Sports
Westfield's Scarano One-Hits SPF in 11-0 Rout
The Blue Devils freshman retires 11 of 16 batters Tuesday.
THE RECORDS: softball team was still seeking its first win when it hosted Westfield on Tuesday. The Raiders had lost six straight, including two games in the Watchung Division. The Blue Devils, 2-8 overall and 2-2 in the Watchung Division, were looking to snap a two-game losing streak.
THE SCORE: Westfield, 11-0. The Blue Devils’ freshman right-hander, Elena Scarano, allowed only one hit in the shutout, and struck-out 11 of 16 batters.
“Elena was on fire today,” Westfield head coach Caitlin MacDonald said. “She pitched great, threw a lot of strikes, kept them off balance and moved the ball around. She did everything right.”
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Scotch Plains head coach Jess Hulnik agreed. “She really owned the strike zone. I thought we had better at-bats and were able to foul-off more pitches the second time around against her.”
Scotch Plains senior catcher Courtney Zyla notched the Raiders’ only hit: an infield single in the bottom of the fifth inning that ended Scarano’s perfect game. The game was called after the fifth inning due to the 10-run "mercy rule."
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THE HERO: Elena Scarano.
THE QUOTES: “In the first inning, I felt really good – and even before that in warm-ups,” Scarano said, who improved her pitching record to 2-3 after hurling her best performance of the season Tuesday. “My two-seamer was working, and once in a while I throw a changeup, which seems to work most of the time.”
Of Scotch Plains' performance, coach Hulnik said, "I was pleased with our defense today. One of these games we’re going to get good pitching, good fielding and good hitting at the same time."
WHAT’S NEXT: The Raiders host Wallkill Valley on Wednesday at 4 p.m., then travel to Gov. Livingston on Thursday for a 7 p.m. game. On Saturday, the team plays Nutley and Bloomfield in the Linden Classic at Memorial Field. Game times are 2 and 4 p.m.
SCOTCH PLAINS RESULTS TO DATE (0-7):
April 5 (A) Elizabeth 15, Scotch Plains 5
April 7 (A) Union 5, Scotch Plains 1
April 8 (A) Linden 10, Scotch Plains 0
April 11 (A) Bridgewater-Raritan 8, Scotch Plains 0
April 14 (H) Brearley 7, Scotch Plains 4
April 16 (N) Park Ridge 10, Scotch Plains 9 – at Villa Walsh
April 19 (H) Westfield 11, Scotch Plains 0
