SSI Softball Week 1 Top 10 Rankings

Week 1 Top 10

 

1. St. John Vianney (3-0) Last Week: 1 – SJV starts the season going 3-0 with a win against No. 6 Colts Neck and Morris Catholic, who is ranked No. 10 in New Jersey according to NJ.com. Madison McDougall has only allowed two earned runs in three starts and struck out 40 batters. Senior Elisabeth Figliolino has started the season strong, batting .417 and has two home runs. The Lancers tough schedule continues with a home game against No. 4 Middletown North and they play Immaculate Heart in the LaRezza Invitational on Saturday.

 

2. Donovan Catholic (4-0) Last Week: 2 – After a 2-0 win against No. 9 Southern, Donovan Catholic’s bats came to life, scoring 40 runs in the next three games. The Griffins defeated division rival Toms River East 12-2 and ended the week with a 10-0 victory against St. Anthony’s (NY) in the Catholic Challenge. Seven different players have hit a home run this season for Donovan with Olivia Kurth and Christina Ginex starting the season batting over .600. Donovan Catholic travels to No. 5 Point Boro on Monday in a Class A South battle and plays Cedar Grove on Sunday. 

 

3. Red Bank Catholic (2-1) Last Week: 3 – The Caseys started the season with two Class A North wins. They defeated No. 4 Middletown North 6-2 and Freehold Township 9-2. RBC fell to Immaculate Heart, who is ranked No. 9 in New Jersey according to NJ.com, 3-2. Junior transfer Jayden Kane has two home runs to start the season for RBC. RBC travels to No. 7 Marlboro on Tuesday and hosts No. 6 Colts Neck on Thursday in two Class A North match-ups. On Saturday, RBC plays Steinert in a non-conference game.

 

4. Middletown North (3-1) Last Week: 5 – After losing their season opener against No. 3 Red Bank Catholic, Middletown North won their next three games with two of those wins against ranked opponents. The Lions defeated No. 4 Marlboro in a back and forth game 5-4 and followed that with a win against No. 6 Point Boro  2-1. Seton Hall commit Madilynn Boyce has racked up 62 strikeouts to start the season and came within one pitch of throwing a no-hitter against Point Boro. Adrianna Lisotto has been clutch at the plate, driving in four runs to lead Middletown North. Middletown North travels to No. 1 St. John Vianney on Tuesday and hosts Freehold Township on Wednesday in Class A North match-ups. On Thursday, the Lions host No. 9 Southern and on Saturday they host Mount St. Dominic, who is ranked No. 2 in New Jersey according to NJ.com. 

5. Point Boro (4-1) Last Week: 6 – Point Boro is two steps closer to repeating as the Ocean County Champions after defeating Brick Township in the opening round and Toms River East in the second round on Saturday. The Panthers started the season with wins against Manalapan and Central, but lost to No. 4 Middletown North. Dakota Palmieri has started the season strong on the mound and at the plate. She is batting .429 with 10 RBIs and has 34 strikeouts on the mound. Point Boro hosts No. 2 Donovan Catholic on Monday and travels to Jackson Memorial on Wednesday in two pivotal Class A South match-ups. 

 

6. Colts Neck (1-1) Last Week: 7 – Colts Neck opened the season defeating No. 4 Marlboro in extra innings. The Cougars took advantage of Marlboro’s mistakes to win the Class A North match-up. Colts Neck ended the week with a defeat against No. 1 St. John Vianney at home. Angela Sasso and Gabriella Bryce have started the season hot at the plate, both having four hits in two games. Colts Neck hosts No. 8 Middletown South on Monday and Freehold Township on Tuesday. Thursday they travel to No. 3 Red Bank Catholic for a divisional game and end the week traveling to Wall on Saturday. 

 

7. Marlboro  (1-2) Last Week: 4 – Marlboro started the season off with a win over No. 9 Southern, but lost two Class A North games to No. 6 Colts Neck and now No. 4 Middletown North. The Mustangs started the season inconsistent in the field, which has affected their outcomes. Junior Emily Gaudio has started the season allowing only three earned runs and has struck out 31 batters in her first three games of the season. Marlboro hosts No. 3 Red Bank Catholic on Tuesday in a Class A North battle and hosts Monroe in a non-conference game on Friday. 

 

8. Middletown South (2-0) Last Week: 10 – Middletown South picked up two wins in Class B North to start the season. They had a shutout victory over Monmouth and defeated Matawan to close the week. Sophomore Riley Smith continues where she left off last season, striking out 33 batters in two games. The Eagles have a busy week, starting with an away game against No. 6 Colts Neck on Monday and host Raritan on Tuesday in a divisional game. Middletown South ends the week on the road against Holmdel on Thursday and hosts Shore and Freehold Township to close out the week. 

 

9. Southern (2-3) Last Week: 9 – Southern started the season up and down, losing their home opener 6-2 against No. 4 Marlboro. They followed that by going 1-1 in Class A South with a win over previously ranked Jackson Memorial in a back and forth battle and then lost to Donovan Catholic 2-0. The shorthanded Rams won their first round game in the Ocean County Tournament against Lacey 20-10, but lost in the second round to New Egypt 6-3. Southern hosts Toms River East on Wednesday in a Class A South game. The Rams end the week with two non-divisional games, first they travel to No. 4 Middletown North on Friday and home on Saturday against Manasquan. 

 

10.Pinelands (6-0) Last Week: Not Ranked – Pinelands had a busy opening week and started the season 6-0. On Saturday they defeated Brick Memorial in the opening round of the Ocean County Tournament and then defeated Central in the quarterfinal round to advance into the semifinal round where they will play top seed Point Boro. The Wildcats won their first two Class B South games of the season against Manasquan and New Egypt. Elianna Meola has struck out 41 batters to start the season and reached the 300 strikeout milestone on Saturday. Pinelands plays two Class B South games on the road next week, Howell on Monday and Wall on Wednesday.  

 

Bubble: Jackson Memorial, Raritan, New Egypt