BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NJ- The Arthur L. Johnson High School Crusaders varsity softball team took to the road to face the Governor Livingston High School Highlanders for the first time since losing the 2017 Union County Tournament Finals 1-0 back on May 12, 2017.
The Crusaders received timely hitting in key innings that led to runs, including 3-hit performances from senior Mackenzie Purcell and junior Hannah Brogan, part of a 14-hit attack to defeat the Highlanders 9-5 Tuesday afternoon in Berkeley Heights.
With two outs in the top of the first inning, Johnson immediately went right to work, with senior starting pitcher Nicole Cassano smacking a triple and coming home on an RBI single from junior Victoria Zatko to give Johnson a 1-0 lead.
Senior Lauren Donah continued the rally going with a deep double to score Zatko to make it 2-0 Johnson heading to the bottom of the first inning, a lead they got all with the two outs before the final one of the inning was recorded.
“It felt great to come out ready to play. We were all pumped to play our best,” Donah said. “As a team, we knew it was going to be a close game so we jumped on them quick. I was glad I could help out and make contact.”
Governor Livingston came back in the bottom of the first inning. After senior Jamie Belfer singled and sophomore Julia McConekey doubled, junior Janey Morabito grounded out, scoring Belfer to cut the lead to 2-1.
Cassano rebounded, striking out senior Aislinn O’Keefe looking to get out of the inning.
Purcell got another scoring chance started with a leadoff triple and scoring on a Cassano groundout to make the score 3-1 Johnson. Purcell went 3-for-4 with two singles and the triple.
“It’s good to see everybody come back and hit well, especially for a game that means so much to us, considering what’s happened the past few years and last year [in the 2017 Union County Tournament Finals],” Purcell said.
Governor Livingston would get baserunners on in the bottom half of the inning, with McConekey and sophomore Evan Pallitta walking to put two on with one out.
Cassano got the final outs to maintain the 3-1 lead after three innings. On total, she finished the game with eight strikeouts, crediting the early counts to allowing her to work good on the mound.
“Getting an early count allowed myself to remain calm and take control of the game,” Cassano said. “I knew that if I let up, damage could be done, so being able to control my emotions allowed myself to settle in.”
“We’re always confident in Nicole [Cassano] and the defense behind her,” Johnson head coach Chris Di Nucci said. “She’s a great pitcher. She can locate, she can change speeds, use both sides of the plate.”
Johnson sophomore Megan Tinger was hit by a pitch to open the top of the fourth inning. Brogan smacked a deep flyball for a triple, scoring sophomore courtesy runner Lia D’Angelo to make it 4-1. She came in on a groundout from junior Bailey Rosenmeier as the lead became 5-1. Later, a throw to first base was mishandled, allowing senior Sydney Tropeano to score as the Johnson lead became 6-1.
Full Coverage of Johnson Varsity Softball Win Over Governor Livingston Here
