Olsen fans 10 in no-hitter as Hightstown blanks Delran
Don’t even try to make sense out of the Hightstown High softball team’s 9-0 romp over Delran on Thursday in which sophomore Kady Olsen was utterly outstanding with a no-hitter and 10 strikeouts.
Suffice it to say, what transpired for the Rams was very, very good as it picked up by far its best win in a season that has gotten off to a 7-2 start.
Consider Delran (6-3) this week had posted a victory over Haddon Heights, which was ranked No. 2 in the state in one poll after winning the Tournament of Champions last year. In that win, Delran had been able to score three runs against Haddon Heights’ pitching sensation Sophia Bordi.
Consider Delan’s eye-opening win over Haddon Height was followed by a 16-4 destruction of Bordentown one day later. Consider Hightstown had lost to Ewing, 3-1, over the weekend in the Pennsauken Tournament and had struck out 21 times in a loss to Hillsborough.
It’s all a little bit difficult to comprehend, but seeing was believing Thursday for a Hightstown team that showed it can very much be a force in the Colonial Valley Conference
if it can continue to play anything like this.
“After beating Trenton this week we had good energy today,” said Olsen, who allowed just two base runners on a walk in the second and a hit batsmen in the third. “The key for me was getting ahead in the count and attacking the zone. If we just play as a team, it doesn’t matter who we play.”
Delran seniors Aly Reim, Cheyenne Jackson and Riley Ahrens all came into this game batting at least .500, but could do nothing against Olsen. And when the Bears rarely did make hard contact, the Rams made all the plays with no errors.
On the other side of the scorebook, Hightstown was equally as impressive with a 10-hit attack that featured two apiece by left handed speedsters Olivia Pignatello and Seton Hall recruit Angelina Benitez at the top of the order as well as No. 7 batter Jordan Rosoluk.
Hightstown struck right away with two in the first on singles by Pignatello and Benitez, an RBI fielders’ choice by Olsen and a runscoring single by Hayden Bustos.
In the fourth Hightstown really went to work with seven more runs. After a walk and single by Adriana Cepeda, Rosoluk blasted an RBI double to left center.
From there, No. 9 batter Amelia Stevens drove in two runs with a single, Pignatello beat out a bunt for a hit, Benitez singled to left and Luczak (seven homers) laced a rocket two-run double. Olsen then got another run home with a fielders’ choice.
“We’re young and face a big week next week,” said Hightstown coach Thomas Meneskie. “But this was definitely a signature win for us. Delran is a very good team.”
It looks like people may have to begin saying that about Hightstown as well.