Toms River East Softball has Solid Year in Competitive A North By John Sorce

TOMS RIVER – Playing softball in A North is always a challenge, but the Raiders of Toms River East have held their own in 2018. The team finished in fourth place with a 10-8 record and an 8-7 mark in divisional play.

The Raiders are led by Danielle Foran, who is in her fourth year leading the program. Foran is a 2005 graduate of the school and played for Debbie Schwartz and Dawn Dzeidzic, who are both at Donovan Catholic.

“A South has always been competitive, even when I played. Now, it’s even harder,” Foran said. “They’re all such strong teams and unique in their own way. There is a not a single team that is weak within our conference.”

The team has played a lot of close games throughout the season, with 13 of their 18 games decided within three runs. Senior Skylar Mahaffey, who is the team’s ace with a 1.65 ERA and had struck out 128 batters over 118.2 innings, has been integral in keeping the Raiders in those close games.

“Skylar Mahaffey has kept us in every single game,” Foran said. “She throws well and has great movement on her pitches, which leaves opposing batters off balance.”

Offensively, sophomore catcher Brooke Slomkowski is the Raiders top threat, leading the squad with a .456 batting average, 26 hits, 19 RBI, and three home runs. Foran also praised her work behind the plate.

“She is really talented behind the plate,” Foran said. “There have been very few pitches that have gotten away from her and she’s quick to throw people out. Many teams do not try run on her often. Offensively, Brooke has the highest batting and slugging average on our team. Her RBI have helped us win games. We’re excited to have her again for two more years.”

Also serving as key contributors this season are senior Nicole Cocco (.333, a team-leading 12 runs, 19 hits, 10 walks) and junior second baseman Aimee Skweres (.345, 10 runs, 20 hits, six doubles).

“Nicole Cocco is doing great for us offensively and coming in clutch in keys spots,” Foran said. “She plays first base for us and we have a completely new left side of the infield. She has done a great job in picking balls out of the dirt. Aimee is just a solid softball player. She has a lot of balls hit to her at second base and comes up cleanly on routine balls. Her range is fantastic out there. She’s a real leader on and off the field and her overall knowledge of the game is something we get so excited to see.”

Also stepping up this season as a freshman is shortstop Nicolette DePalma, who is batting .288 and is third on the team with eight RBI. She is also learning a new position on the fly.

“She does not normally play there for travel, but she picked up the position quickly,” Foran said. “She has good range in the field and is a smart player. I believe next year we will see her improve even more and be a leader within A South.”

What separates this team from teams in the past is the camaraderie amongst the players, both on and off the field.

“This year the girls are like a family,” Foran said. “They care about each other and support each other on and off the field. Our entire team is involved in so many different extra-curricular activities and really difficult classes and I think they bring that support to the field. This year the girls love the game. They are passionate about the game itself, but continue to want to learn more and be better. They are always looking to improve and strive to be better at the end of each day.”

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