Brookdale Captures NJCAA Region XIX DIII Softball Title

Middlesex, NJ – Ranked No.1 nationally in NJCAA DIII softball, the Jersey Blues (55-3) took another step in their season-long quest for a national championship, by defeating defending Region XIX Champion Gloucester, 5-2 Sunday to advance to national tournament, May 16-18 in Rochester, Minnesota.  

Ace Samantha Hosey, voted the tournament's MVP, won her 27^th game of the season in a gutsy performance where she admittedly did not have her best stuff. "I've been a little off lately, but my defense; It's ridiculous how well they play behind me. I love these girls; I wouldn't change it for the world."

"Our pitchers are kind of hurting," head coach Bo Scannapieco said. "Sam's knee is bothering her, same thing with Carly (Gleason), we're struggling with that. Sam got stronger in the later innings and when we scored the extra runs, it gave her some breathing room. That was the third time she faced Gloucester this season, It's hard to face a team like that three times. She pitched well; she struck out nine batters."

Hosey (Keansburg HS) tossed a complete game (7 IP) allowing 4hits, 1 earned run, walked one and struck out nine. Her nine strikeouts give her 241 on the year and a 9.94 K/G average. She holds a 0.70 earned run average and has walked only 28 batters in 169.2 innings pitched.

"This was such a big win for the team," Hosey said. "I wanted it for the sophomores, they lost to Gloucester in the finals last year so this win meant a lot to them and they deserved it. They worked hard for this; we all worked hard for this and we all deserve it. Gloucester (42-13) wanted this game as bad as we did; they were tough and put up a good fight."

Brookdale got on the board in the bottom of the first after leadoff batter Courtney Paone (Middletown North HS) drew a walk and second baseman Keara Homan (Manasquan HS) laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move Paone over to second. Sophomore catcher Kathleen Sharp (Toms River East) then lined a shot up the middle for the game's first run.

"You got to do whatever you got to do, to get the team going," Sharp said. "It just happened to be me today, but it could've been any of the other nine girls. It's a full team effort; it wasn't just me on that run."

"Sharps first inning RBI was important for us," Scannapieco said. "If you get ahead of them it negates their running game and that's what they like to do, it's hard to gamble when you're behind."

Sharp has been a team leader on and off the field for the past two years. "The win doesn't even feel like it's real," Sharp said. "All I can say is that these past two years have been something I couldn't have even dreamed of. The best decision I ever made was to come to Brookdale; Bo runs a great program."

This is Scannapieco's 16^th Region XIX championship in his 27^th year as head coach at Brookdale. "Having such good teams the last two years and losing makes you appreciate just how tough it is to get there." Scannapieco said. "It really feels good for our second year players because they've built an opportunity to play for a national championship."

Gloucester tied the game in the top of the second, but the Blues responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning. Brianna Davidson (Monroe HS) doubled off the center field wall with one out and scored on Bobbie Boehler's line drive double into the gap in right center.

Brookdale went up by two in the bottom of the third after Homan singled and moved to second on an error. Molly Carroll (Keyport) then lined a single up the middle for a 3-1 lead.

Gloucester came right back with a gift run in the top of the fourth when the home plate umpire ruled a ball hit down the third base line fair, that was obviously at least two feet foul. An error on a throw to third two plays later allowed the base runner to score, pulling Gloucester to within one.

The Blues tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth. Sharp singled and was sacrificed to second on Allie Muratore's (Middletown South) bunt. Carroll's line single to center put runners at the corner, before Sharp was called out on a close play at the plate, on a grounder to shortstop by Angie Hauser (Brick Twp.). That advanced the runners to second and third and Brianna Davidson ripped an RBI single to center for a two-run cushion.

Hosey held the Roadrunners at bay in the top of the sixth and the Blues added another run in the bottom of the inning. Cassidy Brzozowski (Howell HS) led off with a single, was sacrificed to second by Paone and moved to third on an error on the throw. Brzozowski then scored on a sacrifice fly by Homan to make it a three-run game, 5-2.

Gloucester stranded a runner at first in the top of the seventh as Hosey closed out the game by inducing a week grounder to Boehler for the final out of the game.

"This is only the first step," Scannappieco said. "I try to tell the kids to get away from the records, get away from how many games we won; it's zero and zero now. We're starting a new season, it's a four game season for us now." 

"We won one game basically," Sharp said. "It's been a great season but this is the first real victory, we have one left and that's the most important one."