Softball: Courier News Top 10, Player of the Week and notebook

1.Montgomery (5-0) – Last week No. 3 – The Cougars have continued to roll, adding a couple of more powerhouses to their list of victims last week, including former CN No. 1 Watchung Hills and 2016 Group IV state semifinalists Livingston.

2. WatchungHills (6-1) – Last week’s rank No. 1 – The Warriors suffered their first loss of the season Wednesday, falling to Montgomery, but got right back to their winning ways with victories over Somerville and Nutley to wrap up their week.

RELATED: Reigning state Group IV champion Watchung Hills not resting on last year's accomplishments

3. Hunterdon Central (6-1) – Last week No. 3 – The Red Devils ran their season-opening winning streak to six games before falling to Sussex County power Sparta in Saturday’s final of the Red Devil Tournament. Central gets Phillipsburg on Thursday, before facing Union County contender A.L. Johnson on Friday.

4. North Hunterdon (7-1) - Last week No. 5 – The Lions have rebounded nicely after suffering their first losing season since 2001, going 5-0 last week and putting their lone loss -- a 3-2 loss nine-inning defeat to reigning Group IV champ Watchung Hills – behind them. Big showdown Tuesday against Montgomery with first place in the Raritan Division on the line.

5. Bridgewater-Raritan (6-1) – Last week No. 6 – The Panthers have bounced back after being stunned by Ridge in their second game, and have reeled off five straight victories since. B-R continues to give up runs in large numbers – teams have scored 7.6 runs per game – but the Panthers offense has been equal to the task, posting 10 runs per contest so far.

6. Voorhees (3-3) – Last week No. 7 – The Vikings began the season on a three-game winning streak, but have dropped three straight since, although all three to high-level clubs, including North Hunterdon on Thursday, and to Sparta and Jefferson at Saturday’s Red Devil Classic.

7. Delaware Valley (4-4) – Last week No. 10 – The Terriers have authored an impressive turnaround after an 0-4 start. Del Val opened the week by dropping games to Bridgewater-Raritan and then one by one run to last year’s Group IV state semifinalists Livingston, but came roaring back to cap their week with four straight victories, including a key conference win over Somerville.

8. Hillsborough (0-4) - Last week No. 4 – The Raiders early-season slide reached four games with an 0-3 week, including losses to Ridge and Delaware Valley, a pair of Skyland Conference teams that hadn’t beaten Hillsborough in many years. Boro wrapped up its week with a positive outing in a 3-0 loss to Cedar Grove in Saturday’s NJ Pride Gold Classic at Ivy Hilly Park.

9. Governor Livingston (5-2) – Last week No. 8 – The Highlanders only played twice last week, scoring a pair of victories, including by one run over surging Westfield on Tuesday. After a big win over A.L. Johnson on Monday, and an interdivisional game against Union on Tuesday, Governor Livingston will test itself at Watchung Hills on Wednesday.

10. Westfield (4-2) – Last week unranked – After losing to Cranford opening day and then opening last week by falling to Governor Livingston by one run on Tuesday, the Blue Devils finished the week with three straight wins, including 10-run mercy rule triumphs over Union and Edison.

DROPPED OUT: Immaculata (1-5)

Player of the Week

The Montgomery High School softball team’s start has been one of the big stories of the season’s first two weeks, and junior pitcher Peyton Schnackenberg has been a huge part of the Cougars success, earning Player of the Week honors for Week 1.

Schnackenberg has turned in several huge performances in the circle through the season’s first two weeks, with the first coming April 8 in an 11-inning victory over Immaculate Heart, then-ranked No. 1 in the state. The righty went the distance, allowing no earned runs on seven hits, walking two and striking out 12.

The junior was also key at the at the plate, opening the year by going 4-for-6 with a triple, homer, two runs and two walks.

Schnackenberger has continued her success since, raising her season stats to 8-for-18 (.444) through Saturday, with three doubles, a homer, five runs and six RBIs. In the circle, the right-hander is 4-0, having yet to allow an earned run in 28 innings, surrendering just 16 hits, three walks and striking out 35.

“She’s a warrior. She’s a stud,” Montgomery coach Bryan Upshaw said. "Her pitching has been fantastic. If there’s an error, she doesn’t let it get to her. She does her job and gets the next batter. If the winning run is on second, she doesn’t worry about that. She focuses on getting the next batter out. That’s the kind of player she is. She stays after practice for extra pitching or extra hitting. She’s a work horse.”

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Vote for your choice for Week 2’s CN Softball Player of the Week

County tournaments gearing up

The Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex and Somerset County Tournaments get underway this week, with the HWST seeds released Monday and the SCT seeds due out Tuesday night.

Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex action gets started Wednesday with first-round games, with the second round on tap for Saturday. The Top 4 seeds have byes into the quarterfinals, which are scheduled for April 29, the semifinals May 6, and the final May 13 at Phillipsburg High School.

HWST SEEDS: Click here to check out the 2017 Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament seeds and matchup s

The SCT gets underway Saturday with first-round games, with the Top 4 seeds earning byes into the May 6 quarterfinals and the 5-9 seeds off until the second round, April 29. The semifinals are slated for Wednesday, May 10, with the final scheduled for Saturday night, May 13 at Torpey Field.

Check us out online at www.MyCentralJersey.com for the seeds. They’ll be posted as soon as they’re released following Tuesday evening’s meeting. Follow beat writer Simeon Pincus on Twitter @SimeonPincus and on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SimeonPincusCN where he’ll be posting the seeds as soon as they’re official.

Staff writer Simeon Pincus can be reached atCourierSoftball@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @SimeonPincus and atwww.Facebook.com/SimeonPincusCN.