Four Softball Stars Head All-County Softball Team

At the beginning, no one was quite sure how good the Cranford girls' varsity softball team would be. Not even themselves.

But thanks to great pitching and defense, along with timely hitting, the Lady Cougars were back in a familiar spot – posing with the trophy as Union County champions.

Much of that success rode on the arms of their two ace pitchers, senior righthander Kelly Hardman, and freshman sensation Julie Siragusa, who were both named Star-Ledger first-team All-County selections this past week.

Hardman finished her outstanding high school career with a 13-3 record, posting an ERA of 1.45 while striking out 97 in 95 innings. She was an amazing 3-0 in county tournament finals, leading her team to their third UCT title in four years.

Siragusa, meanwhile, is the heir apparent, and apparently has the goods to lead this young team for the next three years. The southpaw finished with a 10-1 mark, with an astounding 0.69 ERA, allowing just six earned runs in 60 innings of work while striking out 106 batters thanks to her blazing fastball.

First-team honors also went to senior third-baseman Taylor D'Antico, who played the hot-corner with gold-glove capabilities. The three-sport star committed only three errors in the past two seasons. At the plate, she finished with a .386 batting average, ripping 18 RBI and scoring 19 runs.

Rounding out Cranford's first-team selections was Melissa Moreno, who as a sophomore, has developed into the best backstop in Union County. Moreno batted a team-high .452 with 33 hits, while blasting three homers and 36 RBI.

Hardman, who will play in the fall at The College of New Jersey, was also selected to the All-Group 3 first-team, while Moreno and D'Antico were named to the All-Group 3 third-team.