Aces Forsyth, Rampino top All-District team
Surprising Colts Neck squad well represented
BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

CHRIS KELLY staff Marlboro’s Kelly Nance was one of the most productive hitters in the Shore this year, earning a spot on this year’s All-District softball team.

Manalapan’s Braves and Ashley Forsyth put the Freehold District on the front pages of sports sections.

Jeannette Bruno’s Braves won a pair of championships in 2005 while going 23-5. Behind pitcher Ashley Rampino, Manalapan picked up its first division title since 1977 and very first in the A North Division. They added their first Monmouth County Tournament championship to the trophy case as well.

Forsyth was simply unbelievable in 2005. The junior was better than ever and grabbed the headlines statewide back in April when she struck out 31 batters in a 24-inning game, tying the state record for most strikeouts in a game. She lost that game 1-0, one of several heartbreakers in an otherwise sterling season.

While Manalapan and Freehold Borough, behind Forsyth, were expected to have good seasons this year, Colts Neck wasn’t. With just four wins in the last three years, the Cougars were an afterthought. But under first-year coach Chris Hoffman, the Cougars made the state playoffs and the Shore Conference Tournament (for the first time) and had signature wins over Wall and Freehold Borough. They ended the season with a school record 14 wins and an overall record of 14-13.

Forsyth and Rampino lead the News Transcript’s 2005 All-Freehold Regional District Softball Team. The infielders are Jen Bruzzi and Jill Kwiatkowski, Manalapan; Kelly Nance, Marlboro; Kat Bruno, Howell; and Alyssa Mayrose, Freehold Borough. The outfielders are Dayna Davis, Colts Neck, and Melissa Marash and April Daluise, Manalapan.

The catchers are Heather Woolford, Freehold Borough, and Erin Ross, Manalapan. The utility player is Nikki Battaglia, Freehold Township, and the designated hitter is Christie Novatin, Howell.

Or course, Forsyth and Rampino are the pitchers.

Forsyth was the dominant player in the District once again, and with any kind of hitting support would have been an easy 20-game winner. Maturing from just a thrower to a pitcher who sets batters up with a variety of pitches, she was awesome in ’05. She was 17-8 on the season with a 0.32 earned run average. She hurled 16 shutouts, threw six no-hitters — including a perfect game in the state playoffs, a typical 1-0 win over Willingboro. Forsyth pitched in seven extra-inning games, including the 24-inning marathon in Wall, and lost three of them, 1-0. She fanned 380 batters, most in the Shore, and could surpass 1,000 for her career next spring.

Forsyth didn’t do too badly with the bat, going 39-for-100 for a healthy .390 average. She was the team’s best offensive player as well. The Colonial was named to the Associated Press’ All-State Third Team.

Sophomore Rampino built on her promising freshman season by going 15-3 with a 0.62 ERA and 257 strikeouts. She was at her best in the Monmouth County Tournament final against Ocean, working out of a bases-loaded, no-outs situation with Manalapan holding a 1-0 lead. She was the tourney MVP.

As a hitter, Rampino was one of Manalapan’s leaders, batting .333 and scoring 12 runs.

Daluise was the other half of Manalapan’s rotation, going 8-2. The junior, however, was every bit as valuable in the field (outfield) and at the plate. She led the team with 16 RBIs and belted three home runs, all of them timely blasts. For the season, she batted .267 and had five doubles and one triple to go with her three round-trippers. She scored 15 runs.

As the leadoff hitter, Bruzzi is the player who ignited the Brave offense. She got things going with her speed. She batted .277, scoring 14 runs and driving in 10. As one of two seniors in the lineup, her experience and leadership were immeasurable.

Kwiatkowski is another of Manalapan’s talented sophomores who figure to keep the Braves in the hunt for championships in the future. Her defense at third base can’t be underestimated, and down the stretch in the playoffs, she made the big hits for the Braves. She batted .348 and slugged at .528 with nine of her 31 hits for extra bases, five doubles, one triple and three home runs. She had 15 RBIs and led the team with 16 runs scored.

Marash also gave the Braves senior leadership as well as good range in center field. A slap hitter with a .273 average, she was among the team’s leading scorers with 10.

Battaglia was a real bright spot for the Patriots, who struggled in ’05. She batted an even .500 (40-for-80) as she put up some of the best offensive numbers any Patriot hitter has. She had seven doubles and four triples.

Novatin has been one of the area’s best power hitters since she first stepped foot on the Howell campus. Now a junior, she continues to drive the ball. She batted .369 (24-for-65) with six doubles, one triple and two home runs. She had 13 RBIs, leading the team in that and home runs. Look for her to put up big numbers again next year.

One of the reasons for Forsyth’s success this year goes to sophomore catcher Woolford. She replaced graduated four-year star Mia Fabiano and quickly developed a rapport with her pitcher. Besides her defensive abilities, Woolford batted .374 (34-for-91).

Ross meant much of the same to the Braves, valuable for her defensive talents and her bat. The junior batted .265, but was one of the team’s most productive hitters with 11 RBIs and 10 runs scored.

Davis provided the leadership a young Cougar team required, and she was big in the offensive department for a team that scratched and clawed for every run. Davis batted .276 (21-for-76) with four doubles, a home run and nine RBIs. She scored 15 runs.

She even found the time to pick up one win on the mound.

Nance slugged an impressive .643 for the Mustangs with nine extra base hits. She batted .286 going 12-for-42, but of those 12 hits, she had two doubles, five triples (second best in the Shore) and one home run.

Mayrose, like Woolford, was one of the many sophomores the Colonials were looking to this year. She came through, rapping out 36 hits (second to Forsyth) and batting .379. The Colonials are in good shape with Woolford and Mayrose returning with Forsyth next spring.

Bruno, a junior, was solid for Howell in the field and at the plate. She was second only to Novatin offensively, batting .328 (21-for-64) and driving in nine runs. Howell will look to get back to the playoffs next year and Novatin and Bruno will be two of the keys.

Those earning honorable mention were: Nicole Wisniewski and Briana Dunbar, Colts Neck; Misti Green and Jessica Sepe, Freehold Township; Stephanie DiBenedetto, Kristina Iacovino and Beth Mueller, Howell; Sam Russo, Manalapan; and Lisa Karmel and Randi Sperling, Marlboro.