Historic Barnegat Season Ends in Group 2 Final with Loss to Ramsey

NEWARK — The Barnegat softball program reached reached unprecedented heights this season, advancing to the NJSIAA Group 2 championship game for the first time in program history. However, the Bengals’ remarkable run came to an end Saturday with an 8-1 loss to Ramsey at Ivy Hill Park.

Ramsey set the tone immediately, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning on consecutive doubles from pitcher Brooke Donofrio and catcher Lily Kriz. With Donofrio dominating in the circle, the early lead proved more than enough, though the Rams continued to add insurance runs behind a 13-hit offensive performance.

“Brooke [Donofrio] shows up with a lot of intensity, and that’s something we didn’t really have today, I don’t think, as a group,” Barnegat coach Mike Palmieri said. “We weren’t as fired up as they were. She pitched great, and there is nothing you can do about that. Obviously, she is a good kid going Division I.”

Donofrio, a Maryland commit, controlled the game from start to finish. She struck out 16 batters and carried a perfect game into the seventh inning while also contributing at the plate with a home run in the third.

Barnegat senior Riley Schmidt prevented the perfect ending for Donofrio, blasting a 1-2 pitch over the left-field fence in the seventh inning for the Bengals’ lone run.

“That pitcher is incredible,” Schmidt said. “I know she is going to Maryland next year, but she is incredible. She almost shut us completely out. I mean hats off to her. It felt really nice, but I thought it was going to be a double. You know, I will take it. A hit is a hit.”

The home run served as a fitting final highlight for Schmidt, one of four seniors in Barnegat’s starting lineup. She finished her senior season with a career-high five home runs and concluded her career with a .375 batting average. Schmidt will continue her softball career at Quinnipiac University next season.

“We were getting no-hit, then we weren’t. We were getting shut out, then we weren’t,” Palmieri said. “It was a nice little boost. In sports, only one team gets to win its final game. So for Riley, at least, it’s a nice little memory to leave her high school career with.”

While Ramsey maintained control throughout the contest, the Rams broke the game open in the seventh inning, scoring four runs to extend their lead to 8-0. After an error opened the door, Ramsey capitalized by scoring all four runs with two outs.

Despite the loss, junior pitcher Gianna Gomez capped another outstanding season, recording six strikeouts to finish with a Shore Conference-leading 361 strikeouts. Equally impressive was her development in the circle, as she reduced her walks from 115 as a sophomore to just 32 this season.

A key part of Gomez’s success was senior catcher Jadeyn Bodziak, who provided leadership behind the plate and consistently helped guide the Bengals through pressure situations.

“I grew up with Jadeyn catching me,” Gomez said. “She always has a positive attitude and gets me out of my head when I’m struggling during a game. She reads me like a book, and she’s an amazing role model, and I couldn’t ask for someone better to be behind the plate. She’s not only a good teammate, but a great friend.”

Replacing Bodziak will be one of Barnegat’s biggest challenges next season. In addition to her defensive leadership, she delivered one of the strongest offensive seasons of her career, batting .362 with 18 RBI’s while hitting in the heart of the lineup. In the Group 2 semifinal victory over A.L. Johnson, she sparked the offense with two doubles and scored the game’s first run.

Although the Bengals fell short of a state championship, they accomplished something no previous Barnegat softball team had achieved. The Bengals finished 24-3, with their only losses coming against Southern in the Ocean County Tournament semifinals, Donovan Catholic in the Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals, and Ramsey in the Group 2 final.

“It doesn’t feel real,” Schmidt said about competing in the first state final in program history. “It feels incredible. These girls worked incredibly hard all season. They worked their butts off day and night to get us here. It’s truly incredible to be able to win a sectional title and to be in the state championship.”

The program’s rise has been years in the making. This senior class went 9-13 as freshmen and lost in the second round of the sectional tournament. The following season, the Bengals improved to 13-9 before another second-round exit. Last year, they captured a division title and won 18 games. This spring, they took the next step, finishing with 24 victories, another division championship, and the program’s first sectional title.

“We lost three games all year,” Palmieri said. “If you had told me when we started that we would be 24-3 and play in the state finals, I would have signed up right then and there. I told them that and to keep their heads up.”

Barnegat will also need to replace two senior outfielders in Eva Watts and Brianna Dato. Watts delivered one of the season’s biggest performances against Toms River East, going 2-for-3 with two RBI’s to help secure the division title. Dato finished her career with a .362 batting average and was a steady presence in center field.

“We played together for so long, and it’s just amazing that we were able to take our senior year as far as we could,” Schmidt said. “I am so glad I got to spend my senior year here with all those girls.”

Despite graduating several key players, expectations remain high for the Bengals heading into 2027. With a talented core returning and valuable experience gained from a state-final appearance, Barnegat hopes to make another run next spring.

“Next year when we show back up here, we know what to expect,” Palmieri said. “This was new for us. I had never actually been to Seton Hall before, so when we got here, we didn’t know anything. We are here, and we got that out of our system. We have a great bunch of girls returning. As much as we are losing, we have a solid lineup returning. This gives us that bit of experience for next year, not only what we’re aiming at, but how to handle it when we get there.”

While the final result was not the storybook ending Barnegat envisioned, the Bengals leave the season as the most accomplished team in program history and with a foundation firmly in place for future success.