PHOTOS: Middle edged by Heights in softball playoff

Posted: May 28th 2024

Middle Township shortstop Dakota Laughlin fields a throw near second base.

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

CapeAtlanticLive.com

CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE – You got the feeling almost from the time the first pitch was delivered that one run might win Tuesday’s South Jersey Group II playoff quarterfinal, considering the kind of pitching talent being displayed by both teams.

That’s exactly how the contest played out. Unfortunately for Middle Township, Haddon Heights was the team that scratched out that all-important run.

Jordyn D’Amelio’s ground-rule double with two outs in the top of the sixth inning chased home teammate Eden Hart from second base and led to the Garnet posting a 1-0 victory to move on in the tournament.

“I 100 percent believed this was going to be a pitcher’s duel here today,” Middle coach Walt Cubernot said. “There was no doubt in my mind it was going to come down to that.”

Both pitchers were impressive. Haddon Heights’s Gracie Granate gave up just two hits, struck out 14 and conceded only one walk. Middle’s Gabby Cruz allowed only three hits, struck out 13 and permitted just three walks.

“I know with Gabby out there, she can compete with anybody in the state,” Cubernot said. “She showed that throughout the season and she showed it again today.”

Two terrific defensive plays in the sixth inning allowed fifth-seeded Haddon Heights to keep No. 4 Middle from tying the contest. Middle’s Emma Messer led off the inning by ripping one of the hardest-hit balls of the game toward right-center field. But Haddon Heights second baseman Kayla Kellog made a terrific diving play to knock the ball down, before scrambling to her feet and throwing Messer out at first by a step. Later in the frame, with a runner on first base, Middle’s Tori Atwood blasted a shot to deep right-center, only to see the Haddon Heights right fielder flag it down about 15 feet in front of the fence.

“That’s the nature of this game. Sometimes you’re going to hit it to the right spots, sometimes the defense is in the right spots and they’re there to catch it,” Cubernot said. “They were at the right spots at the right times. We hit some balls hard but we couldn’t find the holes. It’s a heartbreaker.”

The loss ended a very successful season for Middle. In addition to earning a top-four seed for the state playoffs and winning a first-round game, Middle also finished the season as co-champions of the Cape-Atlantic National Conference and earned a first-round victory in the CAL Tournament.

The team also vastly improved over the past two seasons, going from 9-15 in 2022 to 13-11 in 2023 to 17-9 this spring.

“This season was phenomenal,” Cubernot said. “To bring the program around from what it was a couple years ago, to be co-champions of our division and to have an all-star pitcher like Gabby, this team has accomplished so much. It’s phenomenal to see the growth of this team. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

Middle will lose only three full-time starters to graduation – Cruz, Messer and Lily Vogel. Some of the team’s more talented players are just freshmen and sophomores.

“We have a lot of young talent, a lot of freshmen and sophomores that were able to get on the field and play a lot this year,” Cubernot said. “If they keep working as hard as they already do, they can be successful for many years to come. If they can put it all together, they can accomplish a lot and keep moving this program forward.”