CLARK, NJ – It’s been a banner year of personal accomplishments for the Arthur L. Johnson High School Crusaders athletics program. Last Tuesday, junior Gianna Randazza became the fourth athlete to reach a milestone varsity career achievement when she recorded her 100th career hit in a 17-7 victory over Roselle Park High School in girls’ softball.
“I was just happy I hit the ball, to be honest,” Randazza said. “I was happy I broke the 0-for-8 streak that I had [at the time].” The record came on a single in the bottom of the first inning of the game.
Randazza said she was glad the 100th hit came early in the season and not during a late season county or state tournament game.
“I’m happy that I got it over with, it was definitely a lot of pressure for me when I went up to bat,” Randazza said. “I was always thinking about it, it kind of affected how I hit in the beginning of the season, so the fact that it got me up and running was good.”
Making the varsity team as a freshman, Randazza immediately started putting up solid stats that included a 15-3 record, pitching 111 innings, 149 strikeouts and 40 walks. At the plate, she had a batting average of .480 including six doubles, seven triples and four home runs.
In 2015, as a sophomore, Randazza had a 15-5 record, while pitching 113 innings, recording 121 strikeouts and walking 37 batters. She had a batting average of .570, four doubles, nine triples, two home runs and 18 RBIs.
So far this year, Randazza has a 4-0 record, 37 strikeouts and ten walks. At the plate, she has four hits and four RBIs this season. On Monday, she threw a no-hitter in a 5-0 win over Westfield.
