Shore Sports Insider 2026 Week 5 Softball Top 10

Shore Sports Insider Softball Week 5 Top 10 Rankings

*Samantha Mayer contributed to this post*

 

1. St. John Vianney (12-0) Last Week 1: – After winning five games a week ago, St. John Vianney only played two games this week, beating No. 4 Marlboro and Middletown North to improve to 7-0 in the American Division and pull within one win of clinching the division title. Madison McDougall’s bat is on fire, going 7-for-8 with two home runs and eight RBI’s in two games. She hit for the cycle against Middletown North. She also pitched two shutouts, striking out 17 batters over nine innings. The Lancers have two non-conference games as they travel to Allentown on Monday and play St. Thomas Aquinas on Sunday at Seton Hall. SJV can clinch the division title on Tuesday when they host No. 6 Colts Neck before traveling to No. 5 Red Bank Catholic on Thursday.

 

2. Donovan Catholic (14-0) Last Week: 2 – Donovan Catholic had a busy weekend, playing three games and winning the South Jersey Classic. On Saturday they beat Gloucester Tech in the first-round and Kingsway in the semifinal. In the final, they handed St. Joseph (Hammonton) their second loss of the season with a 7-6 win. Junior Isabella Cino belted her fifth home run of the season for the Griffins. Earlier in the week, the Griffins defeated Jackson and Pinelands to improve to 8-0 in the Freedom Division and guarantee themselves a share of the division title. A win on Monday against Point Boro will secure Donovan the outright division title. Donovan follows that up with a division game at home against Southern on Wednesday and on Friday they host No. 3 Marlboro in a non-divisional game. Marlboro ended the Griffins Shore Conference Tournament run last season. Donovan plays Morris Catholic on Sunday at Branch Brook Park in Newark.

 

3. Marlboro (9-3) Last Week: 4 – Marlboro keeps creeping up the rankings, moving from sixth up to third over the last two weeks. After falling to Colts Neck and Middletown South the first time through the division, the Mustangs beat Colts Neck and Middletown South the second time around. Marlboro followed that by handing Sayreville their first loss of the season, 6-2. The Mustangs ended the week with a big-time win over Immaculate Heart on Sunday. The Mustangs scored four runs in the top of the 7th inning to beat the 14th-ranked team in New Jersey. Senior Emily Gaudio continues to roll on the mound for Marlboro, striking out nine batters against Middletown South and eight against IHA. She has a 1.03 ERA on the season in 68 innings pitched. Marlboro continues to battle the best teams in the state with two division games to start the week. They are away on Tuesday against No. 5 Red Bank Catholic and home Thursday against Middletown North. On Friday, the Mustangs travel to No. 2 Donovan Catholic in a non-divisional game. Marlboro ended Donovan’s chances in the Shore Conference Tournament last year with a 9-7 win in 10 innings.

 

4. Middletown South (8-4) Last Week: 3 – The Eagles started the week with their second straight walk-off win, scoring three runs in the bottom of the 7th to tie the game and winning it in the 8th against RBC. Junior Nora Sarcone, the hero from Saturday, started the rally on Monday with a solo home run in the 7th and scored the game-winner in the 8th. Middletown South fell to Marlboro 4-1 and Raritan 8-2 to end the week. Ace Riley Smith only allowed one earned run against Marlboro and did not get the start against Raritan. The Eagles conclude their division games with a home game against Middletown North on Tuesday and a road game against No. 6 Colts Neck on Thursday. The Eagles face St. Mary (Rutherford) on Saturday in a non-conference game.

 

5. Red Bank Catholic (7-4) Last Week: 5 – RBC started the week with a loss to No. 3 Middletown South after holding a 4-1 lead going into the 7th inning. The Caseys rebounded with a division win over No. 6 Colts Neck and a non-conference win against Randolph in the Black and Gold Invitational. Junior Grace Grimaldi crushed a 2-run home run in the bottom of the 5th for the Caseys in a 2-1 victory. MacKenna Savage struck out 14 batters to raise her total to 143 on the season. RBC hosts No. 3 Marlboro on Tuesday and No. 1 St. John Vianney on Thursday to finish their division schedule. RBC plays two non-conference games on the weekend. They play Steinert on Saturday and Immaculate Heart on Sunday.

