Martinez shines as Palmyra falls to Woodstown

A tremendous regular season and playoff run by the Palmyra High School girls’ softball team came to an end on a beautiful June 2 at the NJSIAA South Jersey Group 1 semifinal game at Legion Field.

Facing a talented Woodstown team, the Panthers played hard and gave everything they had before more than 100 fans cheering them on behind the plate, in the bleachers and beyond the right centerfield fence.

In the first inning ace pitcher Jasmine Martinez struck out two Woodstown batters and retired the side in order to the delight of the crowd. In the bottom of the inning, Gianna Gugliemucci walked and stole second base but Woodstown’s pitcher Leah Clarke got the next two batters out to end the rally.

Using a rising fastball and changing speeds, Martinez struck out three batters in a row for a quick top of the second. The Panthers’ Mailee Kahana walked in the bottom of the second and stole second base, but Palmyra did not score.

Martinez was dominant again in the third inning, striking out two batters and inducing a pop up to her twin sister, senior shortstop Jiselle Martinez, who hit a single in the bottom of the inning. However, Clark responded by striking out three Panthers.

In the top of the fourth inning, Palmyra catcher Sidney Lim made a great throw to cut down a Wolverine base runner trying to steal second. The Panthers had a rally going in the bottom of the fourth, as Jasmine Martinez walked and Lim beat out an infield hit, but Clark got the next two hitters out to keep the game scoreless.

Woodstown broke through in the top of the fifth by loading the bases with a walk and two bunt singles to load the bases, followed by a two-run single for a 2-0 lead. Jiselle Martinez walked, stole second base and third base, but was stranded there as Clark struck out three batters.

The Wolverines put the pressure on again in the top of the sixth, and had two runners on base with two outs when Jasmine Martinez came through with a big strikeout. Palmyra got a rally going in the bottom of the inning on back-to-back singles by Lim and Kahana. Jadia Edwards then hit a hard grounder that the third baseman was able to field and throw her out at first.

Woodstown scored three runs in the top of the seventh for a 5-0 lead, and Clark sealed the victory by shutting down the Panthers in order to end the game.

It was a tough loss for Palmyra, but the team had a great season overall finishing with an 18-8 record. In the first round of the playoffs Jasmine Martinez pitched a shutout in a 5-0 victory over Glassboro on May 27. In the second round on May 28, the Panthers defeated Gateway.

Coached by Ken Miller, players contributing to the success of the 2026 team were Evie Aird, Jane Ancker, Lyric Bridges, Bella Brugler, Jadia Edwards, Emily Falicki, Madi Flynn, Gianna Guglielmucci, Jill Hines, Aubrie Hort, Mailee Kahana, Elisie Kenson, Sidney Lim, Olivia Lynch, Jasmine Martinez, Jisselle Martinez, Kaylee Matthews, Alli Minnix, Ilana Orth, Mackenzie Peltz, Grace Stavely, Aubrey Wagner, Hannah Wagner and Jamila Walker.