It’s spring in the Garden State—and you know what that means: high school softball is in full swing, and some serious talent is lighting up diamonds across New Jersey. From milestone hits to powerful pitching performances, here’s what went down this week around the bases.
💯 Milestone Moment in Mercer County: Mia Pope Hits 100
Let’s kick things off with Steinert, the top-ranked squad that just keeps rolling. On Tuesday, junior shortstop Mia Pope reached a massive career milestone—100 hits—and she’s still got more than a season left to rack up even more. Pope wasn’t alone in the spotlight, though. The Spartans exploded offensively, clobbering Ewing 19–2 in just four innings.
Freshman Victoria Poppert had a monster game, going deep with a home run and racking up five RBIs. Bianca Walsh added three hits and drove in four, while Francesca Castellano, Aleiya O’Neil, Ellie Miller, and Pope all had multi-hit games.
Steinert stays unbeaten at 5–0. And with bats this hot, you might want to keep an eye on them all season long.
Final: Steinert 19, Ewing 2
Winning Pitcher: Ellie Miller
Notable Hits: 2B – Pope, Castellano, Walsh | HR – Poppert
🔥 Freshman Firepower: Notre Dame Rallies Late
Over in Lawrence Township, the Irish of Notre Dame pulled off a late-game rally that turned into a six-run explosion in the bottom of the sixth to stay undefeated at 5–0. Freshman pitcher Anna Matcham went six strong innings, giving up just six hits. Maddalena Creo led the offense with two doubles and a single, while teammates Addison Louderback and Riley Cunningham chipped in with two hits apiece.
Princeton’s Eko Brown had a solid day at the plate with three hits, but it wasn’t enough to hold back Notre Dame’s late surge.
Final: Notre Dame 7, Princeton 2
Winning Pitcher: Matcham
Notable Hits: 2B – Creo (2)
🔁 Allentown Turns It On Late, Tops Lawrence
Allentown was quiet early but then broke out with eight runs over the final three innings to take down Lawrence. Kelsey Loughlin smashed a huge three-run double in the fifth, and Kayla Foy followed up with a clutch two-RBI double in the sixth. Angelina Minerva and Taylor Lalla both had two hits to help the cause.
For Lawrence, Bailey Schafer notched a pair of hits, including a two-run double. Hope Lestician also had a multi-hit day.
Final: Allentown 8, Lawrence 4
Winning Pitcher: Braylie LaFisca
Notable Hits: 2B – Schafer (L), Loughlin, Foy (A)
🚀 New Egypt Battles Back, Bounces Manasquan
After a loss to Hamilton/Nottingham, New Egypt rebounded in style with an 8–5 win over Manasquan. Jackie Bowen held it down in the circle with an eight-hit effort. Keira Simicsak was perfect at the plate, going 3-for-3 with three RBIs, while JoJo Kildare and Sam Potts added two hits each.
Final: New Egypt 8, Manasquan 5
Winning Pitcher: Bowen
🥎 Bristol Falls Short in Tight Battle in PA
Just across the Delaware River, Bristol suffered its first loss of the year against undefeated Marple-Newtown (PA). Despite a stellar 10-strikeout performance by Brianna Slack and a two-hit game from Amirah Bell, the team couldn’t climb out of an early deficit.
Final: Marple-Newtown 3, Bristol 1
Notable Hits: 2B – Slack (B)
💥 Hightstown Dominates, Olsen Deals
Hightstown brought the energy and the execution, blowing past Hopewell Valley 11–1 behind a dazzling performance from Kylie Olsen. She pitched a two-hitter, struck out 13, and helped herself at the plate with a pair of doubles and a single. Lilian Peto also launched a home run.
Final: Hightstown 11, Hopewell Valley 1
Winning Pitcher: Olsen
HR – Peto (H)
🚫 Immaculata Shuts Down West Windsor United
In Somerville, Immaculata’s Maddie Falvey completely shut down West Windsor United, tossing a one-hit, 11-strikeout gem. The offense backed her up with 13 hits, ending things early with an 11–1 mercy-rule win.
Final: Immaculata 11, West Windsor United 1
Winning Pitcher: Falvey
💪 Hun Rolls Past Peddie
The Hun Raiders stayed perfect at 5–0 with a commanding win over Peddie. They scored 12 runs in five innings, keeping the bats hot and the scoreboard busy.
Final: Hun 12, Peddie 2
📝 Other Scores Around NJ:
- Rancocas Valley 9, Cherokee 3
- Delaware Valley 5, Ridge 4
- Eastern 8, Lenape 5
- Moorestown 13, Camden Catholic (final score not reported)
That’s the latest from the fields across New Jersey. Whether it’s milestone moments, future stars, or teams heating up at just the right time, the Garden State’s got the softball action you want to follow. And we’ll be right here every week to break it all down.
Want updates like this every Wednesday? Stick with Explore New Jersey on Wednesday—because nobody covers local sports quite like we do.
