By Jim Hintelmann
LITTLE SILVER – When Red Bank Regional senior first baseman Jess Stevenson stepped to the plate in the second inning of Monday’s non-division softball game with Shore Regional, just about everybody there knew she was one hit away from a career 100th.
One of the few who didn’t know happened to be Stevenson herself, but she ended any suspense by smashing a double to center that just missed being a home run.
“I knew that I was close to 100 hits, but nobody told me,” said Stevenson, who will play softball at The College of New Jersey next year. “I hit an inside fastball and was looking for it. I knew that it was my 100th hit because they stopped the game and everyone was congratulating me.”
Stevenson had another hit later in the game as the Lady Bucs rolled to a 10-0 victory.
Stevenson became the first Red Bank Regional softball player to reach 100 hits. Two baseball players have reached 100 hits.
“Jess works hard on her game,” Red Bank coach Denise D’Esposito said. “She sees different pitches and can identify what pitch is coming. She is very confident about her abilities and puts it out there on the field.”
She is also a straight-A student and a leader at the high school.
Stevenson followed up on her memorable game by slamming her one-season school record sixth home run as the Bucs (10-7) routed Long Branch, 17-0 on Tuesday. She has 19 homers for her career.
