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South, Central Jersey sectional final softball roundup

The Ocean City High School softball team won the program’s first sectional title in 37 years with a 4-2 victory over Clearview in the South Jersey Group 3 championship on Thursday.

The Red Raiders (23-6) will play in Monday’s state semifinal round against Central Jersey champion Steinert.

Brooke Douglas had two hits, two RBIs and tossed three shutout innings in relief for the save for top-seeded Ocean City. Douglas struck out eight batters while starter Jessica Mooney recorded nine Ks over her four innings of work.

Sophomore Leah Catto had three hits, raising her single-season total to a program-record 53. She also scored twice.

After Clearview tied the game in the fourth, Ocean City pushed a pair of runs across in the fifth with four straight knocks by Catto, Mooney, Douglas and Alex Rothman.

Clearview knotted the score at 2-2 when Ava D’Alessandro slugged a two-run homer in the fourth.

South Jersey Group 4

Kingsway 3, Cherokee 1 (8 innings): Freshman Sydney Schiavone blasted a two-run homer in the eighth inning, powering the Dragons to their third sectional title in the last four years.

South Jersey Group 2

Barnegat 2, Gloucester 1: The top-seeded and defending state champion Lions had their season come to a close as they couldn’t overcome an early two-run deficit at home.

Gloucester mustered just four singles and one walk against Barnegat starter Gianna Gomez.

Jenai Murphy had two of the knocks and the Lions’ only RBI, scoring Alyssa Frame in the fourth inning.

Gloucester starter Emma Dick fanned a career-high 16 batters, her seventh double-digit strikeout game in her last 10 starts. She allowed two runs, both in the third inning.

Gloucester finished its season at 21-3.

South Jersey Group 1

Pennsville 10, Woodstown 0: The top five hitters in Pennsville’s lineup had a hit, run scored and RBI as the Eagles shared the offensive wealth en route to the program’s first sectional title since 2008.

Pennsville (18-7) will host Central Jersey champion Bound Brook in Monday’s state semifinal.

Kylie Harris, Avery Watson and Makenzie Widener, the Nos. 3-4-5 hitters, went a combined 5-for-9 with four doubles, five runs scored and four RBIs. Lily Edwards and Graillyn Weber also contributed a hit, run scored and RBI to the attack.

It was plenty of offense for Weber, who spun six shutout innings. She allowed three hits, struck out four and didn’t walk a batter.

Central Jersey Group 1

Bound Brook 4, Florence 3 (10 innings): The Flashes pushed across a run in the eighth and another in the tenth, but saw their season come to a close when it surrendered a pair of runs in the bottom of the 10^th in the championship game.

Florence finished its season at 15-6.

Bound Brook’s Rachael Gurczeski delivered the game-winning hit, a walk-off RBI single in the 10^th inning. She also tied the game with a sacrifice fly in the eighth.

Tom McGurk is a regional sports editor for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 35 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him by email at tmcgurk@usatodayco.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: South, Central Jersey sectional final softball roundup

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