100s for West Deptford Softballers

It was a week of hundreds for the West Deptford softball team.

First, senior Sydney Ponto .

Then, Ponto and teammate Marissa Linquist made a little noise of their own, notching the 100th hits of their high school careers in a 12-0 stomping of Lindenwold. They did it within two at-bats of one another.

Linquist was 2-for-3 at the plate in the game, scoring once, doubling, and knocking in 4 RBIs. She also pitched 5 innings for the win, walking only two batters in the process. Ponto's hit was her only one in the contest, but she also scored three times.

The duo, which have helped turn the team into a force in the conference, "have worked very hard to become the players they are today," Schramm told Patch in an email.

"They didn't come in as freshman being big guns," Schramm wrote. "Through their year-round commitment to getting better as softball players, they have evolved into our big guns."

Ponto (7-2) and Linquist (8-2) have nearly identical records on the mound, Schramm wrote, and have turned this current crop of Eagles into serious contenders.

"They're so valuable because they have a huge impact on how the game is played and what the outcome is," she said. "They are the hitters we want up with runners on. They are the fielders we want the opposing team to hit the ball to. They both are the pitcher we would put up against anyone."

Schramm, who said her own 100-win milestone "felt like just another day," did take a moment during the celebration to remember her first year as the program's softball coach. Back then, she had the opportunity to coach her little sister, Marlee, who now assists her with the current team.

"I had an opportunity to coach some of the best athletes to come out of West Deptford that year," Schramm said. "The team went undefeated in the conference-first time in West Deptford history. We just couldn't get over on Kingsway, who served us our only two losses of the season."

Without drawing too many comparisons between the quality of that roster and this current crop of Eagles, Schramm is allowing herself to dream that her group has the makings of a champion.

"With a team of this caliber, it'd be crazy not to shoot for a South Jersey title and an opportunity to compete for states," she said.

"As long as everyone stays healthy and the team sticks together, there can be big goals attained this season," she said. "I'm solely putting it in the girls' hands [to decide] what they want."