South Jersey Mean 15 softball rankings for fourth week of April

As the scholastic softball season gets ready to move into May, things are beginning to heat up as April closes.

Here are the latest South Jersey Mean 15 rankings.

Rankings, records and stats are through Thursday's games.

More: Top performers from South Jersey softball from third week of regular season

Mean 15 rankings

1. Kingsway (12-0, last week’s ranking: 1). The Dragons are the last remaining undefeated team in South Jersey and joins Morris Knolls, Weehawken and Point Pleasant Beach as the last unbeaten teams in the Garden State. Kingsway gets its shot at powerhouse Notre Dame in Saturday’s opening round of the Hammonton Invitational. Junior Hannah Weismer has eight RBIs in her last three games and leads the team with five homers.

2. Vineland (10-1, 13). The Fighting Clan jump a whopping 11 spots in the rankings thanks to a win over then-No. 2 Egg Harbor Township before avenging their lone loss with a 7-5 triumph over St. Joseph. The Harrell-Alvarez twin sisters, Megan and Morgan, have combined for 29 hits, 30 runs scored, 20 RBIs and 15 stolen bases.

3. Egg Harbor Township (9-4, 2). After losing two games to South Jersey squads in the previous two seasons combined, the Eagles lost back-to-back games to Kingsway and Vineland this week by a combined four runs. Senior Payton Colbert is batting an eye-popping .550 with 22 hits and 18 RBIs.

4. St. Joseph (10-3, 5). The Wildcats had their eight-game winning streak snapped on Friday with a 7-5 setback to Vineland. The team is 3-0 in one-run games, including victories over Vineland and Gloucester. Freshman Riley Hunter ranks third on the club with 15 hits while senior Ava Fisher has five homers on the season, raising her career total to 21.

5. Gloucester (9-2, 7). Since dropping their season opener, the Lions are 9-1 over their last 10 games with the only loss a 1-0 decision against St. Joseph. The trio of Olivia George, Emma Dick and Kloi Tighe has been lights out in the circle, posting a 0.77 ERA over 72 innings. George fired a nine-inning, one-hitter with 10 Ks and no walks in a 2-1 win over Cherokee on April 23.

6. Moorestown (8-1, 10). Eight wins in a row for the Quakers, which included a 15-4 rout of Haddon Heights on April 22. Senior Sophia Presto has contributed four hits and three RBIs over the last two games and is among the team leaders with seven runs scored.

7. Northern Burlington (10-3, 4). The Greyhounds have yielded just six runs over their last seven games (5-2 record). Junior Mikayla Fontana has allowed 60 baserunners in 77 innings of work, striking out 102 batters and posting a 1.00 ERA. A rematch with Cinnaminson on the road awaits on May 1. The two teams have split a pair of meetings this spring.

8. Cinnaminson (10-3, 6). The Pirates have reeled off six straight wins, outscoring opponents 57-10 over the stretch. Sophomore Delaney Kroll leads the team with 16 RBIs, including 10 in her last six games.

9. Bordentown (8-4, 3). The rough-and-tumble Burlington County Scholastic League left the Scotties with some bruises in the form of back-to-back losses to Northern Burlington and Cinnaminson this week. The team had won its previous seven games in a row. Sophomore Julianna Morolda is batting .462 with 18 knocks, 13 runs scored and 10 RBIs.

10. Lenape (6-4, 15). Bouncing back from a 4-1 loss to Steinert, Lenape rebounded in fine fashion with wins over Northern Burlington and Seneca by a combined three runs. Junior Rebecca Taylor continues to fill up the stat sheet as she has 15 hits, 13 runs scored, 10 RBIs and two stolen bases. She also leads the club with four homers.

11. Haddon Heights (6-4-1, 8). After scuffling in a three-game losing streak to ranked teams, the Garnets got back on track with wins over Ocean City and Sterling by a combined 30-3 count. Junior Sophia Bordi has six hits in her last seven at-bats, including a pair of homers and 10 RBIs, to go along with six walks.

12. Cherokee (6-4-1, 11). With losses to Moorestown and Gloucester in their last three games, Cherokee falls a spot in the rankings. A pair with Eastern sandwiched around a game with rival Shawnee awaits the team next week. Sophomore Jordan Hreben has collected a hit in nine of 10 games this spring, has reached base a team-best 20 times and scored 12 runs.

13. Paul VI (8-4, 12). The Eagles knocked off previously undefeated Eastern, 4-3, on April 24 to extend their winning streak to four. Paul VI’s 133 runs scored are the second highest total in South Jersey, trailing only Absegami (152, 11 games). Junior Quinn Cunningham has posted big numbers across the board with 15 hits, 14 runs, 18 RBIs, 13 walks and five stolen bases.

14. Eastern (10-1, 10). South Jersey’s second-longest winning streak of the season was halted with a 4-3 loss to Paul VI. Junior Sami Wakeley broke two program records, becoming the Vikings’ all-time strikeout leader (436) and punching out 21 batters in a single game (against Paul VI).

15. Cedar Creek (5-4, NR). The Pirates check into the rankings for the first time this season. Three of the four losses were by a combined four runs to Egg Harbor Township, St. Joseph and Vineland. Senior Liz Martin is hitting .370 with nine RBIs and owns a 1.33 ERA in the circle.

Tom McGurk is a regional sports reporter for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: South Jersey Mean 15 softball rankings for April 26