This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Trophy Returns to Barnegat

Coach credits love for pizza as a motivator to win

The secret to the Barnegat Girls Softball League’s win over Stafford was a love for pizza.

“It was a tough game, the senior division was losing, and I said, ‘let’s get out of this, I’m hungry, I want pizza. If we win, we’re going to Spiaggia E Luna,” Coach Denise Pilovsky told the team.

It was that rallying cry that helped the Barnegat team pull ahead to win in a 13-8 victory last month over their long-standing rivals.

Find out what's happening in Barnegat-Manahawkinwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Last night, that victory was heralded by the Township Committee, as Pilovsky and her team returned, for the second year in a row, the coveted Mayor’s Trophy to Barnegat. In return, Mayor Al Cirulli and other committee members awarded each team member a certificate.

“We felt this was an important time to recognize these young ladies that have brought back the trophy for the second year in a row,” Cirulli said.

Find out what's happening in Barnegat-Manahawkinwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In an interview after the presentation, team members told a Patch reporter that this game is particularly hard fought every year, due to the long-standing rivalry between Barnegat and Stafford.

“This is a game we all pour our hearts into,” Tori Plasi, who is on the team, said. Another team member, Gabby Farley, agreed, adding, “this is one of those games that everyone gets dirty at.”

In addition to Plasi and Farley, Cirulli and the Township Committee recognized: Amber Leary, Tara Jackson, Krystan Kaczmarek, Mackenzie Darmstatter, Erin Breza, Holly Walker, Bryanne Cassan, Carly Sherlock, Marissa Statmore, and from the All Star Major Team: Brianna Sanford, Rachael Miller, Tymera Crudup, Colleen Camburn, Kaity Waskewicz, Devon Leary, Alexis Furrule, Alexis Kirk, Isabella Sarno, Rielly Dean,  and Jacqueline Dino.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?