An Early Lesson for HHS Softball Team

The Hoboken High School softball team impoved to 3-0 Wednesday afternoon, but the win did not come easily. The final score, 14-4, does not reflect the hard-fought win.

Holy Family Academy scored four runs in the first inning, two unearned after a pair of errors in centerfield.

"They realized after the first, down 4-0, that they were in for a game," Coach Carmine Ronga said.

The Redwings struck back immediately, as Zapaleta led off the game with a solo homerun. They cut the lead further in the second inning, as Jayla Vega singled in Moldonado.

After a quiet third and fourth, Hoboken "woke up" in the fifth inning, Ronga said.

Amanda Spano propelled the team to the victory, with two-run homeruns in both the fifth and sixth innings. In the fifth, with one out, Spano knocked in Ashley Barren, who had reached base with a two-RBI single.

In the sixth, with two outs, Spano brought home Vega, who had a 2-RBI single of her own.

Zapaleta was also hot at the plate, going 3-4 with 2 RBIs. Vega was 3-4 with 3 RBIs, all on singles. Ashley Barron was 1-2 with 2 RBIs, and Spano was 2-3 with 4 RBIs.

In the field, pitcher Vega allowed 6 hits over 6 innings, striking out 2 and walking 1 en route to the win. Holy Family never threatened after the first inning.

"Today was a valuable lesson," Ronga said, "they need to come to play hard everyday. Teams come in here and everybody wants to beat Hoboken."

Ronga added that Friday's game will pose an even greater challenge. "Absolutely, a conference game, Kearny is a big Group 4 school. They will have to step it up."

Hoboken takes on Kearny at noon on Friday, at the high school field.