Staff Report
The next two weeks are about to get crazy, folks! With the state playoffs heating up in baseball, softball and lacrosse, dozens of teams throughout South Jersey will be fighting desperately to keep their seasons alive in pursuit of a state championship.
Here’s a quick look at who’s still alive in the baseball and softball playoffs?:
BASEBALL
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP 1: The top two seeds, Audubon and Schalick, are still alive and playing in the semifinals on Tuesday. Audubon, the team with the best pitching in this section, hosts No. 5 Maple Shade, while second-seeded Schalick hosts No. 6 Woodstown.
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP 2: Same exact seeding situation here, as No. 1 Haddonfield hosts No. 5 West Deptford in one semifinal, while the other semifinal pits No. 2 Haddon Heights vs. No. 6 Collingswood. Collingswood has gone 9-3 since the start of May and split season series with both West Deptford and Haddon Heights, while losing twice to Haddonfield.
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP 3: No. 2 Toms River East is the only top-four seed remaining, as the Raiders will host No. 6 Shawnee on Tuesday. The other semifinal features No. 9 Ocean City at No. 5 Toms River South. Ocean City has gone 9-2 in its last 11 games and knocked off No. 1 Mainland last week.
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP 4: Three of the top four seeds are still alive, as No. 1 Cherokee hosts No. 4 Kingsway on Tuesday in a semifinal that could be as good as any sectional championship game. The other semifinal features No. 6 Vineland looking to knock off No. 2 Eastern Regional.
NON-PUBLIC A SOUTH: No. 3 St. Augustine Prep is still alive, as the Hermits travel to Red Bank Catholic on Wednesday. The other semi features No. 1 CBA hosting St. Joseph-Metuchen.
NON-PUBLIC B SOUTH: There are going to be some great semifinal matchups in this section, as top-seeded Gloucester Catholic hosts No. 4 Ranney School on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Rutgers-Camden, while the other semifinal features No. 2 Bishop Eustace hosting No. 3 Doane Academy on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
SOFTBALL
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP 1: Wednesday’s semifinals are nearly set, as No. 1 Audubon takes on No. 8 Cape May Tech today for the final spot. No. 4 Woodstown awaits the winner, and the other semifinal features No. 2 Pennsville hosting No. 3 Haddon Township. The Hawks have scored 33 runs in two playoff games after entering the postseason on a three-game skid.
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP 2: The seeds held in this bracket, as No. 1 Gloucester will host No. 4 Medford Tech, while the other semifinal features No. 2 Haddon Heights hosting No. 3 Cinnaminson, both games are Wednesday at 4 p.m.
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP 3: No. 5 Hammonton is riding a four-game winning streak into Wednesday’s semifinal matchup at top-seeded Delsea, which started the season 20-0 and is now 23-1. The other semifinal features No. 2 Clearview awaiting the winner of today’s matchup between Cape-Atlantic League rivals Ocean City and Absegami in a game that was rained out last week.
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP 4: Another game that was rained out last week, No. 7 Egg Harbor Township at No. 2 Vineland, is going on right now, with the winner to face No. 3 Rancocas Valley on Wednesday. The other semifinal, slated for Tuesday, pits top-seeded Kingsway against No. 4 Southern Regional.
NON-PUBLIC A SOUTH: Ironically, this bracket is down to four teams NOT in South Jersey — No. 1 Donovan Catholic hosting No. 4 St. Thomas Aquinas, and No. 3 St. John Vianney hosting No. 7 Notre Dame in Tuesday’s semis.
NON-PUBLIC B SOUTH: Tuesday’s semifinals feature some great matchups, as No. 1 St. Joseph Academy hosts No. 4 Doane Academy at 4 p.m., while No. 2 Holy Spirit gets an early start when the Spartans host No. 3 Holy Cross Prep at 2 p.m. Could we see an all-Cape-Atlantic League final?
