1979 Girls Softball Team
Softball is a game where pitching sometimes dominates hitting and sometimes hitting dominates pitching. Rare is the team that has both. To add a fleet group of outfielders described by one scribe as “antelopes” with an infield with “golden hands” made for a coaches’ dream. Such was the 1979 HTHS Girls Softball team. Under the leadership of Coach Joan Frankenfield and catcher Chris Kocher, the Hawks possessed a fearsome attack and posted an 18-3 record. They capped their season by winning their final ten games en route to South Jersey and NJSIAA state championships. Highlighting the championship run was the no-hitter tossed by ace Denise Acker in a 6-0 victory in the South Jersey Group II championship against Delran. Considering themselves one big family, they merged diverse personalities into a cohesive group that throttled many opponents and managed to withstand the pressures of their championship run. Following the season, the Hawks achieved a final ranking of fifth in the Courier Post Top Ten poll, the best ever achieved by a Hawk softball team. Besides Acker and Kocher, the team was led by Diane DiPetropolo, Lauri Gardiner, Dawn Kennedy, Mary Margaret Maier, Charlene Robson, Kitty Spratt , Debby Springer and Karen Villano.
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