Greyhounds Manufacture Two Runs to Pick up Title

Northern Burlington was in the right place at the right time in their quest in picking up their second sectional title. The number one seed Lady Greyhounds knew that they would have a tough time against Hamilton West starting pitcher Melissa Hodge. Northern Burlington also had an ace on the mound and Chelsey Morgan was under control striking out five batters. The Greyhounds played textbook softball moving the runners into scoring position which resulted in the only run needed in this game. Northern Burlington would pick up the Central Jersey Group 3 title by defeating Hamilton West by a 2-0 score.

These two teams met last year during the semifinals were Hamilton came out on the winning side of the game. Fast forwarding to this year, the Greyhounds went back to the basic of getting that lead off batter on base and then moving her into scoring position. Kelly Miller reached base in the third inning when she was hit by a pitch. Michele Reed sacrificed now pinch runner Shannon Penock to second base and then moved to third on a wild pitch. That’s when Jess Mouse delivered a two strike bunt into play that scored Penock on a play at the plate.

In this game, it was about doing everything they could do to win this game. During her previous at bat Stef Poedubicky suffered cut to the right side of her nose when she fouled a pitch that popped up into her face. The trainer was quickly going to work in stopping the bleeding and getting her back into the game. Poedubicky started off the sixth inning with a single and then again, the Greyhounds were able to move her around to third base. Jaimie Walton would send a fly ball deep enough to score the runner and double their score. With the victory, Northern Burlington now advances to the state semifinals.