CLARK, NJ – The Arthur L. Johnson High School Crusaders varsity softball team stepped back on their home field, looking to build off recent success, including four wins last week, the last three in a three-day span. They looked to get started and received offense from several different players in the lineup.
Junior Victoria Zatko led the way, as she went 4-for-5 at the plate, hit two home runs and drove in three RBIs, leading an offensive explosion at the plate as the Crusaders defeated the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Raiders 20-6 Tuesday afternoon in Clark.
Following a leadoff walk from senior Jen Tinger, senior Nicole Cassano reached on an error, scoring Tinger to give Johnson a 1-0 lead. Zatko stepped to the plate and doubled to left field, putting runners on second and third with one out. Senior Lauren Donah singled to right field, scoring Cassano and Zatko to give Johnson a 3-0 lead.
Junior Bailey Rosenmeier doubled later in the inning, scoring Donah to make it a 4-0 lead for Johnson after the first inning.
The Raiders would respond with a three-run second inning to get back in the game, cutting the lead down to 4-3. The bottom half of that inning would be the beginning of the offensive explosion from the Crusaders. After junior Jenna Addie led off the bottom of the second inning with a double, she scored after Cassano reached on an error, as Johnson led 5-3.
Zatko drove a 1-2 pitch to deep center field and out for her a two-run home run to give Johnson a 7-3 lead. The offense continued to pile it on in the inning. Two more runs came in as Johnson took a 9-3 lead over Scotch Plains-Fanwood after two innings.
In the bottom of the third inning, Johnson loaded the bases with no outs and sophomore Megan Tinger was hit, forcing in a run that made it 10-3 Johnson. After another run came on an error, Rosenmeier drove home Donah and Megan Tinger, giving her three RBIs on the afternoon and a 12-3 lead.
“Our girls kept hitting,” Johnson head coach Chris Di Nucci said. “We talked about how Scotch Plains had put up some runs in their previous games and that they were going to keep on battling, keep on fighting [and] putting back runs on the board.”
Tinger recorded a run-scoring single and Addie got a sacrifice fly as the lead grew to 14-3 Crusaders.
“We knew we had to continue to hit,” Di Nucci said. “Our girls came through. We were able to string a bunch of hits together and some consecutive innings.”
Full Coverage of Johnson Varsity Softball Win Over Scotch Plains-Fanwood HS Here
