Freehold Township softball is back in limelight
Patriots win Monmouth County Tournament championship
BY TIM MORRIS Staff Writer
This is the time of the season that all softball teams have worked for, the playoffs. Only winning teams need apply here as teams seek the ultimate goal, a championship.

PHOTOS BY JEFF GRANIT staff Above: Freehold Township's Cole Callahan drove in the winning run against Toms River South in extra innings on May 15 during the first round of the Shore Conference Tournament in Freehold Township. The Patriots won, 3-2, in extra innings. Below: Brittany Sinker of Freehold Township is congratulated by teammates after hitting a home run.

No one can appreciate themeaning of the postseason playoffsmore than the seniors at Freehold Township. They persevered through somemost difficult times in the program's history in their four years to see it all merge this spring with their first appearance in the state playoffs. The Patriots (12- 8) won the Monmouth County Tournament (MCT) Blue Division championship on May 10, beating Manasquan, 4-0. It was the school's first softball title since 2003 when someone namedMegan Hennessy was tossing no-hitters and shutouts for the Pats.

Since then the program fell on hard times, and for seniors like shortstop Cole Callahan (2-4 in the final) and outfielder Lindsie Sai (2-4) that title was the fulfillment of four years of sheer fortitude in the face of adversity.

"It's definitely awesome," Callahan said of the championship. "We've seen the program at its worse and it's rewarding to see all of our hard work pay off. It's exciting."

Head coach Beth English, for one, is happy that her seniorswill get to experience postseason play.

"It's nice that they have a title," she said. "Theyworked hard and they stayedwith it."

The Patriots, though, plan on beingmore than just a participant. They've won 10 of their last 13 games including Thursday's 3- 2 win over Toms River South in the first round of the Shore Conference Tournament.

"Alot of people counted us out," saidEnglish. "We opened 2-5, but had a lot of extrainning losses.We were playing well, I knew our luck had to turn around.

"Everything is coming together at the right time," she added.

English has a team that is playing well in every facet, just ask the TomsRiver South Indians who fell to the Patriots in a wellplayed 10-inning marathon. Callahan's bases-loaded single in the bottomof the 10th was the game-winner in Freehold Township.

Pitcher Brooke Witcher hurled 10 solid innings with help from outstanding catches from all three outfielders - Christina Masitti in left, Sai in center and Erin Cordiner in right.

In the ninth, a relay from Masitti to Callahan to catcher Brooke Sinker nailed the potential winning run at the plate. It was a flawless relay.

Sinker had accounted for Freehold Township's first run on a solo home run to left center field.

The game was tied 1-1 through nine innings and went to the international rules (runner on second base to start the inning). The Indians were able to push a run across the plate in the 10th to grab a 2-1 lead.

In its half of the 10th, Township loaded the bases on a walk and infield hit by Cordiner.

Facing a two-strike count,Callahan,who bats left-handed, laced a grounder just inside the third-base bag bringing home two runs and sending the Patriots to the next round.

"We don't have a hole in the lineup,"English pointed out. "We've been averaging 10 hits a game. This is something special."

Callahan, who this year has broken Patriot career records for doubles, triples, walks and on-base and slugging percentages, is batting .477 at the top of the lineup and has a .689 on-base percentage.Although she hasmore power than your usual leadoff hitter, she is also the team's best base runner. Awalk is as good as a double, and pitchers know that. Callahan, always a good percentage hitter, said that batting leadoff has made her a more selective hitter. She knows awalk is as good as a hit for the team.

Sai bats behind Callahanwhere she is in an RBI position. She has set a Patriot school record for doubles in a season (12) and is batting .417.

Sophomore Witcher (7-7) has been the team's No. 1 starter. She tossed a three-hitter in theMCT final and has proved she can handle varsity lineups.

While this season has yet to be played out, rather than being a seen as culmination, it is the beginning of the return of the program to respectability. A peek at the roster reveals six underclassman starters. Brooke Gagliano, Sinker,Witcher and Friedman are all sophomores.

"We have a group of sophomoreswho are terrific," noted English.

Thanks to the work done by Callahan, Sai and the other seniors, the Patriot underclassmen won't have to suffer through the trying seasons that they did. The bar has been raised.

"Losing is not going to be an option," said Callahan of the Patriots of the future.

Manalapan (12-8) and Colts Neck (15-9) are the other area teams that havemade the state playoffs. Last year's sectional runnerupManalapan, played Hillsborough yesterday while Colts Neck played at Rancocas Valley.

Both teams were also in the SCT and, like Freehold Township, won their openinground games.

Deanna Daluise and Brianne Tanke smacked home runs inManalapan's 4-0 win over Jackson Liberty. Daluise went all the way on a four-hitter, winning her 12th game.

Colts Neck took out Point Pleasant Borough, 3-2, in extra innings. The Cougars pushed across an unearned run in the top of the ninth towin.KateKuzma (whowas 3-4) singled to start it off and eventually came around on a throwing area.

Nicole Kelly's two-run home run in the second accounted for the Cougars' other runs.

Pitcher Nicole Wisniewski won her 12th game on a seven-hitter.