Metuchen softball falls to Cedar Grove in Group I final

UNION - The Metuchen High School softball team became the latest victim of Cedar Grove's Mia Faieta on Sunday afternoon. 

Metuchen (18-8), which was playing in its first NJSIAA Group I final in program history, fell to Cedar Grove 4-0. Faieta pitched a perfect game for the Panthers (22-7), striking out 13. 

"We knew it was going to be a very challenging game, she's an amazing pitcher, she has so much movement, just credit to her, she had a great season," Metuchen's Molly O'Connor said. "We had a great run, I have nothing to complain about really."

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The Bulldogs, who entered Sunday's final batting .400 as a team, couldn't get anything going against Faieta, who just last week pitched a perfect game in which she struck out all 21 batters she faced. 

Metuchen coach George Micak said that in preparation for Faieta, the team cranked the pitching machine to 60 miles an hour and took a lot of swings, hoping that it would be able to get the ball in play against her. The Bulldogs did manage to get the bat on the ball eight times, but it turned into either a ground out or a fly out. 

O'Connor started the game for Metuchen and took the mound with a 14-6 record and 104 strikeouts in 121 innings. She allowed four runs on 10 hits, struck out two and hit a batter. 

"It feels amazing knowing that I was the one who able to do it because this is our first time here and I'm just glad to have the experience," O'Connor said.

Cedar Grove scored twice in the bottom of the first, once in the bottom of the second and once in the bottom of the fifth to win its second Group I title in three years.

The Bulldogs have gone 140-68 with a .673 winning percentage over the last nine seasons, but could never find the right mix of magic to get past the sectional final, until this year. Metuchen returned every player from its 12-9 season last year, and won its first sectional title since 1998 with a 3-2 victory over New Egypt in the Central Group I final last Wednesday.

"I think the fact that we didn't lose any seniors last year, so it's the same starting nine as last year, and we just all came together, we had fun," O'Connor said. "There was no stress, it was just a nice run. There is no other way I'd rather go out, it's nice knowing we made it here." 

Metuchen will only lose four seniors to graduation, and with the experience gained from winning a sectional title and advancing to a Group I championship, the future looks bright for the Bulldogs. 

"I thought that we could have a good season after having no seniors last year, and as a young group to develop and we hit a stride there and it went well, went our way," Micak said. "We've got a lot of people returning from this team, I think we're graduating four seniors, and a nice JV team coming up and we'll see what we can put together." 

Staff Writer Lauren Knego: lknego@gannettnj.com; on Twitter: @laurenknego