West Orange Softball Girls Score a Crucial Win

The West Orange High School softball team won their most important game of the season Saturday afternoon — and with it have regained a first-place division tie.   

The Mountaineers, who lost 2-1 to Super Essex Conference Liberty Division rival Montclair Tuesday at home, bounced back to beat the Mounties 5-3 behind sophomore right-handed pitcher Greer Manton.

The Mountaineers are back in a first-place tie for the division lead with defending division champ Montclair.   

Manton allowed a two-run homer in the bottom of the first to Sara Haefeli that tied the game at 2-2, but recovered to throw a solid game. She gave up just two more hits the rest of the way to lead the Mountaineers in Montclair.   She struck out five, walked three and hit a batter, retiring 14 of the last 16 batters she faced.   

"It was a big game to get," said West Orange coach Jamie Galioto, whose team is now 12-3. "It was more like we beat ourselves the last time we played. We made four errors and both of their runs were unearned. We let them know that we beat ourselves."    

West Orange took a 2-0 lead in the first. Gabby Badurek led off with a triple and Lindsay Flores walked. Senior shortstop Kim Reitmeyer walked with one out to load the bases. Senior right fielder Nora Crann singled home Badurek and Molly Rich drove in Flores with a sacrifice fly.   

Montclair tied it in the bottom of the inning when Deja Davis walked and Haefeli homered to left center.   "We challenged Haefeli and she made us pay," Galioto said. "But Greer didn't let it bother her."  

West Orange regained the lead in the second.  Ariel Stanziale led off with a single, then came around to score on Flores' single. Despite loading the bases, that's all the Mountaineers would get.

Montclair pitcher Tory Sneden worked out of trouble by striking out the final two batters of the inning.  Montclair tied it with an unearned run in the third. Manton walked two, and an infield error allowed Charlotte Skutch to score. It was the only error the Mountaineers made in the game.   

The Mountaineers broke the tie in the fifth.   Reitmeyer led off with a single and moved up on a Crann groundout. Rich followed with a booming RBI triple that scored Reitmeyer with the fourth run. Alissa Catanzarite then drove in Rich with a single to make it 5-3.  

West Orange returns home Monday afternoon to play host to Montclair Immaculate when it will honor its senior players.