 

6. Colts Neck (5-7) Last Week: 6 – After a slow start to the season, Colts Neck is starting to roll, winning three out of its last four games. Monday, they beat Middletown North 3-0 for the second time this season, but followed that with their only loss in that span to RBC. The Cougars ended the week with a 9-3 win over No. 9 Raritan and a 5-3 win over Ramapo in extra innings at the Black and Gold Invitational. Senior Julia Watkins hit a 2-out single to score Angela Sasso and Jillian Heyser in the 8th inning. Sasso looks to be back to full strength, striking out 12 batters on Sunday and 10 against Middletown North. Colts Neck travels to No. 1 St. John Vianney on Tuesday and hosts No. 4 Middletown South on Thursday to finish their division schedule. Friday, they host Southern in a non-divisional game.

 

7. Barnegat (12-0) Last Week: 7 – Barnegat remains one of three teams to still be undefeated in the Shore Conference after winning two division games against New Egypt and Toms River South last week. The Bengals will look to finish undefeated in the Independence Division this week, traveling to Point Beach on Monday and hosting Brick Memorial on Wednesday. Barnegat squeaked by the Mustangs in the first game, winning 1-0 in the 8th inning. Junior Gianna Gomez had her second game of the season with 20 or more strikeouts to increase her total to 172 on the season, which puts her at the top of the leader board in New Jersey. Barnegat travels to Central on Thursday in a non-divisional game and ends the week on Saturday, hosting Southern in the Ocean County Tournament Semifinal.

 

8. Holmdel (9-1) Last Week: 8 – Holmdel’s undefeated season came to an end last week with a division loss to Howell. Howell scored five runs in the 4th inning to win 5-4 and tighten the division race between Holmdel, Raritan, and Matawan. Holmdel owns the head-to-head against Raritan after beating them on Monday for the second time this season. Senior Emma Vanario was 8-for-11 with a home run and 10 RBI’s in three games last week. Holmdel hosts Colonia on Monday in a non-conference game. The Hornets can clinch a division title on Tuesday as they host Matawan. They follow that on the road against Freehold Township on Thursday to finish their division games.

 

9. Raritan (9-4) Last Week: 9 – Raritan split their four games this week and are one game behind Holmdel in the Independence Division but lost to the Hornets for the second time on Monday. The Rockets rebounded with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Freehold Township, taking advantage of an error. Raritan ended the week splitting against two ranked opponents in the American Division. The Rockets fell to No. 6 Colts Neck on Friday, 9-3, and defeated No. 3 Middletown South on Saturday, 8-2. Junior Holly Bellofatto hit a home run and drove in four runs in the game. Junior Payton Fleming won two games during the week on the mound for Raritan. Raritan travels to Monmouth on Monday in a non-divisional game to start the week. The Rockets end the week with two games against division opponents. They travel to Howell on Tuesday and host Wall on Thursday.

 

10. Toms River East (8-2) Last Week: 10 – The Raiders continue to roll in the Independence Division, defeating Toms River South and Brick Memorial to improve to 6-2 in the division. East shut out both teams, 10-0. Freshman Brianna DeLima has become a strong second option for the Raiders behind Kylie Paladino. DeLima struck out 14 batters against the Mustangs, her second double-digit strikeout performance of the season. TRE wraps up division play with games on the road against New Egypt on Monday and Point Beach on Wednesday. On Thursday, the Raiders travel to Jackson to play in the Ocean County Tournament semifinal. East ends their busy week on the road against Pinelands on Friday.

 

Bubble:

Middletown North

Southern

Freehold Boro