Gloucester softball pulls out win over division foe Haddon Township on heartfelt night

Before the contest, players and coaches from both Gloucester and Haddon Township shook hands and laid roses on home plate commemorating the losses of Jackie Trakimas and Olivia Blymer who passed away from cancer not long ago. Collin Conway/D2 Sports Network

GLOUCESTER CITY - The past few weeks have been difficult for Gloucester City and Brooklawn residents. A handful of members in the community unexpectedly passed away, causing many to carry on with heavy hearts.

The Gloucester City High School softball team lost two people connected to the program during that time frame. Jackie Trakimas and Olivia Blymer passed away after long fights with cancer. Trakimas, a 1979 graduate and former field hockey, basketball, and track and field coach at Gloucester, passed away in March. Blymer, a 2023 graduate and former member of the Lions softball program, passed away on May 13.

Gloucester honored the two with a pregame ceremony where each Gloucester and Haddon Township shook hands and laid roses on home plate in solidarity with one another. The host Lady Lions defeated Haddon Township, 6-5, wrapping up division play before getting ready for the playoffs.

“It’s been a tough past couple of weeks,” Gloucester coach Megan Mason said. “Losing someone who was my coach and also losing someone I coached, followed by a few other people in the community that many people knew, it’s hard. The game of life and the game of softball are two different things, so it was relieving to have the community come out, show support for the people we lost, and also support our team. As a coach, I'm glad we were able to get the job done and get a win to take some weight off of those who are feeling it.”

Gloucester opened the scoring with a two-run single off the bat of Alexis Ullman, giving the Lady Lions an early lead.

Haddon Township responded with a three-run inning in the top of the third. Mikayla Callahan singled in a pair of runs, followed by an RBI single from Siena commit Jordan Strauss.

The Lady Lions then hopped back in the driver's seat for good with a three-run inning of their own. Vayda Pino, Bailey Schoenfeldt, and Haylee Zuccarelli all drove in a run each to give Gloucester a lead it'd never surrender.

Even though the game featured a fair amount of offense, Emma Dick kept Gloucester in the game on the mound. The junior hurled seven innings, allowing five runs (zero earned) on seven hits and zero walks paired with 10 strikeouts.

The offense was motorized by Schoenfeldt's blazing speed on the bases and in the field. Arguably South Jersey's most ideal leadoff hitter, the sophomore's speed is her best weapon. Stealing 38 bases as a freshman, Schoenfeldt only has half of the amount this year, but has traded in the stolen bases for a mix of power and speed hitting four triples on the campaign compared to her two a year ago.

"I'm not gonna lie, I don't realize how fast I am," Schoenfeldt joked. "When I'm out there, I just run as fast as I can. Whether I'm stealing a base or catching a ball in the outfield, I just keep on running until I'm told to stop."

With the playoffs starting on May 28, Gloucester is looking forward to the postseason as the reigning state Group 2 champions. While most of the roster returns, the leadership and experience of last year's class will be one thing that is missed as Mason looks to her current seniors to fill that role.

"So far, there hasn't been one person who leads and the rest follow; it's been a group effort," Mason added. "Personally, I'm looking forward to the practices leading up to the playoffs because we have a lot of stuff to work on. That six or seven-day period between our last regular season game and first playoff game is going to be crucial moving forward."