Hopkins, R’ville power into sectional final
ROBBINSVILLE >> Brynn Hopkins knows she’s running out of days in her high school softball career, so the Robbinsville High is doing what she can to make the most of them.
Hopkins slugged a threerun homer, tripled and knocked in four runs to help power the second-seeded Ravens past third-seeded South Plainfield, 15-4, in the Central Jersey Group II semifinals on Wednesday afternoon.
“The seniors, we’re trying to leave everything on the field, because a bunch of us on this team have played together forever,” said Hopkins, who finished 2-for-4 at the plate. “I actually have the chills talking about it. We’re trying to make the best of what we have left together.”
What the Ravens (19-4) have now is a sectional final against either top-seeded Bordentown or fifth-seeded Governor Livingston. Those team contested their semifinal later Wednesday night.
That Robbinsville ended this game via the mercy rule after four-and-a-half innings may come as a surprise given the way it started. The visiting Tigers (18-6) got a leadoff double from Sara McNelly and RBI single from Deleaney Born to take a 1-0 lead before Ravens starter Shea Krebs recorded an out.
In fact, South Plainfield had the bases loaded with one out, but Krebs got a big strikeout for the second out and then Hopkins made a heads-up play from right field to throw out a runner at second base on a force play to end the inning.
“When we were warming up, we were practicing to first base, but I kind of just figured I was closer to second and I threw it to second base,” Hopkins said.
Coach Lisa Rich thought it was a key play in the game to escape further damage.
“I thought that may be the deciding run in the game,” Rich said. “South Plainfield was swinging the bats really well in the first inning. It scared me a little, and once we got on top I thought our defense would settle down. I thought this was going to be a close game for us.”
It didn’t take Robbinsville long to flex its offensive muscles on a steamy afternoon as Hopkins hammered a three-run homer to left after Sofia Papa (single) and Alexa Klepper (double) had both reached with one out.
The Tigers tied it at 3-all in the second on Born’s tworun
single, but the home side broke their spirit with nine runs in its half of the inning. In total, the Ravens sent 14 batter to the plate and got consecutive RBI doubles from Papa and Klepper before Hopkins tripled to make it 7-3.
Kailey Pacifico sacrificed home another run and after two straight hit-by-pitches and a walk, Haley Krebs lofted a two-run single to center. Mackenzie Martin followed with an RBI bunt single and the final run came across on an error.
Becky Blitz tripled home a run in the third.
“We never give up and we push through,” Hopkins said. “We string together hits really well. Just putting the bat on the ball and getting on base, we just seem to pull through.”
Shea Krebs settled down and retired 11 of the final 13 batters she faced. The righthander ended up allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits, walked three and struck out five.
South Plainfield (18-6) 120 00 — 3 5 1 Robbinsville (19-4) 393 0x — 15 12 1 WP: S. Krebs. LP: Goncalves. 2B: McNelly (SP). Papa, Klepper 2 (R). 3B: Hopkins, Blitz (R). HR: Hopkins (R). RBI: Born 3 (SP). Martin, Papa, Klepper, Hopkins 4, Blitz, H. Krebs 2 (R).