LHS Softball Falls in County Semifinals

Livingston's quest for an Essex County softball championship fell just short as the Lancers dropped a 4-3 decision Saturday to Nutley in the semifinals at Ivy Hill Park in Newark.

Fourth-seeded Livingston (14-8-1) scored twice in the second to open the scoring and increased the lead to 3-0 on a fifth-inning sacrifice fly from Rebecca Herman.

But top-seeded Nutley (21-4-1) rallied with a two-run homer from Kristen Mattia in the bottom of the fifth. The Raiders then completed the comeback with a two-run double from Lauren Iradi with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.

Even in defeat,  sophomore hurler Jess Peslak impressed for Livingston as she struck out 14 batters.

The Lancers now move on to the state playoffs. Livingston is the No. 10 seed in the North 1, Group IV tournament and will open against No. 7 seed Randolph on Tuesday, May 24.