By BRIAN TORTELLA

Correspondent

X @tortreports

WOOLWICH TOWNSHIP — At this point in the season, it’s hard to tell what’s hotter — this 90-plus-degree weather or the red-hot Kingsway Regional High softball team.

It’s a close call, but the edge goes to the Dragons, who were victorious in their seventh straight game as top-seeded Kingsway defeated No. 8 Cherokee, 5-0, in the quarterfinal round of the NJSIAA South Jersey Group 4 playoffs on Friday afternoon.

“I’m really proud of the way that they played, and the way they have matured as a team throughout the season,” said Kingsway coach Jill Ward. “To look at these games as ‘get the job done, go to work,’ and they did. Reese (Whitzell) has been unstoppable (offensively) and that doesn’t even begin to talk about her defense.”

Whitzell, a sophomore, was perfect at the plate for the Dragons, going 2-for-2 with two RBIs. She also played high-level defense, fielding every ground ball that came her way at shortstop.

“I’m feeling pretty good and staying confident,” Whitzell said. “I came into the game thinking I was just going to hit, go up there and do whatever I can. I’m just really so hype right now, I’m so happy.”

Whitzell brought her season hits total to 25, nearly double that of her freshman year, along with four times as many RBIs as her rookie campaign. 

Fellow sophomore Karsen Taylor is also having a breakout season. She came off the bench and delivered a huge hit on a ground ball to left field to send Ava Paoletti home and extend the Dragons’ lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the third inning. 

“You know, it was great since I wasn’t in the game to start,” Taylor said. “You have to be big coming off the bench and be ready at any moment. I knew I had to get them in somehow and I had to be super clutch there. We’re a great team, everyone can hit from top to bottom, so the lineup is going to change every day. Some days I’m going to be on the bench, some days I might not, but you just have to be ready for anything.”

On a team loaded with hitters, their ace on the mound quietly shined once again.

Coach Ward said she likes to call Jessa Pieters the “most underrated pitcher in South Jersey,” but it’s getting harder and harder to say that.

“I think people are starting to figure out she’s not underrated anymore,” Ward laughed. “We have a luxury, which most teams do not, to be able to switch pitching and have a totally different style pitcher come in, and that has been a real benefit to us.”

Ava Snyder relieved Pieters in the fifth inning, but by that time the game was well in hand for the Dragons. 

“I threw my best and my hardest, and my team behind me really backed me up,” Pieters said. “They’re (Cherokee) definitely a really strong team. Some of those girls I played with for a while, so I definitely know they can hit the ball well. Having a strong defense behind me builds up that confidence and lets me know we’re going to get those outs.”

Kingsway (23-2, 8-0 Tri-County Royal) will host traditional playoff rival Egg Harbor Township (19-9, 8-4 Cape-Atlantic American) on Wednesday in the South Jersey Group 4 semifinal. The fourth-seeded Eagles, who defeated Southern Regional 6-0 in their quarterfinal on Friday, have a bit of recent history with Kingsway. They defeated the Dragons 7-3 in the 2021 sectional title game, while losing 2-1 in extra innings earlier this season.

“Everything we have stalked the power points for was to know that at some point we were going to play EHT, and we want to be at home,” Ward explained. “Fortunately, they had some down time, but they’re peaking now, so we have to be at our best. It’s going to be a nail-biter — it always is — they always play us tough. They have great coaching, we know each other really well. There’s no scouting to be done, we know everything about each other.”

Cherokee finished its season with a 15-9-1 record, falling to Kingsway in the state playoffs for the third consecutive season.

“I’m super proud of this team for the season they put together,” said Chiefs coach Mary Madgey. “ A lot of young players who work extremely hard surrounded by a strong group of senior leaders. We finished the year strong, winning seven games to win the Olympic Conference American (division). It’s such a tough conference, that’s always a great achievement.

“Today, I thought we battled against a good team. Cali (Taylor) pitched a great game and we hit the ball, we just didn’t string enough hits together. We are a young team and will learn from this game.”