Wickham, Gomez Lead Barnegat to First-Ever State Final Appearance

CLARK — History was made Monday afternoon as Barnegat punched its ticket to the NJSIAA Group 2 State Championship for the first time in program history with a dramatic 4-2 victory over A.L. Johnson in eight innings. The win sends the Bengals to Ivy Hill Park on Friday, where they will face Ramsey at 1:15 p.m. with the program’s first state title on the line.

The Bengals had to earn every bit of the milestone victory in a tense pitchers’ duel that remained tied for six straight innings before Barnegat finally broke through in extra innings.

Barnegat struck first in the opening inning. Senior catcher Jadeyn Bodziak lined a double into left field and then scored when sophomore second baseman Brooke Rizzo reached on an error, giving the Bengals an early 1-0 lead.

A.L. Johnson answered in the second inning when junior Courtney Kilmer lifted a sacrifice fly to left field, tying the game at 1-1.

From there, the game became a battle between Barnegat junior ace Gianna Gomez and Johnson junior pitcher Cassie Conforti.

Gomez was dominant throughout the afternoon, piling up strikeouts and repeatedly escaping trouble. She recorded 13 strikeouts and allowed four hits and four walks.

Despite several scoring opportunities, neither team could break the deadlock. Barnegat stranded runners in scoring position in the third inning, while Gomez worked around baserunners in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings to keep the Crusaders off the scoreboard.

After a scoreless seventh inning sent the game into extras, the Bengals finally delivered when it mattered most.

Leading off the eighth, Rizzo singled and later came around to score on a clutch RBI single by Gomez to give Barnegat a 2-1 lead.

With momentum swinging in Barnegat’s favor, freshman Makaila Wickham stepped to the plate looking to provide some breathing room.

“I wanted to score a couple more runs, so we weren’t only up by one because that’s stressful,” Wickham said. “I had two strikes on me, so I knew I had to shorten my swing and just put the ball in play. A base hit scores another run, and I was just trying to stay positive. Even if I didn’t get the hit, I knew the girls behind me would find a way to drive in the runners. I was just trying to stay positive.”

Wickham did much more than deliver a base hit.

Facing a two-strike count, she launched a two-run home run to left-center field, extending the Bengals’ lead to 4-1 and sending the Barnegat crowd into a frenzy.

The Crusaders refused to go quietly. Sophomore Giuliana Hamm opened the bottom of the eighth with a triple and then scored on an error, cutting the deficit to 4-2, but Gomez retired the final hitter, kicking off the celebration.

History has already been made, but Barnegat believes there is still one more chapter to write.

The Bengals will take on Ramsey on Friday with a state championship on the line, and Gomez was clear about her team’s mindset.

“We’re not finished yet.”