Lady Redwings Ousted From HCT

Several young Hobokenites will be playing for the Hudson County softball title. Unfortunately, the girls won't be donning Redwings black and red.

That's because it's High Tech, featuring five Hobokenites in the starting nine, that will be playing for the county crown after defeating Hoboken 10-4 on Saturday afternoon in Hoboken.

"If you just saw the first inning, it looked like we had it," a clearly disappointed Hoboken Coach Carmine Ronga said after the game. "But it was just a completely sloppy game. We made defensive lapses, base-running errors. It was sloppy in every phase. But they're a good team, can't take that away from them."

"I said before the game, you can't make errors and you have to hit to beat this team," teary-eyed senior captain Ashley Barron said. "You have to hit. You can't fall behind to a team like that, or this is what'll happen."

In the first, High Tech put three runners on base with a succession of singles, but Hoboken starter Yaritza Santiago pitched out of the jam with back-to-back strikeouts.

The Redwings took the lead in the bottom half of the inning. With Jayla Vega on first and one out, Renee Zabeleta was hit by a pitch and Barron singled to load the bases.

High Tech ace pitcher Erica Colon caught Amanda Spano looking on strike three, Colon's 1000^th career strikeout, but Santiago refused to let Colon celebrate for long. Santiago gave Hoboken the 2-0 advantage with a two-RBI single. Colon got the next two batters looking.

That would be as good as it got for Hoboken.

In the top of the second, High Tech scored five runs, all with two outs. With Jessie Northgrave and Sybil Lynch on base, Natalie Classen drilled a three-run home run for the 3-2 lead. Colon followed with a triple, Angie Nieves knocked her in with an RBI single, and Jovanique Meneses drove in Nieves with a triple to build a 5-2 lead.

The Redwings squandered a chance to come back in the bottom of the second. Zabaleta was called out for leaving the base early; Desiree Rivera was caught at home when she should've stayed put at third.

"Base running errors were a big problem today," Ronga said. "A big problem."

High Tech added three in the top of the third. With Natasha Nieves on third and two out, Lynch crushed an RBI double. An error at third allowed Classen to reach base safely, and this time it was Colon's turn to make Santiago pay, as Colon cleared the bases with a triple and the 8-2 lead.

In the fourth, Natasha Nieves's crushed a two-run home run to center to make it 10-2. Santiago would settle down, only allowing one hit over the final three innings, but the damage proved too great for Hoboken to overcome.

The team seemed to be gaining momentum in the fifth, after completing an inning-ending double play to hold High Tech scoreless in the inning. Second-basemen Jayla Vega gunned down a runner at the plate, but energy didn't carry over on offense.

In the seventh, the spark was there, but it was too little too late.  Vega led-off the inning with a double and advanced to third on a fielding error in left. Zabaleta was safe with a bunt single to put runners at the corners, and advanced to second as High Tech made no attempt to contain her at first. Senior captain Barron battled at the plate, but eventually struck out on Colon's best pitch: the riser.

Spano followed with another bunt single to load the bases. With one out, Santiago grounded into a 5-3 fielder's choice. As third baseman Meneses dove for the ball and barely caught Santiago at first, Vega and Northgrave came in to score, and Spano advanced to third.

But that's as far as she would make it, as Nicolette Martinez went down looking to end the game. The number six hitter, Martinez is part of the bottom half of the order, which failed to produce a hit all day. Eight of the nine Hoboken hits came off the bats of the top four; one from number-five batter Santiago. Santiago also had all four RBIs.

On the mound, Santiago, who came into the game with a 1.42 ERA, allowed 14 hits while walking one and striking out four. Colon allowed nine hits while walking three, hitting two, and striking out 10.

At the plate, the top Hoboken batters were Vega (3-4 with a single, double and a triple); Zabaleta (2-3 and HBP); and Santiago (2-3, 4 RBI).

After the game, High Tech catcher Bianca Arroya, a Hoboken native, said they enjoy playing against their friends. "It's great for the simple fact that we know we're playing the best," she said, "and to be the best, you have to beat the best."

Hoboken will now look to the state tournament. They play their final regular season game on Monday at Kearny. On Friday, the Redwings (17-3) will take on the winner of Harrison v. Bloomfield Tech. As the top seed in North Jersey Section II Group I, Hoboken received a bye in the first round.