By BRIAN TORTELLA
Correspondent
@tortreports on Instagram
FRANKLINVILLE — Juliana Baez believes she hasn’t performed her best season at the plate this spring.
But judging by Tuesday’s success, you would never guess that.
The senior went 2-for-3 with an RBI — including the milestone 100th hit of her career — as fifth-seeded Delsea cruised past No. 12 Mainland, 11-0, in five innings in the first round of the South Jersey Group 3 state playoffs.
“I’ve worked really hard the last few weeks because I haven’t had the best season,” said Baez (who is hitting .342 with 25 hits, 24 RBIs and 22 runs scored this season). “Ever since I was a little girl, I honestly was like, ‘I need to reach 100 hits.’ Just to keep working and persevering through the slumps got me here.”
Baez — who now has 100 hits, including 12 home runs and 24 doubles, 106 RBIs and 88 runs scored in her career — became the 13th player in school history to reach the milestone. Most recently, classmate Tori Jester reached the mark earlier this season. Jester has 106 hits and is hitting .400 for her career.
“Jester did it a couple weeks ago on Senior Night, so we have two girls this year who reached that milestone,” Crusaders coach Scott Gutelius said. “It’s great to see someone who has played four years to get her name in the gym. It’s a special thing.”
It was also a highly efficient day for sophomore pitcher Cailyn Centeno, who fanned 13 batters and allowed just one hit in the shutout effort. At the plate, Centeno went 2-for-4 and ended the contest early by initiating the mercy rule with a three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Crusaders (15-9, 8-2 Tri-County Liberty) collected 12 hits in the triumph.
“I was just going with the flow, just kept doing what I’ve been doing all season,” Centeno said. “It’s been a good season for me. I’ve been trying to get my accuracy up and get some good stats going.”
Added Gutelius: “She looked really good today. Her ball was popping right in there to the catcher. She hit the zone very well today and had command of it. She really looked like she was in charge of the circle.”
Last year, Delsea finished 25-2 and won the sectional title by outscoring playoff opponents 36-9 across four tournament games.
With high expectations for another banner season, the Crusaders didn’t get off to their desired start this spring, dropping five of their first eight games. However, they’ve heated up down the stretch, winning 10 of their last 13 games.
“We have six of our nine batters in the lineup who are freshmen or sophomores, so it took a little time to get adjusted to that, but they’ve come around,” Gutelius said. “We’ve played some tough teams this year, but they’re confident and believe in themselves. It’s a good win today.”
Landyn Ferrari finished 2-for-4 with four RBIs and Riley Hunter went 2-for-2 with two RBIs, while Brooke Horn, Isabella Giusti, Ava Blose, and Jester each recorded a hit for the Crusaders.
Delsea will now face No. 4 Seneca, a 13-3 winner over Cumberland, in the quarterfinal round on Thursday.
“I think it’s going to be a really good game,” Centeno added. “That could be a big outcome on any side. I feel like if we all have a good game, it can go either way.”
WHAT’S NEXT: Delsea Regional at Seneca in the South Jersey Group 3 quarterfinals, Thursday, time TBD.
