OCEAN CITY — The Ocean City High School girls softball team has a 2-4 record so far this season, but the numbers show a substantial improvement from last year.
Unlike the prior season when the team was blown out by top opponents, the Red Raiders are keeping things much closer.
On April 12, the girls lost to St. Joseph of Hammonton 4-1. On April 8, during the Ron Vinick Tournament in Millville, the girls opened with a 17-0 win over Lower Cape May Regional, then lost 4-2 to Paul VI and 2-1 to Cedar Creek. The girls opened the season with a 13-1 win over Buena, the first time they beat the school since 2014, then fell 2-0 to Haddon Heights.
With a pair of true pitchers this year in freshmen Jess Mooney and Brooke Douglas, the Red Raiders are not letting other teams run up the score on them.
“You’ve definitely hit the nail on the head on that,” coach Carrie Merritt said when asked about the run differentials so far this season. “I am abundantly pleased. The teams we are playing also are some of the best in South Jersey.
“Haddon Heights is ranked No. 2, St. Joe’s is ranked, Cedar Creek is always a powerhouse, so I’m very pleased with where we are,” she said. “These were games we were getting 20-run-ruled last year.”
Games are called early when one team leads by 20 runs after the fifth inning.
Still, the coach knows they have to rack up more wins soon.
“I think these (games) have really challenged us and tested us early season, especially with two young kids on the mound,” Merritt said, noting “it shows that we can definitely contend.”
“I’m going to be honest and tell you we need a couple of W’s under our belt soon just (for) confidence. We need to get our bats alive a little bit. We’ve been facing really great pitching, so to hang with these great pitchers — some kids that are getting ranked and recruited — is super positive, but now we’re ready to win,” Merritt said.
The coach cited senior Macky Segich for her work so far this season.
“She has found a way to get on base every game. It doesn’t matter if it’s a pitcher throwing 66 miles an hour, she’s finding a way to get on base. And when she gets on base she makes things happen with her speed, so I’m really happy to have that. She is in my No. 2 spot. She’s looking strong.”
Merritt also pointed out Mooney, who pitched all three games in the Millville tournament in one day because Douglas was out of town.
“She had to pitch every game. She threw three games and really took on a load and put her whole self out there for the team and, again, kept us in those games,” Merritt said.
“Those are my two standouts right now. Overall the team is coming together in terms of bonding and confidence in each other. I think staying with these teams is going to really allow us to have a successful next run through our division, which I’m happy is getting started this week.”
Against St. Joseph, in a Parkinson’s Awareness game, Mooney struck out six in four innings of work and Douglas struck out four over three innings.
Douglas accounted for the team’s only score with a home run. Segich also had a hit in the game.
“We call it Play for Parkinson’s,” Merritt said about the game in which all the girls wore black T-shirts with “Marna” on the back. “That is a cause that I’ve been raising money for personally for many years because my mom suffers from Parkinson’s.”
Her mother’s name is Marilyn Merritt “but everyone in town knows her as Marna from her time volunteering in my classroom and being at sporting events and community events.”
Merritt said she used to raise money through triathlon racing and now she switched to a community fundraiser.
“Not only does it honor my mom, but all the people suffering with Parkinson’s. Part of my job as a coach is not to just have good players, but also make kids aware that there are other issues and other things going on in the world and that is our little contribution,” she said.
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
