OCEAN CITY — On the most beautiful day for a softball game so far amid this windy, rainy and chilly spring season, the Ocean City High School girls let a big lead slip away then came up with seventh-inning heroics to get the victory.
Against Rancocas Valley on April 22, the Red Raider girls blasted out of the gate with five runs in the first inning and held an 8-1 lead through the bottom of the third, courtesy of some big hits, including a three-run homer by senior Carlee Hiddeman.
And then there was the top of the fourth.
Rancocas Valley scored six runs that went unanswered through the fifth inning.
With the visitors trailing 8-7 but on the move, junior Brooke Douglas gave her Red Raiders, including coach Carrie Merritt, a bit of relief when she smacked a solo homer over the left field fence.
“We needed that,” Merritt said.
Up by two runs in the top of the sixth, things were looking good until big hits by Rancocas Valley, combined with errors in the infield and outfield, allowed two runs to score, tying the game 9-9.
Cue junior Kiley McCorristin, who hadn’t been to bat all day.
With two strikes against her, she hit a shot to center field past the outfielder. McCorristin raced all the way to third base.
Up next was freshman Briar McNair, who already had two singles under her belt in the game. She took the pitch and sent it safely into the outfield, sending McCorristin home and the Red Raider dugout into a celebration.
“Talk about a big pinch hitter coming in,” Merritt said. “Coming in and doing a job like that for us and then a freshman getting the walk-off? Not a bad day.”
She said McCorristin had been catching on the JV team.
“We called her up and she came in, stepped up and made a huge hit for us,” the coach said.
The bit of disarray in the middle of the game has mirrored the season so far.
The Red Raider girls won five straight games to start the season, then lost four of the next five, including to Delaware Military Academy, Paul VI, Vineland and St. Joseph of Hammonton, before rebounding with wins over Cedar Creek and Rancocas Valley to improve to 8-4 on the season after the 10-9 win over Rancocas Valley.
“We started out the season strong, both offensively and defensively, then we hit a little chunk of time where we’ve been making some mistakes and hitting the panic button a little bit,” Merritt said. “I’m not going to say I didn’t worry about that at some points today, but the kids kept it together and really showed poise and maturity and fight today.”
She talked with the opposing coach after the game to say Rancocas Valley came to Ocean City on its first nice-weather game day.
Douglas also had a double in the game to give her three RBI to match Hiddeman. Senior Taylor Vaugh had a single, walked twice and scored two runs. Junior Jessica Mooney, freshman Leah Catto and senior Annabelle Shumski had the other singles in the game.
Mooney and Douglas split the innings down the middle on the mound.
According to the stats through the Rancocas game, Catto, the freshman, is the hits leader for the Red Raiders this season with 24 — 18 singles, five doubles and a triple. She scored the second-most runs, 16, coming in only behind Vaugh, who had 19. The steely nerved senior has only 10 hits on the season, but her resolve at the plate has earned a team-leading 17 walks.
Merritt said Vaugh is showing her poise at the plate and putting the team first. She is on a path to get 100 career hits, but she’s not swinging away to pad the stat, instead focusing on getting on base to help the team. (With those 19 runs, she is helping the team quite a bit.)
“I think that says a lot about her as a player, as a leader, as a captain,” Merritt said.
As for the freshman, the coach said Gatto is “quite an addition” and has helped solidify the lineup offensively and defensively.
Douglas is the RBI leader with 22 on 22 hits through Rancocas Valley — 15 singles, four doubles and three home runs. Fellow pitcher Mooney is next on the RBI list with 15, courtesy of 16 hits including 12 singles, two doubles and two home runs.
The duo sport similar ERAs, with Mooney at 3.10 and Douglas at 3.30. Douglas has walked more runners, 29-8, compared to Mooney, but also has more strikeouts, 77-43.
“We’ve definitely used both of them more in every game this season, more than we ever have,” Merritt said of Mooney and Douglas, who have been splitting pitching duties for the Red Raiders since they were freshmen.
“I would call them a true duo that pretty much makes an appearance in every game we have and they just balance each other out so well, Brooke with a little more speed, Jessica with a little more spin,” the coach said. “And they’ve gotten into a nice rhythm, knowing that they’re going to share some time.”
Mooney also showed her sharp reflexes against Rancocas Valley; a batter took one of her pitches and slammed a line drive right at her, but Mooney gloved it, surprising her teammates and herself.
Since the Red Raiders moved up to a tougher division this season, they “face great teams every day and these great teams have great hitters,” so having a mix of pitchers and looks has been important, Merritt said.
“I think it says a lot about both of them that they’re willing to share innings and take the time to really capitalize when they’re in there, but then trust (their) reliever.”
The coach gave special praise to Hiddeman for the “massive” home run and taking over at shortstop, a position she hadn’t played before. She also singled out Shumski, another senior captain who is sharing time at first and third.
“She’s just one of those kids that wherever we tell her to go, she’s like, ‘Yep, I’m here for it.’” Merritt pointed out she is hitting well, getting a lot of deep balls, but unfortunately going right to the outfielders.
“I keep saying to her, ‘A.B., they’re bound to fall. Just keep doing what you’re doing,” the coach said.
Merritt noted she has a special bond with her seniors because she took over the program when they were freshmen.
“I’m really trying just to give them the best experience and give some young kids the opportunity to learn from them and then make their mark,” she said.
Ocean City was 17-10 last year (11-2 Cape-Atlantic League), 20-9 in the 2023 season (11-1 CAL), and 5-15 in 2022 (5-8 CAL).
Two more games
during spring break
Ocean City beat Absegami 14-3 on April 24 and then fell to division leader Vineland 7-2 on Saturday. In the Vineland game, Shumski started to connect as her coach predicted, hitting three singles.
Although the girls just scored two runs, they only trailed the Fighting Clan in hits 9-8.
The Absegami game April 24 ended after five innings courtesy of the 10-run rule. It was Absegami’s only second loss of the season; the Braves dropped to 6-2.
Leah Catto had two doubles and four RBI, Douglas had a double and single, Alex Rothman and Mooney each hit a double. Vaugh scored three runs and Sydney Catto scored one run.
The Red Raiders are now 9-5 on the season.
The girls were at Egg Harbor Township on Tuesday, after the Sentinel went to press. The Red Raiders host Millville at 4 p.m. Thursday then are at Birch Grove Park in Northfield against the Mainland Mustangs at 6 p.m. Saturday before another home game at 4 p.m. Monday, May 5, against Saint Joseph Academy.
– STORY and PHOTOS by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
