BY MIKE McDONALD
Staff Writer
The Colonia High School softball team entered this past weekend unbeaten, before dropping its first game of the campaign to a solid Cranford team, 5-4.
But the Patriots didn’t have to wait long to get back on the winning track, as they then beat Linden, 4-1, in the afternoon game at the Colonia Classic.
With the win over Linden, the Pats improved to 7-1 on the young season — reaffirming their status as one of the top teams in the Greater Middlesex Conference.
The fast start has come as a surprise to some. Colonia lost a slew of players to graduation — including second baseman Amanda Buyes, pitcher/second baseman Stephanie Gelesky, third baseman Alyssa Lidner, catcher Kristen Nevins and outfielder Jennifer Szczepanki — from last year’s 9-16 team.
But early on, they seem to be the GMC’s most-improved team, combining solid pitching with a dangerous offensive attack.
The team has been led thus far by senior outfielders Erin Mahar and Allison Amato, junior first baseman Brittany Plis, as well as Brittany Moore, Meghan Donoghue, Tierney Markou and Kaitlyn Pischetola.
But if the Patriots are to continue with their hot start, it will be in large part to the efforts of senior Allison Tango, who was the team’s best pitcher last year and already has seven wins this year. Tango comes off a season where she had an earned run average of 2.03 and picked up six of the team’s nine wins, while compiling 80 strikeouts and only allowing 11 walks.
Against Cranford on Saturday, Plis and Erin Mahar led the way, each going 1-for-3 with a RBI, but Cranford got to Tango for a run in the first and four more in the fourth, giving her her first loss of the year.
Colonia bounced back well against Linden, with Tango leading the way with a seven-strikeout performance to improve to 7-1. Offensively, the Pats had several stars, including Donoghue (3-for-4 with a double), Markou (2-for-4 with two runs scored), Plis and Moore (each 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored).
With so much promise exposing itself this year, the Patriots have set some high goals.
“Each kid has her own individual goals that will help the team,” head coach Ann Cryana says. “We are a competitive team, and the players are working so hard. They are willing to do whatever it takes to win.”
Thus far, it’s been more than enough.
Notes … While the Patriots spit their two games at the Colonia Classic, the JFK Mustangs enjoyed a perfect day, knocking off Linden, 4-3, in the first game, and coming back to beat Rahway, 7-3, in the afternoon. Allison Greaney posted her fourth win of the year in the opener, striking out 10, while also contributing at the plate with a solo home run. Ashley Jaye also homered for JFK, while Becky Castelucci provided the game-winning hit — a two-run single in the seventh.
In the win over Rahway, Caitlyn Corica allowed just one earned run and also struck out 10 to post her first win of the season. Corica was also a force at the plate, where she was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Jaye led the way, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs, as seven of the nine Kennedy hitters got at least one hit.
With their 2-0 day, the Mustangs improved to 5-3 on the young season.
Woodbridge split its two games, knocking off Rahway, 6-3, in the opener, before falling to Cranford, 3-2.
Against Rahway, the Barrons trailed 3-0 virtually the entire game before scoring six runs in the bottom of the sixth. Stephanie Cuevas got the win on the mound, allowing only six hits and striking out eight, while her sister, Courtney, led the offensive attack with a 3-for-4 day.
Against Cranford, the Barrons got solo home runs from Amanda Small and Stephanie Cuevas, but it was not enough, as Cranford got three runs off Cuevas, dropping Woodbridge to 4-4 on the season.