RAMSEY – It was de?ja? vu on the diamond for the Jefferson softball team.
But this time, Kama Skrek made sure her team's trip to Ramsey ended with hardware instead of heartbreak.
The senior ace threw a complete game shutout for the third straight round and the Falcons completed their redemption tour by beating Ramsey, 7-0, in the North 1, Group 2 final on Friday. The win at Tisdale Elementary School came in the same place as last year's championship, when Ramsey stunned Jefferson in walk-off fashion.
Seemingly all that slowed down the Falcons' return to the top was a half-hour thunder delay in the top of the third inning.
"That was literally the theme, redemption," coach Amy Pearce said. "They saw what it was like to win it and they saw what it was like to lose it and really get the title taken from us last year. So they were not going to let that happen again. There was no doubt in my mind."
Skrek left no doubt either, overpowering a lineup that scored more runs than any team in the Big North Conference. She struck out eight and held Ramsey to two hits.
The game nearly took a different turn in the first inning when Ramsey’s Brooke Donofrio launched what looked like a go-ahead two-run home run down the left field line. The umpires convened and ultimately ruled it a foul ball.
"I had a great view," Ramsey coach Chris Caserta said. "It was a home run. It's not where it lands. It's where it goes over and it went over so far that they missed it. It shouldn't be an excuse but even the home plate umpire said he missed it."
What it means
With the win, Jefferson (24-5) has captured its second sectional title in three seasons and solidified its reputation as one of New Jersey's most dominant programs. The Falcons advance to face Hanover Park in the Group 2 semifinals on June 10.
In four playoff wins, the Falcons outscored their opponents by a 25-2 margin. That surge came after winning the NJAC Freedom division title earlier this spring.
"We've been playing together since we were 10 years old," Skrek said. "All of us. We all went our separate ways and then high school brought us back together."
"I think Morris County softball is some of the best in the state, as proven with all the state sectionals that it's winning right now," Pearce said. "So even as the three-seed, I knew we were a solid team that had a chance to win the title again. I think we definitely showed that today."
Waiting it out
Jefferson put pressure on Ramsey from the start and never backed off with everyone in the lineup reaching base at least once.
The Falcons loaded the bases in the first inning and scored a run in the second on a two-out, single from freshman Maya Weber.
Jefferson broke things open with four more runs in the third thanks to a bases-loaded walk from Gianna Licursi, a two-run single from Kylie Plunkett and Skrek's RBI basehit. With two outs in the inning, thunder forced Jefferson to retreat indoors.
"We're such close friends that we just kept our energy up," Plunkett said. "We came back with the mentality that it was 0-0 again, so we needed more runs. I really think that helped us."
Skrek took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Mackenzie D'Elia broke it up with a leadoff, pinch-hit single. At the plate, Skrek helped her own cause by going 3-for-4 with a walk.
"She's an exceptional person," Pearce said. "Not only an athlete. I will brag about her all day because she will never brag about herself."