HHS falls in Group IV semifinals after record 24th win
By Bob Nuse, The Packet Group
PLUMSTEAD — The unfortunate reality for most teams is that their season will end with a loss.
The Hillsborough High softball team saw its season end with a loss on Tuesday, but that can’t put a damper on one of the best seasons in school history.
”It has been a great year,” Hillsborough coach Cheryl Iaione said after the Raiders dropped a 6-2 decision to Washington Township in the Group IV state semifinals. “As I told the team, if you don’t win the last one then you lose somewhere along the line. So it is tough. We have never been to this game. It was special and a lot of fun. We were treated very nicely by our school.
”This is a special place to be and hopefully these kids set the tone for future championships and games like this. We have nothing to be ashamed of. There were four teams playing in Group IV today and we were one of them so I am very proud of them.”
Hillsborough, which captured the Central Jersey Group IV title with a 3-0 win over Steinert last Friday, finished the season 24-3. The 24 wins are a school record and the CJ IV title was the school’s first.
The only regret Iaione may have is that her team didn’t play its usual crisp game in the loss to the Minutemen. The Raiders made an uncharacteristic four errors, which led to the six runs.
”We made a lot of mistakes today,” Iaione said. “I don’t know why. We were very loose. I don’t think it had anything to do with that. We weren’t nervous. We believed we could win. I told them I am not so much disappointed with the loss. I am disappointed that I don’t believe the better team won. I still believe we’re the better team. But I give them credit. They had some timely hits and their pitcher really started to bare down on us after we started her around early.”
The Raiders trailed, 1-0, early but came right back to grab a 2-1 lead when Rachel Handel and Jess Santelli each reached base with hits. After a sacrifice, Jacki Schwenkert drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Alexis Pezza followed with a hit to drive in another run. Unfortunately, Hillsborough surrendered four unearned runs in the game and that was the difference.
”I said all along to my kids that the only team I felt could beat us was us,” Iaione said. “Not to take anything away from (Washington Township) because they are a very good team, but I felt like we beat ourselves today.
”We just couldn’t generate too much. As we fell behind we got a little tight and started to press at the plate and try to do a little too much. When you do that, bad things happen. I thought Kelly (Wishard) and Lex (Schengrund) pitched well but we didn’t help them out.”
The loss marks the end of the careers of an outstanding group of seniors who led the Raiders to unprecedented success.
”This senior class leaves a legacy at Hillsborough High School that will be hard to match,” Iaione said. “If I had to sign up for 24-3 and a sectional championship, I’ll sign up for that again next year.
”I have two four-year starters and many three-year players. It is a special group, not only as softball players but they are special young ladies who have done a tremendous job for me and I am going to miss them.”
Pezza and Alison Shimko were four-year starters for the Raiders. The other six seniors on the roster were Katie Faillace, Megan Gottschalk, Josettee Spencer, Schengrund, Schwankert and Wishard.
Iaione only wishes the last game for the group had been more like a majority of the previous games they had played.
”(To win CJ IV) we pitched well, we hit well, and we played good defense,” Iaione said. “We didn’t do all of those things today. We did them in spurts but we didn’t put it all together today and if you don’t do that in these games you won’t find yourself on top. But it doesn’t tarnish anything.”