Hillsborough falls in Elite League playoffs

Summer softball season ends in semifinals

by Rudy Brandl, Sports Editor
   For the second straight summer, Hillsborough’s quest for an Elite Softball League title ended in the semifinal round of the playoffs.
   The third-seeded Raiders came out flat and never got going in Monday night’s 6-1 loss to Edison at Ann Van Middlesworth Park. Second-ranked Edison avenged a regular season loss and advanced to Wednesday night’s Elite League championship game vs. St. John Vianney, which posted a 1-0 victory over top-ranked Flemington in the other semifinal.
   ”We were a little bit flat tonight,” Hillsborough head coach Cheryl Iaione said afterward. “Maybe the summer just caught up to us. It’s just one of those things.”
   Edison took the lead with three runs in the bottom of the second inning and never looked back. The Raiders played better ball after the slow start but only managed five hits against a talented Edison pitcher they did not face in the regular season meeting.
   ”They had a different team tonight,” Iaione said. “Their pitcher was good. She kept us off balance. They have a good team.”
   Edison scored an unearned run in the third to take a 4-0 lead. Iaione called her team together for a little pep talk and the Raiders responded.
   ”I was looking for us to show some resiliency and finish strong,” she said. “They did what I asked them to do and played much better. It was 2-1 after that.”
   Hillsborough scored its run in the top of the sixth. Christine Fisher singled and scored on a one-out double to left field by Vanessa Burshnic. Brittany Ksiezopolski had two of the team’s five hits and Margaret Gilroy added the other base hit. The Raiders also worked two walks, while striking out 10 times.
   Ksiezopolski, who had blanked Edison in the 2-0 victory earlier this month, wasn’t as sharp in the playoff game. She allowed four earned runs on seven hits in five innings with six strikeouts and one walk. KristiAnn Ivone pitched a scoreless sixth inning.
   ”Brittany had done a good job against them the first time,” Iaione said. “She’s been our pitcher most of the summer so I wanted to give her a shot.”
   The Raiders wrapped up the No. 3 seed for the playoffs with last week’s 7-0 blanking of Bound Brook at AVM Park. Ivone fired six innings of one-hit ball with 13 strikeouts and one walk to earn the victory. Kristin Whitmore struck out the side in the seventh to complete the shutout.
   Hillsborough scored twice in the bottom of the first to take the lead. Ivone singled and Alex Wells walked. After both players moved up on stolen bases, Melissa Weinstein drove them home with a single.
   The Raiders erupted for five runs in the third inning. Kara Rogers reached on an error and scored on Ivone’s two-run home run to right field. Wells walked, moved to second on a fielder’s choice and scored on Weinstein’s base hit. Stephanie Buckman singled, Alexa August reached on an error and Katie Patella stroked an RBI single to produce the final two runs.
   Twenty-two girls showed up for Monday night’s playoff game, once again reflecting the great commitment and enthusiasm within the Hillsborough program on a hot summer night. Unfortunately for the Raiders, they couldn’t extend their season and play for a championship.