The Lady Redwings Win Again

Senior pitcher Yaritza Santiago pitched a gem Saturday afternoon, propelling the Lady Redwings to a 4-0 win over the Hurricanes of County Prep High School in Jersey City.

A decent-size crowd turned out for the game, enjoying the spectacular spring weather.

Only two Hurricanes reached base, one on a walk and the other on an error in the seventh inning. The senior captain threw 90 pitches, striking out seven on the way to victory.

Hoboken struggled to hit County Prep pitcher Alyssa Guzman, but took advantage of five walks in the bottom of the third inning. Senior Ashley Barron, who will play for Penn State University next year, and sophomore Samantha Maldonado walked with bases loaded, putting Hoboken up 2-0.

After a scoreless fourth and fifth, Hoboken added a couple of security runs in the bottom of the sixth. With two out, Desiree Rivera, batting in the nine-hole, roped a single to center. Renee Zabaleta followed with a single to right. The hard grounder went between the right fielder's legs, allowing Rivera and the speedy Zabaleta to score. It's the second game in a row that Zabaleta has scored on what should have been a single.

"We played well, didn't make any errors until the last inning," Coach Carmine Ronga said. "Good pitching and good defense, in a 0-0 or 2-0 game, that's what you need."

Ronga was happy with junior Amanda Spano's performance in the field and at the plate. "We moved Spano over to third base, from second, and she made all the plays. And she got two hits. She did a great job."

Spano was 2-3 in the game. Zabaleta was also 2-3. Hoboken had five hits and eight walks overall. 

With the win, Hoboken is 2-0 on the season. County Prep is now 1-1. Santiago is the second Hoboken pitcher to earn a win, as she splits pitching duties with sophomore Jayla Vega.

The Redwings are in action again Monday afternoon on the high school field, taking on Paterson Catholic High School at 4:00pm.