Overbrook and Delsea take softball crowns

Overbrook and Delsea are celebrating South Jersey sectional softball titles and shots at state championships after putting together gritty victories Thursday.

Overbrook pushed across the deciding run in the bottom of the 11th inning to edge Audubon, 1-0, for the South Jersey Group 1 crown.

Delsea scored twice in the bottom of the sixth to get past Central Regional, 2-0, to take the title in Group 3.

For top-seeded Overbrook (24-2), it was pretty much all Jen Metzger. She held the third-seeded Green Wave (17-6) to one single, striking out 18 and walking one. It was her third straight shutout in the tournament.

"That's the way we've been playing in the playoffs," Overbrook coach Jim Chiumento said of the tight win. "In the playoffs, it's tough to score because you have such good pitching."

With the Rams staked pinch-runner Danielle Greer at second as part of the tiebreaker in the 11th, Mary Kate Verespy bunted her to third. Aubudon pitcher Tina Morgan struck out the next batter, but leadoff hitter Michelle Foster followed by delivering a single up the middle to win the game.

Overbrook will meet Roselle Park (17-5), a 1-0 winner over Keansburg on Thursday for the Group 1 Central crown, in the state semifinals.

South Jersey Group 3. Delsea got solid pitching from Heather Buriak, a couple of excellent defensive plays from centerfielder Jess Zeilman, and a clutch single from Rachel Crescitelli to earn its second straight Group 3 title and a date with Central Jersey champion Middletown South in the state semifinals.

Middletown South edged Wall, 3-2, Thursday. Delsea (18-5) was seeded third in the South Jersey tournament. Middletown South (28-2) was the top seed in Central Group 3.

Buriak slipped out of two jams to keep the game scoreless.

Central had runners on second and third with one out in the third, but Buriak induced a pop up to second before Zeilman tracked down a flair to center to end the inning. Zeilman and her glove came to the rescue again in the sixth, snaring another shallow fly with two out and runners at the corners.

Buriak "battled through it," Delsea coach Scott Gutelius said. "She did a great job."

Crescitelli came through with the bases loaded and two out in the home sixth, dropping a 3-2 pitch from Ashley Aires over shortstop for a two-run single.

Laurel Falana scored four goals and handed out two assists as host Haddonfield dropped Sterling, 20-4, to earn a share of the Olympic Conference National Division title with Bishop Eustace. The Bulldogs finished 16-4 overall, 9-1 in the division.

Zach Shannon drove in what proved to be the deciding run with a single in the home sixth as Absegami slipped past Ocean City, 8-7, in the Cape-Atlantic League.

Billy Guerro led Absegami with three hits - including a double and a triple - and drove in four runs. Andrew Fiorentino cracked a home run for Ocean City and finished 3 for 3.