High School Softball:
Cumberland Ends Edgewoods Run At Group 3 Championship
Friday, June 1, 2001
By Crystal Parker
SJSports Staff Writer
The seventh seeded Edgewood Eagles entered the South Jersey Group 3 softball playoffs with an uphill battle. Knowing they needed to win two tough games, the Lady Eagles would climb that hill and reach the finals against the number one seeded Cumberland Colts. Both teams traveled to Eastern High School in search of the Group 3 championship, but Cumberland scored three runs in the bottom to the third inning to pull away and defeat Edgewood 6-3. The Lady Colts now will advance to the state semifinals against Middletown South on Tuesday at Middlesex County College.
Edgewood, behind their ace pitcher Alexis Switenko, got to this game by defeating second ranked Central and third ranked Northern Burlington. The junior pitcher has been keeping the opposition off the scoreboard allowing the Lady Eagles to reach their objective. Every sport at Edgewood are determined to capture their final championship before the school changes its name to Winslow Township High School. Cumberland rolled past eighth ranked Bridgeton and fourth ranked Clearview before capturing the South Jersey Group 3 championship.
Cumberland jumped out first with a first inning run off of starting pitcher Switenko. But the Lady Eagles picked up two runs in the top of the second to go ahead by one. After both teams went scoreless after their half of the inning, Cumberland plated three runs in the bottom of the third. Starting pitcher Becky Johnson's single capped the inning and the Colts were leading 4-2. That single was even more impressive because Johnson stayed in the game after being hit by a line drive up the middle in the second inning.
Johnson was able to survive Edgewood's fifth inning rally to capture the title. The Lady Eagles had their chances with a few more key hits, but the ride was over for the. Johnson paced the Colts with 10 strikeouts and gave coach Judy McCullough the victory.
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