Third Time No Charm For Ridgewood Softball

PARAMUS— The Spartans have been getting it done at the right time this week, and that time seems to be the sixth inning.

Tuesday, it was an RBI double by shortstop Kristina Meier to give Paramus a 3-2 win over Bergenfield in the first round of the North 1, Group 3 state tournament.

On Thursday, Paramus broke a scoreless tie by getting five hits and driving in four runs in the frame to beat Montville 4-0 in the second round of the tourney.

Saturday—senior day and the final regular season game of the season—the Spartans racked up six hits and added five more runs to earn the Big North Freedom crown with a 9-1 win over neighboring Ridgewood.

“Maybe it’s just that we’re getting around in the order a few times,” Paramus head coach Brian Hay said. “We didn’t come up with the runs we wanted early, but we came up with timely hits.”

After scoring four runs in the first inning—the big hit a three-run double off the bat of Meier—Paramus left the bases loaded in the second and third.

Ridgewood (17-7) cut the Paramus lead to 4-1 when shortstop Teresa Funk scored on a throwing error by Spartan catcher Alissa Miranda, who attempted to catch Funk off the base at third.

The Maroons loaded the bases with two outs in the third, but Paramus pitcher Tori Feorenzo (20-3) worked out of the jam by getting Maroon catcher Claire Dennis to ground out to short.

Feorenzo held the Maroon lineup to five hits. She struck out two and walked two.

The Spartans (26-3) batted around in the sixth and had 11 total hits on the afternoon.

Meier (3-for-4) has been swinging a hot bat this week. The Seton Hall bound (for soccer) shortstop is batting .500 with five RBI (four against Ridgewood).

Paramus first baseman Victoria Vergona reached base each time she came up—two singles and two walks—and drove in two.

Right fielder Taylor Boffalo plated two runs with a double to left. In pinch-hitting duty, Nicole Settecasi worked a walk and Liz Bergin scored pinch runner Lindsay Longo with an infield single.

Paramus earned its first league title since 2004 and third under Hay.

This is the third time this season that Paramus has beaten Ridgewood. The Spartans outscored the Maroons 27-2. Paramus blanked Ridgewood 9-0 at Veteran’s Field on April 16.

In the quarterfinals of the Bergen County tournament, the top-seeded Spartans delivered the knockout blow after falling to Ridgewood in the tourney last season.

“They’re a good program,” Hay said of the opposition. “To beat them once was good. To beat them three times is an accomplishment. It’s very hard to do [sweep the season series], especially in high school sports.

"They’ve played better than us three times," Ridgewood head coach Patti Auger said. "You have to tip your cap to them and give them credit."

Ridgewood beat West Orange 7-0 on Thursday and will face Morris Knolls Tuesday in the semifinals of the North 1, Group 4 state tournament.