It's been a tough seven days for the baseball and softball squads after being booted from their respective county tournaments. And the rain hasn't helped, dashing scheduling and leading to inactivity.
The Maroons baseball team fell in the Bergen County Tournament, 5-3 to Ramapo and has not played since heading into Friday and the weekend. The Lady Maroons were knocked out of the county softball tournament by rival Paramus, 9-1.
The softball team has not beenhit by the postponements, but it did get a game in Thursday at Immaculate Heart Academy where they lost 2-0.
Both Ridgewood High School baseball and softball teams are the third seeds in next week's state tournaments.
In addition, both RHS lacrosse teams start their drive for state titles. Both are the top seeds in their respective sections. The girls host ninth-seeded Westfield on Friday afternoon at home in Group 4 North while the boys will take on the winner of 17th-seeded Monroe-16th-seeded Fair Lawn at home on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of Group 3.
The Ridgewood boys and girls track and field teams start their drive from group titles in the Bergen County Meet that starts Friday at Northern Valley Old Tappan and ends on Saturday.
Baseball
The Ridgewood baseball team is the third seed and will host 14th seeded Clifton on Monday in Group 4 North 1 state sectional. If the Maroons win they will host the winner of 11th-seeded Bloomfield-6th-seeded West Orange on May 27.
"It is a tough section and we are happy to get a home game in the first round," said Ridgewood head coach Kurt Hommen.
Last season, the Maroons lost to Livingston in the Group 4 North 1 state sectional semi-finals.
The 10th-seeded Maroons had a tough seed on Saturday in the Bergen County Tournament against seventh-seeded Ramapo, a Big North rival and one of the perennial top Bergen County programs.
Ridgewood pitcher Matt Granski had one bad inning, the fourth, where Ramapo put four runs across the plate as the Maroons lost 5-3.
Behind the offense of Cooper Byrne and Frank Paleno, Ridgewood rallied with three runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Paleno smacked a home run and had two RBI on the day and Byrne an RBI for the Maroons offense.
And Ridgewood had runners on first and second in the top of the seventh inning with one out, but could not get them in.
Softball
The Ridgewood softball team also garnered a third seed in Group 4 North 1 state sectional. The Lady Maroons host 14th-seeded Bergen Tech on Tuesday.
A win would have Ridgewood host the winner of 11th-seeded Fair Lawn-sixth-seeded West Orange on Thursday, May 24.
Like the baseball team the Lady Maroons want to go at least another round this season. Ridgewood was knocked out by Montclair in the Group 4 North 1 state sectional semi-finals in 2010.
Ridgewood continued to struggle against Paramus. The eighth-seeded Lady Maroons were knocked out of the Bergen County Tournament, 9-1, against top-seeded Paramus on Saturday.
For Ridgewood it was just too much Spartans' Victoria Vergona, who had five RBI against Maroons pitcher Nicole Hroncich and the Ridgewood defense.
The Lady Maroons offense could only muster a Teresa Funk RBI in the top of the sixth inning against Spartans pitcher Tori Feorenzo.
And on Thursday, the Ridgewood offense continued to struggle against top flight pitching.This time it was against IHA and pitcher Steph Thomas as the Lady Maroons could only compile two hits in the Big North battle and dropped a 2-0 loss to the Blue Eagles on the road.
Ridgewood pitcher Nicole Hroncich battled pitch for pitch with Thomas and scattered six hits, but IHA scored a run in the first inning and a run in the sixth inning to do in the Lady Maroons who dropped to 13-4 for the season.
Boys tennis
Ridgewood's drive to get to the Group 4 North 1 state sectional title came up short on Thursday as the Maroons dropped a 3-2 loss at Morris Knolls.
`The match came down to the first singles as Ridgewood's Chris Hu dropped a well fought battle with Morris Knoll's George Tioutine in three sets, 6-2,3-6, 6-1.
While the two other Ridgewood singles lost in Charlie Gundeck and Griffin Kurzius at second and three singles respectively, the two doubles teams put the Maroons in the lead.
The Ridgewood first doubles team of Sam Keefer and James Smith defeated Morris Knolls Eric Schmitt/Zachary Frid, 6-0-6-3. And second doubles of Sebastian Schecther and Timer Erskine took care of Morris Knolls Neall D'Adamo and Adam Halpern by almost a duplicate score, 6-3, 6-0.
While the state title drive fell short with a 16-1 record, all three singles and two doubles teams made it to this weekend's Bergen County Tournament semi-finals. The semi-finals are scheduled for Northern Valley Demarest on Saturday morning with the finals on Saturday afternoon.
With five entrees still in the running, Ridgewood had the lead in the big school division with 10 points, ahead of Old Tappan's eight points.
Boys lacrosse
In a tune-up for the start of the state tournament, Ridgewood lost a tough battle at Delbarton, one of the best teams in the state, 12-8, on Thursday in Morris County.
The Maroons are the top seed in the Group 3 state tournament and a victory in the quarterfinals would send the Maroons to the semi-finals on May 26.
In the loss at Delbarton, Ridgewood stayed with the Green Wave through the first three quarters. The game was tied at seven heading into the final quarter.
But Delbarton overpowered Ridgewood in the fourth quarter. Jack Allard and Max Luing had a pair of goals for Ridgewood who dropped to 13-5 this season.
Girls lacrosse
The Lady Maroons prepped in fine fashion for the state tournament with a dominating 20-1 victory at home against Bergen Tech on Tuesday.
Everybody got into the act for Ridgewood as 15 players registered at least a goal or an assist in the contest. Both Kaitlin Concilio and Kelci Smesko registered three goals and two assists in the contest that raised the Lady Maroons record to 16-1.
When Bergen Tech had the ball, Ridgewood goalie Isabel Sippel stymied Tech by making six saves.
