The Alternative Press

NEW PROVIDENCE, NJ - Back on April 24, the New Providence Lady Pioneers Softball team lost their fourth game of the season to drop their record to 3-4 on the season. The team was mired in a hitting slump and couldn’t seem to find their rhythm as they went 13 days between games in early April. For a team which was expected to make a statement within Group 1 and Union County this spring, the start was uncharacteristic and disappointing.

But the Pioneers woke up and are hitting their stride at just the right time. The team reeled off 9 straight wins before falling in the finals of the Union County Tournament last Saturday. They are now on a new streak of 3 straight in North 2 Group 1 bracket play and will face top seeded Whippany Park in the State Sectional Finals on Thursday as they knocked off the sixth seeded Secaucus Patriots 3-0 in the section semi finals in Secaucus yesterday.

The Pioneers (15-5), winners of 12 of their last 13 games, are riding the arm of ace pitcher Cassandra Squeri who has become unhittable in state tournament play this spring. The junior right hander followed up her no-hitter vs. Harrison last Thursday by allowing just one hit to the Patriots and has yet to allow a run while holding opponents to just 4 hits over the last 21 innings.

Squeri struck out five and allowed just a first inning triple to Jessie Koerner and then set down the next 19 hitters as she faced just one batter over the minimum in going the distance to raise her record to 11-3 on the season. 

In throwing her fourth consecutive shutout, Squeri gave credit to her coach, her battery-mate, Christy Shaw, and the gloves in the field behind her.

“I’ve been finding the strike zone and able to throw it where I want to” Squeri said, “Christy really moves well behind the plate, and she frames pitches nicely. Coach Villa has scouted the other team’s hitters and we’ve stayed with a game plan that’s been successful, but we’re also making the plays in the field we have to make and that makes my job a lot easier.”

Patriot right hander Danielle Roesing matched Squeri’s shutout string over the first three innings but was called several times for illegal pitches when she was cited for “crow-hopping” in her delivery to the plate.  The umpire crew at yesterday’s game made sure that Roesing maintained a proper delivery from the mound.

The Lady Pioneers broke the scoreless tie as Squeri helped her own cause with a booming triple to deep right center to lead off the fourth inning. One out later, shortstop Kaylin Ricciardi got the run home with a productive infield ground out. In the top of the fifth, the Pioneers put up some insurance runs as table setters Jenna Madden and Alex Esposito, who each had two hits, did what they do best; get on base and push the envelope on the base paths.

Madden singled and advanced to second on a hustling play by Esposito who beat out an infield hit, and scored on a line drive single off the bat of freshman Kelsey Quinn. Esposito who had raced to third on Quinn’s hit, scored on the back end of a delayed steal when Secaucus botched the cutoff play as Quinn broke for second.

New Providence will seek to avenge a season-ending loss at the hands of Whippany Park, who will enter Thursday’s game with a 25-1 record as the 10^th ranked team in all of New Jersey, but this team has risen to every challenge this season and Coach Kelly Villa feels this game will be no different.

“Real simple, we are not done. These girls don’t care who the next opponent is, they’ll be ready,” Villa said. “I’m very proud of the girls, the heat’s been brutal the past two days and it just hasn’t fazed them.”

Squeri believes her teammates are psyched and ready to go to work against Whippany Park on Thursday.

“No doubt they’re a good team, but as long as we continue to hit and play our game we should be good to go.”

New Providence has never won a State Sectional Softball title, but this is the only team in the school’s history to have reached the County Finals in softball and now the Pioneers will try to make school history again with its second consecutive trip to sectional championship game.

For a team that’s been on a roll in knocking off the State’s top teams over the past month, they are peaking at the right time.