CN-area softball roundup for Wednesday, April 19

Governor Livingston 8, Watchung Hills 7: Christine Pacheco singled went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs and Alyssa Lombardi knocked in two runs as Governor Livingston scored an impressive road victory. Aislinn O’Keefe added a single, double and RBI for the Highlanders (8-2), who used a six-run fifth-inning to build an 8-4 lead they’d never relinquish. Julia Skrobacz went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs for Watchung Hills (7-2), while Izzy Definis singled and drove in two runs.
ANALYSIS: This one took me by surprise, as Governor Livingston proved one of Union County’s best can compete with one of the best of Somerset County, something that has often not been true in recent years. The Highlanders have been rolling all season, getting contributions from the entire lineup and some key pitching efforts from Alanna Namit, who allowed just four earned runs Wednesday, and Pacheco. This is GL’s second victory of the week over a team ranked Top 10 in the state after the Highlanders topped A.L. Johnson on Monday.
This is a bad loss for Watchung Hills, which committed two errors. Still, ace Robin McCabe, who missed Tuesday’s win over Immaculata with an illness, clearly wasn’t back to full strength Wednesday, surrendering six earned runs. The Warriors will need to get refocused with upstart Ridge coming in for a Thursday tilt.

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Montgomery 12, Hillsborough 7: Peyton Schnackenberg singled twice, homered twice and drove in five runs as Montgomery stayed undefeated. Kira Ferraiolo smacked two homers of her own in the victory, scoring four runs, while Kaitlin Kocinski added a double, two runs and three RBIs for the Cougars (8-0). Courtney Wengryn singled, homered and drove in three runs for Hillsborough (0-6), while Kelsey Galevich homered and drove in two runs for the Raiders.
ANALYSIS: It wasn’t that long ago that these teams were fierce rivals, before Montgomery fell on hard times. The Cougars are back as a major factor for the first time six years, but this meeting lacked a little juice with Hillsborough struggling. Still plenty of time for the Raiders to get on track, so perhaps a meeting with a little more gravity is coming in the near future.

Westfield 7, A.L. Johnson 5: Erica Lawrence singled, homered and drove in two runs, and Julia Romano added a home run and two RBIs as Westfield notched a key Union County Conference Watchung Division victory. Genevieve Howell also homered for the Blue Devils, who improved to 6-2.
ANALYSIS: The Blue Devils have quietly been putting together a nice season, adding the highly touted Crusaders to their list of victims.

Manville 21, Timothy Christian 3 (4 innings): Sam Zuza went 4-for-5 with two runs and four RBIs as Manville improved to 3-5. Vanessa Ramirez and Mindy Sonnenberg each scored three times for the Mustangs.
ANALYSIS: Always happy to see the Mustangs get in the win column. Quite the offensive explosion for Manville.

Bridgewater-Raritan 8, Jefferson 4: Samantha Artuso went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs and winning pitcher Sammy Mazzagatti added a single, double and two RBIs to lead Bridgewater-Raritan to its eighth straight victory. Katie Winchock posted three hits, a run and an RBI for the Panthers (9-1).
ANALYSIS: Another standout game for Winchock, whose emergence has been very key to the Panthers’ run. The center fielder had been more of a defensive specialist in past seasons, but has really taken a huge leap forward with her offense this year.

North Hunterdon 11, Allentown 6: Meghan Gragam singled twice, doubled, scored two runs and drove in two more to power North Hunterdon. Maria Newsome contributed three hits, a run and two RBIs, while Megan Hanily doubled twice and drove in a run for the Lions (8-2).

Rahway 11, Belleville 6: Jearice Rodriguez posted three hits and three RBIs and Shantel Stradford and Shanel Stradford each tallied three hits, including a double, two runs and two RBIs for Rahway. Laurie Kiley went 3-for-5 with two RBIs for the Indians (5-4).

Benedictine 6, Union Catholic 2: Lindsey Rotoly and Lauren Sasala each homered, but Union Catholic fell to 5-4. Gabrielle Manger allowed just three earned runs on eight hits, walked five and struck out one for the Vikings.

Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament first round

Delaware Valley 9, Phillipsburg 3: Sarah Zengel went 3-for-5 with two home runs and four RBIs, and Alexa DeWire collected three hits, including a double, and three RBIs as No. 14 Delaware Valley toppled No. 11 Phillipsburg to advance to the second round of the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament. Meghan Haff chipped in three hits, three runs and an RBI, while Annaliese Rohrbaugh improved to 5-2, allowing three runs on 10 hits and walking none. The Terriers () visit sixth-seeded Lenape Valley on Saturday in the second round.
ANALYSIS: The Terriers are humming on cylinders now, and despite being seeded No. 14 are looking like a legitimate contender in this tournament.

Voorhees 9, Belvidere 0: Hannah Schiavo tossed a four-hit shutout, walking six and striking out 11 to lead 12th-seeded Voorhees into the second round. Paige Fedak collected three hits, a run and three RBIs, and Sarah Furka singled twice, scored a run and knocked in two for the Vikings, who will visit fifth-seeded two-time defending champion Hunterdon Central in Saturday’s second round.
ANALYSIS: Good bounce-back victory for Voorhees, which was outslugged by Bernards 20-13 on Tuesday. Tough task Saturday with Central on tap.

Hunterdon Central 10, Warren Hills 0 (5 innings): Kylie Gletow crafted a five-inning one-hit shutout, walking none and striking out four as fifth-seeded Hunterdon Central advanced. Marissa DeVincenzo doubled twice and drove in three runs for the Red Devils (7-1), while Lindsay Zengel homered and drove in two. The two-time defending champs will play host to No. 12 Voorhees in Saturday’s second round.

Kittatinny 10, South Hunterdon 0 (6 innings): Emma Bacon and Kendall Storcella picked up the only hits for 16th-seeded South Hunterdon, which fell to the No. 9 seed. The Eagles are 3-3.

RELATED: Tuesday's softball roundup

RELATED: Monday's softball roundup