Having finished the 2021 regular season with a lofty 24-7 overall record, who can blame the No. 1 seed Roadrunner Softball Team for owning a supreme sense of confidence entering this weekend's NJCAA Region XIX Championship Tournament on their home field?
The Runners, coached by veteran skipper Steve DePasquale, enter as top seed in the double elimination tourney and will host No. 4 Camden County College in a 10:00 am contest. The winner will meet the winner of No. 2 Middlesex vs. No. 3 RCSJ Cumberland in a 4 pm game. The championship game(s) will be held on Saturday, May 15, starting at 1:00 pm.
Click Here for tournament home page
https://rcroadrunners.com/information/RegionSoft2021
"Camden County College has a competitive team, and we expect a battle in our first round game," said DePasquale. "Everyone plays at a high level in the playoffs, and hopefully everything falls into place for us."
The Runners own a 4-0 record this spring vs. the Cougars and have a combined 9-1 record against both Middlesex and Cumberland, the other two tourney participants.
DePasquale has just three sophomores on his roster -- catcher Macenzie Long, centerfielder Olivia Farina and pitcher Mackenzie Ponto -- but his squad is loaded with talent.
From her leadoff spot, Long has hit a sizzling .612 in 27 games with 7 home runs, 34 RBIs and 23 stolen bases. She is clearly one of the top hitters nationally in NJCAA Division III competition, and will play a huge role in this weekend's outcomes.
"I'm excited to start the playoffs -- we really have a great chance to win Region XIX this year," said Long. "it's all up to us."
Freshman Lacey Abrego, a former Middle Township standout, enjoyed a successful spring with an 11-2 record and 3.76 ERA in 15 appearances. Teammate Tori London. also a Middle Township alum, proved reliable and steady with a .395 batting average and 31 RBIs.
"This has been a great experience," noted London. "We have a lot of confidence in areas of our game -- pitching, hitting and defense -- and we're ready for anyone."
The Roadrunners are No. 3 in the current Division III National rankings and are expected to emerge out of the Region XIX tournament. Winner of Region XIX advances to and will host the North Atlantic District Championship May 20-22. North Atlantic District Champion receives an automatic bid to the NJCAA Division III National Championship!
