Middletown South Advances In SCT Behind Blarr, McMahon Heroics

Photo above: The two stars of Friday's game, Blarr and McMahon

MIDDLETOWN – Maddie McMahon picked up her 21st win of the season and shortstop Julia Blarr drilled a key two-run double in the decisive three-run sixth while also making a number of sparkling plays at short to lead the fourth-seeded Eagles to a 5-1 win over No.13 seed Raritan. With the win, Middletown South advances to next week’s Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinal round.

The Siena College-bound McMahon (21-3) surrendered one run on three hits and struck out 11 Raritan batters while walking only one. At the plate, she went 2-for-3 with a leadoff double in the fourth that led to the Eagles first run of the game and a 1-0 lead.

“We’re nowhere near where we are right now; we’re a .500 team without Maddie,” long-time Middletown South head coach Tom Erbig said. “Maybe not even that. We have a nice offense but we’re not explosive, so without Maddie we’re not here. She’s everything a team could want in a pitcher.”

In the bottom of the sixth and still a tight game, Blarr - a Dayton University commit - broke out of a mini-slump lacing a two-run double down the third-base line that rolled all the way to the fence in the right-field corner. Her double pushed the Eagles lead to 5-1 and gave McMahon a comfortable four-run cushion to work with entering the seventh after Raritan made it a one-run game in the top of the inning.

“I’ve been really struggling hitting wise,” Blarr said. “Lately I’ve just really been struggling to get the ball just on the ground; I’ve been hitting a lot of pop-ups so I’ve been trying to keep it on the ground. Luckily that brought the pop-ups down to a line drive; I just wanted to do something for my team. That hit meant a lot to me. As a senior you really want to something memorable throughout the post-season. I needed that personally and for the team.

“Raritan’s a really hard team that has no quit. I just knew we had to get some more runs and she (Coppolino) was throwing a lot of first-pitch strikes so I was looking for a first-pitch strike; I love first-pitch strikes.”

“Julia was in a little slump but still batting in the high .400’s,” Erbig said. “But again, and we saw it again today, I don’t think there’s anyone else around I’d rather have up at the plate in a big situation. She’s determined to do it, she’s going to get the bat on the ball, but when it comes down to it she’s clutch when you really need that hit.”

Blarr not only came up big at the plate but twice took base hits away from Raritan batters. In the top of the second, she made a back-handed stab on a play in the hole, turned and rifled the throw to first just nipping the runner for the out. Then in the fifth, she made a fantastic diving catch of a scorching line-drive to take away a sure hit off the bat of Clare Dejoy for the final out of the inning.

“She’s (Blarr) played a real solid defense for us all year,” Erbig said. “But she stepped it up a notch today; she really stepped it up today and I’m happy.”

Sophie Wilson led off the sixth with her third single of the day before Jordyn DellaValle was hit by a pitch attempting to bunt placing runners at first-and-second with no outs. Sophomore left fielder Jill Martin then laid down a perfect bunt in front of the circle that Raritan pitcher Nicole Coppolino had no play on for a single loading the bases.

With one out, Sarah Corey then lofted a long-fly ball to right that scored pinch runner Jillian Bigos for a 3-1 lead setting up Blarr’s big hit.

Wilson also drove in the game’s first run in the bottom of the fourth. McMahon led off the inning with shot deep into the left-centerfield gab for a double and Hannah Wisialko sacrifice her to third laying down a bunt in front of the plate that Raritan catcher Michelle Nestor had no choice but to go to first for the sure out. Wilson then lined an RBI single into left-center for a 1-0 lead.

McMahon left two runners stranded on base in the first inning but got out of the jam striking out Gabbie Zweidinger to end the inning. She then retired 13 Raritan batters in a row before giving up an opposite-field triple off the end of the bat by leadoff hitter Ashley Marino in the top of the sixth. An uncharacteristic wild pitch by McMahon scored Marino to make it a 2-1 game but two strikeouts sandwiched between an error and a hit got her out of the inning still holding the lead.

“It’s a lot of pressure (in these situations) but I knew my offense would come through the way they’ve been hitting lately,” McMahon said. “The run support really helped a lot. I have a lot of confidence in them and in the fifth and sixth innings we came alive. I wouldn’t be able to do anything without my team, so it’s a good feeling.”

Ciara Sullivan’s one-out double off the base of the fence in dead-centerfield in the bottom of the fifth led to South’s second run of the game when Ally Massa was plunked by a pitch with the bases loaded adding a run to the 1-0 lead.

Middletown South (23-3) now moves on to host fifth-seeded Pinelands (19-5) in Wednesday’s scheduled quarterfinal’s but not before traveling to second-seeded Nutley as the No.3 seed in the NJSIAA North 2, Group III sectional semifinals on Tuesday. With the loss, Raritan’s (16-10) season is complete.

“You’ve got to beat everybody,” Erbig said. “You’re not here just to be in the tournament; you’ve got to go through everybody to win it. It doesn’t matter what seed you are, you still got to beat everyone.”

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