Central Regional Middle School Softball Team Takes Second in Division

The Central Regional Middle School softball team’s ride through the Ocean County Intermediate Athletic League’s 2011 season started strong, but it was a bit of a bumpy finish for the Golden Eagles.

Led by the eighth-grade battery of pitcher Stephanie Pepper and catcher Sam Farreau, and with strong contributions from third baseman Brittany Buehrer and shortstop Tyanna Ouellette, also both eighth-graders, Central earned the second seed in the Ocean County Tournament and a bye into the semifinals.

Central opened the season displaying its hitting ability, with a five-inning 17-0 victory over Barnegat. There, the Eagles displayed their ability to hit early, with both Pepper and Farreau hitting home runs.

Next came the only blemish of the divisional games, an 8-5 loss to Point Pleasant Boro in a game that was tied going into the seventh inning and could have gone either way.

A victory over Lacey started the Eagles on a roll of six straight wins, including a 2-1 victory over Pinelands Regional in a game called in the bottom of the sixth inning due to the rain.

Pepper controlled the game on the mound during the string of wins, racking up 79 strikeouts during the stretch. She finished with 105 strikeouts for the season.

At the plate, batting third behind second baseman Kate Diou and first baseman Jaime Corrigan, both seventh-graders, Pepper often helped her own cause, getting key hits when Central needed a boost. Buehrer and Ouellette provided solid defense in their positions, as well as timely hits during the run.

The rematch of Pinelands on May 23, however, with a shot at the Blue Division title on the line, was a tough task. The first time the teams squared off, Central was able to scratch out some hits.

The second time around, the Golden Eagles couldn’t find their stride and fell 11-0. The split with Pinelands  gave Point Boro the division title. The next day they faced Lake Riviera Middle School in the semifinals of the OCT. In contrast to the hard-throwing Pinelands pitcher the day before, the LRMS pitcher was slow and deliberate, and her style kept the Eagles off-balance in a 4-2 loss that ended the season.

Also contributing to the Golden Eagles’ season were eighth-graders Jackie Bobinski, Adrianna DeJesus, Kayla Fountaine, Tristyn Rivera, and seventh-graders Victoria Britton, Emily Bush, Sabrina DeCamp, Angelica DeNoia, Kristina Falletta, Emma Reich, Kelly Rogawki, Jessica Ward and NaCyla Wiley. Madison Simons kept the book for the Golden Eagles, and Kate Pepper, Stephanie Pepper's older sister and a former Central Regional pitcher herself, was a volunteer coach with the team.