By BRIAN TORTELLA

Correspondent

X @tortreports

WEST DEPTFORD — In the midst of a two-game skid, the West Deptford high softball team, seeded second in the South Jersey Group 2 tournament, hadn’t played a game in eight days — and that was an 18-2 loss to Northern Burlington on May 20.

That abnormally long break during the home-stretch of the season was due to 15th-seeded Camden’s forfeit in the first round. 

With No. 7 Barnegat (fresh off a 6-4 victory over Overbrook in the opening round) heading to town, there was no time for the Eagles to rest in the nest. 

Instead, they lit it up — hit after hit — as West Deptford defeated Barnegat, 13-1, in the quarterfinals of the state sectional playoffs on Tuesday. The Eagles will host No. 3 and Colonial Conference rival Gloucester on Thursday in the semifinal round.

“We’re feeling good, (about the win) we’re now focused on the next one,” coach Sydney Jakubowski said. “It’s obviously a conference rivalry matchup, we split with them earlier in the season. I tell the girls all the time, close games like that are going to come down to who wants it more, and who makes less mistakes. I’ve been preaching to my girls, ‘one mistake, Gloucester’s going to take advantage of, and if they make a mistake, we need to capitalize on that.’”

Left fielder K’Lee Liles was perfect at the plate for West Deptford (17-8, 6-4 Colonial Liberty), going 3-for-3 with an RBI while rounding the bases twice in the feat.

“I just went up to the plate looking for my pitch, nothing too high, nothing too low, ready to hit,” said Liles. “I was a little nervous leading up to the game.

Only a freshman, being nervous before a second-round playoff game is understandable, but performing perfectly at the plate? That’s rare for any rookie in her first career postseason game.

“I’m really excited for her, and I hope she keeps that rolling for the rest of the playoffs,” Jakubowski said of Liles. “We’ve seen a lot of potential in her throughout the entire season, and I feel like she’s getting more confident. And with more confidence, we’re going to see a lot more in her.”

Erin Thayer contributed with the bat, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs. Her successful bunt in the bottom of the third inning loaded the bases and continued West Deptford’s 10-run inning.

“This actually felt really good, because I’ve been struggling a lot with my bat this season,” said the junior, who’s still hitting .299 with 26 runs scored. “It felt good to play like myself and as a team. We were confident coming into this game, we had some good practices over the long weekend. You know, Gloucester’s always a good game, so I think we’re a little bit excited to come into this third round. I think we’re ready for it. We definitely have a real chance, and I think we’re a strong enough team to beat them.”

While two underclassmen shined, the Eagles’ senior security blanket once again proved she is one of the region’s best all-around players. Isabella Kwashek went the distance on the mound, allowing just three hits while striking out the same number. She also performed at the plate, recording two RBIs on two hits.

“I was a little nervous about today’s game,” she said. “I really wanted to win, especially as a senior, I did not want my career to end today, so it was a little nerve-racking. We had a great game in the field and at the plate, and I’m really excited for the next round. I’m excited to play, Gloucester always brings us a good game, we always play a good game with them, too, so I’m excited.” 

Kwashek has had a career year at the plate, batting .500 with a career-high 35 hits this season.

Barnegat ended its season with a 13-5 record, the Bengals’ first winning season since the 2014 season. 

“We played exceptionally well at home in the first round against Overbrook,” Bengals coach Michael Palmieri said. “We had a rough inning (today). (Kwashek) pitched fantastic today on the other side of the ball. She throws hard, probably the hardest thrower we’ve seen this season, if I’m honest. We only started two seniors today, and one junior. Everyone else was a sophomore or freshman. I feel just as excited about next season as I did coming into this season. We’re headed in the right direction.”

West Deptford’s semifinal matchup with Gloucester (17-5, 6-3 Colonial Liberty) will be on Thursday, time TBA. They split this season, with the Eagles victorious 5-2 on April 4, and the Lions narrowly coming out on top, 2-1, on May 9.