Raritan freshman Lila Houlihan sparks hot start with two RBI double
Raritan freshman Lila Houlihan sparks hot start with two RBI double in the 1st inning of 9-6 win over Monmouth Regional
Even as they reached 20 wins for the season on Tuesday, the Raritan Rockets aren’t taking any of them for granted.
Particularly not the 9-6 victory over Monmouth Regional that kicked off the NJSIAA softball postseason. It was the first state playoff victory for the Rockets since 2022, when they also beat Monmouth. But given their impressive 20-4 record, they’re looking to make 2025 the year that their regular season strength translates to postseason success.
“I feel like Raritan — everyone this low of us. Like oh we’re just Raritan,” said senior Julia Del Masto. “That also gives energy to be like, let’s prove them wrong.”
Del Masto has been a foundational talent for the past several seasons, and her leadership has spurred on a new generation of Rockets as the youthful squad has reached new heights this spring with their first 20-win season since 2019. Now in the very competitive Central Group 2 section, Raritan is looking to prove that they’ve arrived as a serious contender.
“We’re a good softball team,” Del Masto added. “We’ve improved over the years and I want to show people that.”
The improvement is first evident in Raritan hosting a playoff game for the first time in two years. The four-seed Rockets will move on to host a second playoff game in the quarterfinals as they await the winner of Bordentown and Metuchen.
The strength of this year’s Raritan team was also clear in the first three innings, as the Rockets amassed a 9-1 lead that proved to be pivotal as Monmouth pieced together a spirited comeback effort. Del Masto and sophomore Janelle Clausi helped build the lead as a one-two punch at the top of the lineup.
“Raritan as a school, we usually don’t make it that far past the first or second round, so I think this is already a big accomplishment being our 20th win,” Clausi said. “We’re having a great season, and we could definitely improve and make a run that no one is expecting.”
There is plenty of room for improvement given the multitude of strong freshmen and sophomores that have hit the ground running as key contributors this season. Starting pitcher Katelyn Ruta is one clear example, as she entered Tuesday with a 1.98 ERA.
Fellow freshman Lila Houlihan is leading the team in RBIs with 24, and she added to that total promptly as she sparked her team’s first runs with a two RBI double in the first inning. Her early high school success is a result of her work in travel softball, and she was undaunted by the notion of the state playoffs.
“I play at a pretty high level for travel, so I know a lot of people from all these different teams,” Houlihan said. “I use it as an advantage because I know where they like to hit. I know where they like to pitch. So it’s an advantage for everyone else too, kind of the inside scoop.”
And heading off a Monmouth comeback rally late in the game was yet another sophomore, Payton Fleming. The pitcher entered in relief for Ruta and didn’t concede an earned run even as she twice faced bases-loaded jams.
“It’s hard when a team’s having a rally to come in and just shut it down,” Fleming said. “I just know my team is depending on me to do it in that situation, so I just kinda pitch and do what I’ve been working at.”
There’s a theme within the team of not making the moment bigger than it is. That approach has certainly been proven to be effective thus far, but the biggest challenges of the season are right around the corner.
The Central Group 2 sectional bracket is as competitive as any in the state. The top seed is reigning section champion Johnson. Second is Delran, which played in the final last year and won the section title in 2023. Third is Robbinsville, which was the top seed in Central Group 3 last season before being reorganized into Group 2.
And then there’s five-seed Bordentown, presumably Raritan’s next opponent. They won the section in 2022 and have an impressive 9-2 record in the sectional postseason over the past three seasons. It’s as big of a challenge as any upstart team could face, and success would leave no doubt that the Rockets have finally proven that they’ve arrived as a serious contender.
For all the savored wins, it’s the losses that could help the Rockets reach the next phase of their growth. The team’s four losses came to Red Bank Catholic, Marlboro and twice to Middletown South. The latter two defeats cost the team a division title, but served as motivation for this postseason run.
“That game helped us a lot to see our potential,” Clausi said. “Even though the outcome wasn’t what we wanted, it still showed how tough we can be. It makes the other teams know that we’re here to play and don’t sleep on us.”
Early Raritan lead proves insurmountable as Monmouth battles back
The Rocket offense showed up ready for lift off from the opening inning, and it was ultimately the difference in the win. They shot out to an early 4-0 lead after the first after Houlihan’s two RBI double and subsequent RBIs by Madison Regiec and Katelyn Ruta.
Raritan continued to roll in the second as the Rockets crafted more runs. Holly Bellofatto and Houlihan each added a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 6-0 heading into the third.
To Monmouth’s credit, they fought back valiantly. Senior Aki Sykes delivered the team’s first RBI in the top of the third to lay the foundation, but Raritan kept rolling. The Rockets answered in the bottom half with RBI singles by Brielle Brosonski, Del Masto and Bellofatto to extend the lead to 9-1 and put the team on the verge of a run-rule victory.
But after a pitching change, Monmouth got a jolt of momentum. Junior Jordan Diefes entered the game in the third and found a rhythm in the fourth, striking out the side. Her hot start in the circle translated to hot bats in the top of the fifth. Senior Kelly Dopazo cut into the Raritan lead with a two RBI double to make it 9-3.
The rally continued in the top of the sixth. Layla Yamello had an RBI single and senior Erin Clancey drew a walk with the bases loaded for another RBI. Emma Riccardi finished off the inning with a sacrifice fly as the Falcons cut the Rockets’ lead to 9-6.
For the third straight inning, Monmouth loaded the bases in the top of the seventh with the go-ahead run at home plate. But after two earlier strikeouts, Fleming adeptly pitched to her defense with a ground ball out to seal the win.
Raritan moves on to big quarterfinal matchup
Although the matchup is not yet set, Bordentown’s recent postseason success would indicate that the Scotties are the likely next opponent for Raritan. And the Rockets are sure to be in a dogfight in the quarterfinal.
The home field advantage could be a key edge for Raritan in the evenly-matched duel. The two teams have similar resumes as the losses have come against high-level opponents. None of Bordentown’s nine losses have come against teams with a losing record and almost all are top seeds in their respective sections.
There are no common opponents, and thusly not many ways to compare resumes. For better or for worse, the rest of the state is going to find out what Raritan is made of in these playoffs.
