by Eric Shor
The same recipe of stellar pitching that got the WHS softball team to the Union County semis on Saturday ultimately propelled them to 3-0 win over Union and a trip to the finals. Senior tri-captain and pitcher Elena Scarano recorded 12 strikeouts en route to her second shutout of the season.
The same recipe of stellar pitching that got the WHS softball team to the Union County semis on Saturday ultimately propelled them to 3-0 win over Union and a trip to the finals. Senior tri-captain and pitcher Elena Scarano recorded 12 strikeouts en route to her second shutout of the season.
Scarano attributes much of her success on the mound to her teammates. “The defense behind me is extremely supportive and we work together to get out of tough situations,” she said.
The game was scoreless entering the bottom half of the third inning until senior tri-captains Cali Chambliss and Chrissy Ferraro singled followed by junior Sam Velez’s base hit to make it 2-0 in favor of the Blue Devils.
As the game progressed, the Blue Devils claimed to feel more confident on their chances with Scarano pitching as effectively as she was.
“Elena is stellar on the mound. She’s a very smart pitcher and stays composed in pressure situations. The team always has confidence in her and we never doubt that she’ll throw a great game,” Chambliss said.
Then, in the fifth inning, senior Lizzie Fox roped a double into the left centerfield gap to start off the inning. Strong pitching by Union made it appear that she might be stranded on second base. However, with two outs, senior Shannon Schaefer doubled to score Fox and make it 3-0.
From that point on, the ball was in Scarano’s hand and she came up big for WHS. She retired Union hitters with ease to send the Blue Devils into the Union County finals.
Said Chambliss: “The county tournament is one of our top goals for this year. Each game that brings us closer to winning the championship is a big one.”
The next game will be this Saturday at 2 p.m. at Kean University in the county finals. Head Coach Ms. Caitlyn McDonald thinks that in order for the team to win they need to “make sure that we are executing our plays defensively, taking advantage of the other team’s mistakes and putting the ball in play.”
The game was scoreless entering the bottom half of the third inning until senior tri-captains Cali Chambliss and Chrissy Ferraro singled followed by junior Sam Velez’s base hit to make it 2-0 in favor of the Blue Devils.
As the game progressed, the Blue Devils claimed to feel more confident on their chances with Scarano pitching as effectively as she was.
“Elena is stellar on the mound. She’s a very smart pitcher and stays composed in pressure situations. The team always has confidence in her and we never doubt that she’ll throw a great game,” Chambliss said.
Then, in the fifth inning, senior Lizzie Fox roped a double into the left centerfield gap to start off the inning. Strong pitching by Union made it appear that she might be stranded on second base. However, with two outs, senior Shannon Schaefer doubled to score Fox and make it 3-0.
From that point on, the ball was in Scarano’s hand and she came up big for WHS. She retired Union hitters with ease to send the Blue Devils into the Union County finals.
Said Chambliss: “The county tournament is one of our top goals for this year. Each game that brings us closer to winning the championship is a big one.”
The next game will be this Saturday at 2 p.m. at Kean University in the county finals. Head Coach Ms. Caitlyn McDonald thinks that in order for the team to win they need to “make sure that we are executing our plays defensively, taking advantage of the other team’s mistakes and putting the ball in play.”