H.S. softball: Four South Jersey squads will chase state titles this weekend

The best weekend of the high school softball season has arrived.

The NJSIAA state championships will be contested Friday and Saturday at Ivy Hill Park on the campus of Seton Hall University.

Four teams from South Jersey will attempt to fulfill their dreams of capturing a state title.

Here’s our preview:

Group 1

Clayton (20-3) vs. Weehawken (27-3)

When: Saturday, 11:30 a.m.

How they got here: Clayton wins over Glassboro, 19-1; Pennsville, 11-1; Gloucester. 10-2, Audubon, 7-1, and New Egypt, 5-0. Weehawken wins over Warren Tech, forfeit; Becton, 2-0; Belvidere, 1-0; Cedar Grove, 2-1; Kinnelon, 4-0.

Quick hits: Being shown the door with a first-round exit in the Hammonton Invitational might have been the best thing for this ballclub since Clayton has played at another level since the April 23 loss. The Clippers ride an 11-game winning streak into the state final, outscoring their opponents 120-6. … Shortstop Brionna Berwick has thrown her visor into the Player of the Year conversation with her strong finish to the season. Over the 11-game winning streak, Berwick has at least one RBI in each contest and 25 total over the stretch. She leads Clayton with 44 RBIs.

Weehawken knows what it’s like to play in tight games, compiling an 8-2 mark in contests decided by two or fewer runs this spring. Sophomore Savanna McHale is a strikeout pitcher, racking up 226 Ks in 120 innings. A young lineup has plenty of firepower and contains four players with 40 or more hits, including freshmen Envey Duran (45 hits) and Brooke McHale (42).

What Clayton has to do to win: The defending champion has the talent, confidence and experience to grab another state title. Play mistake-free softball in the field and the Clippers will sail to another championship and should earn a pretty high seed in the final Tournament of Champions.

Group 2

Haddon Heights (21-4) vs. Pequannock (14-14)/Hanover Park (21-7) 

When: Saturday, 2 p.m.

How they got here: Haddon Heights wins over Lower Cape May, 10-0; Manchester Township, 5-1; Delran, 1-0; Cedar Creek, 8-0; Bordentown, 3-0.

* Story will be updated with the winner of Friday's Pequannock/Hanover Park game.

Quick hits: The bigger the game, the better Sophia Bordi has pitched. Five postseason starts have produced 83 strikeouts, 1 walk (intentional), 1 run on 13 hits. Against a lineup that many believe was the best nine from top-to-bottom, Bordi struck out a career-high 19 against Bordentown in the state semifinal. She has 245 strikeouts in 107 innings.

More: H.S. softball: Haddon Heights moves to state final on wild play, Bordi's dominance

More: H.S. softball: It's bombs away for Bordi as Haddon Heights captures S.J. title

Senior Gianna Iuvara has been a perfect table setter for the Garnets, leading the team with 40 hits and 32 runs scored. Make a mistake pitch to junior Maddy Clark and she’ll do major damage. She has at least one hit in all five postseason games, including a bomb in the sectional final against Cedar Creek. Bordi hits No. 2 in the lineup, but after hitting three home runs against Cedar Creek, she got the Barry Bonds treatment with four intentional walks by Bordentown. And it was the right strategy. That means more RBI opportunities for Clark (17 RBIs, sophomore Gracie Granate (23) and senior Kylee Helmetag (7).

What does Haddon Heights have to do to win: It’s a simple formula - scratch across a couple of runs and play steady defense behind Bordi. If the Garnets can do that, they will polish off their first state title since 2013.

Group 4

Egg Harbor Township (25-1) vs. Watchung Hills (23-1)

When: Saturday, 7 p.m.

How they got here: Egg Harbor Township wins over Atlantic Tech, 19-0; Toms River East, 4-0; Gloucester County Tech, 12-2; Kingsway, 7-3; and Freehold Township, 11-3.

Quick hits: EHT has rattled off 13 straight wins since its only loss back on April 27  - a 5-4 setback against Kingsway. The lineup has produced consistent results from top to bottom, but it’s the contributions from the younger players that have been eye-opening. Sophomore 3B Payton Colbert has been cleaning up in the No. 4 spot with a team-best 40 hits along with 36 RBIs. Her classmate, 1B Sienna Walterson, has a club-best 47 RBIs from the No. 3 spot. Freshman Sofia Spatocco has chipped in 24 hits and 24 RBIs, including nine in her last five games. Veterans Kayla Dollard, a senior CF, and Madison Biddle, a junior SS, remain steady showstoppers. Sophomore pitcher Madison Dollard has yielded six or fewer hits in four of her last five starts.

Watchung Hills has won seven in a row since its only loss in the Somerset County Tournament final – a 3-0 defeat by Hillsborough. The Warriors avenged the loss with a 1-0 in in the North II quarterfinal round. Watchung Hill’s pitching staff of juniors Juliana Raymond and Amanda Medina each boast ERA’s south of 0.70 and combined for over 200 strikeouts and just 72 hits in 145 innings. The offense has a speedster in sophomore Morgan Bobrowski (24 hits, 13 stolen bases) and a slugger in junior Samantha Raymond (10 extra-base hits, six homers).

More: H.S. softball: Egg Harbor Twp. captures S.J. Group 4 title with two-day victory

What Egg Harbor Twp. has to do to win: The Eagles have the ability to string together big innings, including a five-run first inning against Kingsway in the sectional final. If EHT can ambush Watchung Hills early and ride the pitching of Madison Dollard, the team will be in great position to earn its first state title since 2017.

Non-Public B

St. Joseph (19-9) vs.

Morris Catholic (22-5)

When: Friday, 4:30 p.m.

How they got here: St. Joseph wins over Wildwood Catholic, 10-0, and Gloucester Catholic 3-2. Morris Catholic wins over St. Dominic, 10-0; Lodi Immaculate, 4-2; Gill St. Bernard’s, 11-0.

Quick hits: St. Joseph’s offense can light up a scoreboard and has produced 325 runs this spring. Senior Xelynn Rodriguez has at least one hit in 26 of the Wildcats’ 28 games en route to a team-best 53 for the season. Her production goes further with 56 RBIs and 42 runs scored. Sophomore Ava Fisher will be counted on in the circle, but she’s provided a potent bat too. She has at least one hit in 27 games this season with 15 going for extra bases. Senior shortstop Katie Dainton is the sparkplug for St. Joseph. She’s hitting .446 with 41 hits and 21 stolen bases atop the lineup.

Juniors Hannah Streicher and Carly Mockenhaupt have shared the pitching chores, logging 82 and 86 innings, respectively, for Morris Catholic. Streicher hasn’t allowed a run in her last two starts, punching out 12 over 9.1 innings. Mockenhaupt has plenty of swing-and-miss stuff, enabling her to rack up 125 Ks in 86 innings. Morris Catholic’s lineup can do a little bit of everything, plenty of power with Mockenhaupt (6 homers), Gianna Foreman (5) and Kate Heslin (5) to go along with speed on the bases with Jessica Brown (14 stolen bases), Streicher (12) and Kate Fitzsimmons (11).

More: H.S. softball: St. Joseph's 'growing season' yields another title

What St. Joseph has to do to win: The Wildcats are 0-8 in state finals, including losses in each of the last two years. What will make a difference this time around? No pressure. It’s a young team that is playing with house money. St. Joseph has to limit Morris Catholic’s offensive opportunities. The Wildcats boast an offense that can score runs (11.6 per game this season), but they can’t afford to get in a shootout with Morris Catholic.

Tom McGurk is a regional sports reporter for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: H.S. softball: Four South Jersey squads will chase state titles this weekend