Southern Puts It All Together to Capture First OCT Title

JACKSON TOWNSHIP — Championship teams are defined by their ability to deliver in the biggest moments, and on Wednesday night Southern received contributions from every corner of its lineup to capture the Ocean County Tournament title.

Fifth-seeded Southern pieced together timely hitting, airtight defense, and clutch pitching to defeat third-seeded Toms River East, 5-2, and secure the program’s first OCT championship.

The Rams played with poise from the opening pitch, executing in every phase against one of the Shore Conference’s top teams. Junior Brooke Sutter delivered a composed performance in the circle, Senior Kendra Perrini sparked the offense in key situations, and Southern’s defense played flawlessly behind them.

“We needed to bring the energy just like we did for Barnegat,” Southern head coach Jamie Olsen said. “We were the five seed so no one expected us to win except us. I also told them if we make mistakes, just move on and don’t get discouraged. I want them to play every inning and win every inning.”

Southern broke through in the top of the third inning after senior Emily Zellman ignited the team with a triple into the right-center field gap. Two batters later, Perrini lined a two-out single into left field to plate Zellman and give the Rams a 1-0 lead.

Zellman was a constant presence at the plate throughout the night, finishing 3-for-3 and falling just a home run shy of the cycle.

Perrini struck again in the fifth inning, ripping another RBI single to score sophomore Isabella DeSanto and extend Southern’s advantage to 2-0.

“It is really big to get hits in a heated moment,” Perrini said. “I was in my head a little bit with that one, but I think it was great, especially Em’s [Zellman’s hits] were great. She came up with some big hits and Kaedyn [Lipowski] had a great bunt and Izzy [DeSanto] running it out and beating it out. I think each hit and getting the bases when we needed to meant everything to us.”

Southern added another run on the very next pitch when Abigail Krill grounded into a fielder’s choice that brought Zellman home from third to make it 3-0.

Toms River East threatened repeatedly throughout the game and finally broke through in the bottom of the fifth inning when Cameron Carr launched a two-run inside-the-park home run over the right fielder’s head, cutting the deficit to 3-2 and injecting life into the Raiders dugout.

The Raiders continued to apply pressure moments later with a walk and a one-out single, but Southern escaped the inning with a critical defensive sequence. Sophomore Alexa DeMarco popped up on an infield fly, and confusion on the bases led to the runner from second being ruled out for stepping out of play after advancing to third, believing the inning-ending play had already occurred.

In the final inning, Southern gave themselves the insurance runs they needed.

Sutter opened the top of the seventh inning with a double to left field before Lipowski dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move sophomore courtesy runner Madison Bayer into scoring position. Bayer later scored after DeSanto reached on a two-out error, and Zellman followed with a hard-hit RBI single to center field to push the Rams’ lead back to three runs at 5-2.

“It puts the pressure on them and I knew it was a matter of time before we would start hitting,” Olsen said. “I put a couple girls in there that don’t get at-bats just to mix it up a little bit and see if they could do something.”

Southern’s defense proved just as important as its offense. The Rams committed no errors and consistently made the routine plays needed to prevent Toms River East from capitalizing on its opportunities.

Sutter’s biggest moment came in the bottom of the seventh inning after Carr led off with a double on a shallow fly ball into right field. With the threat of a potential rally looming, Sutter dug in and struck out three of the next four batters to slam the door and send Southern into celebration.

“It was kind of ride or die with her [Sutter],” Olsen said. “She made it that far, I was not going to take her out. It was her game to win or lose. I wanted her to dig deep and find it. They [Toms River East] can hit so it was definitely challenging, but I knew that it was her ball and I was not going to change it at that point. I felt she earned that.”

Southern’s championship run comes after a difficult start to the season. The Rams opened the year by losing four of their first five games before regrouping and winning eight of their next 10 contests, with both losses coming against No. 2 Donovan Catholic.

“We lost a bunch of great seniors and we needed to adjust to each other,” Sutter said. “We have such a good group of girls and once we adjusted to each other we really found our chemistry and clicked.”

One of those departed seniors was former ace Emily Evans, now pitching at The College of New Jersey. Though no longer in the dugout, her leadership continues to shape the culture of the program.

“Emily [Evans] was one of the best leaders I have ever had on any team,” Sutter said. “I looked up to her as a pitcher and she was like a big sister to me. She was always getting the girls loud. She was a great pitcher and I really try to keep that energy that she obviously left behind.”

That leadership torch has now been passed to Zellman, whose impact reaches far beyond her production on the field. A four-year starter with a .434 career batting average, 131 hits, 112 runs scored, 70 RBI, and 11 home runs, Zellman has become one of the emotional leaders of the program as well.

“She [Zellman] has a presence on the team,” Olsen said. “How she is with the younger kids and how she is as a leader. She has respect for everybody and it doesn’t matter who you are. I have had her for four years and she has been a starter for four years and never has missed a game.”

With the OCT trophy secured, Southern now turns its attention toward the Shore Conference Tournament and the South Jersey Group 4 playoffs. The Rams return to action Friday in a non-conference matchup against Ocean City.

There will be no break for Toms River East, who travels to No. 2 Donovan Catholic on Thursday.