Hunterdon in the 2014 state championship game, before dropping an extra-inning decision to Livingston in 2021, losing on an error in the eighth, after taking a 2-0 lead into the sixth inning.

Staff writer Simeon Pincus has been covering NJ sports since 1997, and has been on the softball beat since 1999. He can be reached at CourierSoftball@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @SimeonPincus

The Hillsborough high school softball team celebrates their win over Hunterdon Central high school in the North II Group IV Sectional Final on Saturday, June 3 afternoon at the field at Hunterdon Central High School in Flemington.

Hillsborough’s Lilly McDonough (5) slides into home base for a point against Hunterdon Central on Saturday, June 3 afternoon at the field at Hunterdon Central High School in Flemington.

Hunterdon Central’s Brielle Staskavage (15) pitches the ball against Hillsborough on Saturday, June 3 afternoon at the field at Hunterdon Central High School in Flemington.

A Hunterdon Central player takes third base against Hillsborough on Saturday, June 3 afternoon at the field at Hunterdon Central High School in Flemington.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ Softball: Hillsborough uses team effort to top Hunterdon Central