Sports Shorts

The Monroe Thunder U12 girls travel softball team captured its first-ever tournament championship this past weekend, at the Jackson Renegades fastpitch tournament.

In Saturday action, Monroe took on the Howell Heat in game one and came away with a 13-2 victory. Brittany Scott pitched a three-hitter with nine strikeouts and helped her own cause by going three-for-three with two RBIs. Jenny Garavente, Adrianna Lamhing and Brianna Malvone each had two hits and added an RBI apiece. Caitlin Silk had a two-run double in the third inning.

In game two, Monroe suffered its only loss of the weekend to the host Jackson Renegades, 6-3. In a game that featured the Thunder’s second triple-play of the year, Jenna Giaquinto was the hard-luck loser as Monroe’s offense went silent. They managed only five hits, one of them Giaquinto’s two-run triple in the third inning. Trailing 5-0 in the second inning, Jackson loaded the bases with a triple and two walks. Monroe’s shortstop, Megan Mascali, snared a line drive hit up the middle, stepped on second and threw to first to complete the triple play.

In game three on Saturday, Monroe defeated the Monmouth Maniacs 8-5. With a 5-0 lead in the second inning, Scott was forced to leave the game with a cut to her middle finger on her pitching hand. Caitlin Silk took over in relief and held on to pick up the victory. Garavente, Silk, Scott, and Morgan Widener had two hits apiece, and Widener picked up four RBIs.

In Sunday’s first-round action, the Thunder, seeded fourth, took on seventh-seeded Morgan Magic and came away with a 12-2 victory. Malvone went three-for-three at the plate with two RBIs, and Erica Beyer, Mascali, Silk, Widener, Lamhing and Scott all had two hits. Scott got the complete game victory, allowing three hits while striking out eight.

In the semifinal round, the Thunder stunned the top-seeded Jersey Diamond Girls from Belleville, 13-4. With Monroe’s best hitter, Courtney Baron, being held virtually silent all weekend to this point, she came up big when her team needed her most. She was three-for-four at the plate with a double and four RBIs. Mascali, Garavente and Malvone all added three hits of there own. Brittany Scott was two-for-three and pitched seven strong innings with 11 Ks for the win.

In the championship game, Monroe faced the No. 3 seed Bordentown Bandits. Monroe took a 2-1 lead into the seventh inning courtesy of two RBI singles off the bat of Caitlin Silk. The Bandits battled back to tie the game with two outs and the winning run on third, with the help of two Monroe throwing errors. Scott struck out the next batter to end the threat and send the game into extra innings. With the international tie-breaker starting off the eighth (runner on second with no outs) Monroe’s manager Sandy Mascali gambled with her hottest hitter at the plate, Brianna Malvone — 15-for-20 (.800) five runs scored and six RBIs for the tourney. Instead of bunting the go-ahead run to third, Malvone singled through the right side to plate the only run they would need. Monroe went on to score five more times in the frame to take a demanding 8-2 lead. Scott pitched a 1-2-3 eighth to secure the championship.

“I’m so proud of my girls.” Mascali said. “When we made those critical throwing errors, nobody panicked. We shook them off and got back to work. This was a total team effort; I’m so happy for them”

The Thunder’s next tournament will be played on Memorial Day Weekend.

The East Brunswick Hurricanes U11 Boys Travel Basketball team will be holding an open gym on Friday’s starting June 4 and running through the summer at the St. Mary’s Gym in South River. The open gym is for only East Brunswick residents who are entering the sixth and seventh grade. Anyone currently playing for another East Brunswick travel team is not eligible. Contact Eric Veit at (732) 432-8442 for all details.