Cedar Grove Softball Bouncing Back

After beginning this spring with an 0-3 start, the Cedar Grove softball team appears as if they are putting the slow start behind them and becoming the Group 1 contender everyone expected them to be in the preseason.

The Lady Panthers, coming off of an impressive season in which they reached the Group 1 semifinals in head coach Dena Tauriello's first season at the helm, entered this spring as one of the favorites to not only repeat as North I, Group 1 state sectional champs, but to win all of Group 1.

There was good reason to believe, with a formidable lineup returning as well as starting pitcher Gabby Castelli coming off of a season with a sub 2.00 ERA. The top half of the Panther lineup is especially potent with seniors Nicole Tomo, Gianna Cuffari and Lisa Stacevicz at the top. Castelli and Candace Mitola are in the four and five spots.

But a slew of early and uncharacteristic fielding errors fueled a rough start for the Panthers, who play an already unforgiving schedule in the Super Essex Conference American Division.

"It's brutal in a good way. It makes you bring your A game and if you don't, you lose games," Tauriello said of the division. "You've got to be on your game. Really, at the end of the day, just about any team in that division can knock off any other team in that division and that's the beauty of it."

On Monday, April 9 the Panthers got their season going in a big way, knocking off Nutley on the road, 7-3. The Raiders were a state-ranked team at the time. Cedar Grove has since gone on to win two of its next three matches, getting wins over Clifton and High Point (who were a combined 11-1 at the time of the Panthers playing them).

"I'm very happy. Obviously at 0-3, it kind of becomes a critical point in the season that you have to start getting some wins, because you don't want to get in too big of a hole there," Tauriello said after the 8-0 Clifton victory. "We're not making errors. We had two errors in the last two games and in the first three games we had 17."

Cedar Grove did lose a close game in the opening match of the Black and Gold Tournament on Saturday morning, falling 4-3 to Governor Livingston.

However, Tauriello said with the strength they have in the middle with Tomo at center, Castelli in the circle, Cuffari at second and Stacevicz at short, they can be a very good team and compete for some championships this spring.

"I had a moment in preseason where I looked at us in a couple of moments and thought, hmmmm, we could be as good as last year," Tauriello said. "We graduated four, we had two girls transfer and another girl who was a junior this year decided not to play. So essentially we lost seven players from last year's roster, and that's huge."

Other contributors this spring will be Nikki Maffetone at catcher, Daniela Marinam at third, Autumn Spinella playing first, Brooke Adams manning right and Mitola in left. But a large amount of Cedar Grove's success will depend on how good the big four can be this spring, as with any team. If your ace pitcher and your top three hitters all have good seasons, the rest of the team will follow.

"I'm very confident. We have a lot to offer in that. It's not necessarily a traditional one thru four, you Gabby's not necessarily the put it over the fence kind of four hitter, but she's a tough out, and she smokes the ball," Tauriello said. "Gianna has been hitting the ball really hard, she hits well to the right side, she's good with the short game. Nicole is fast, good with the short game and Lisa really can crush the ball, and she can put the bunt down. She gives us everything."

Cedar Grove is currently 3-4 and has a chance to make up some ground within the division as they travel to Mt. St. Dominic on Monday.