By: Danielle Incognito

Coach Bill Romano, coach of Mt. Olive Softball, led his Varsity team to a Sectional Title.  This win comes after a 13-0 win over 12-Union City in the first round; 5-0 win over 4th seeded Livingston in the quarterfinal round; and a 3-2 win over Morris Knolls in the semifinal round.

Overall, the team’s offense showed improvement in getting extra base hits.

Kaitlin Pettenger helped the team get 47 extra base hits this past season including seven doubles, three triples, and a home run with a .412 average and 23 RBIs.  She and Anna Callahan were recently named to the Morris County All Coaches Team.

The defense also came through strong with Callahan; her pitching only allowed just 33 earned runs this year in 106.1 innings. She had been the “go to” pitcher all season, and she only gave up 2 runs in the postseason, just 7 in the last three games.

Also showing post season excellence was Lindsey Walter who served as leadoff batter, defensive shortstop, and even relief pitcher.  Gabby Grillo had a strong season at third base.

The other side of the field was well managed by Ashleigh Gallagher who played 1st base and Bella Salafia who played 2nd.

The Lady Marauders won the Group 4 State semi final game 5-2, and they advanced to the finals at Kean University where they ultimately lost to Hightstown in the Group 4 title game.

Last year, North Hunterdon defeated Mount Olive in the state semifinals, a 3-2 decision, en route to the Group 4 title. Fans of the lady Marauders shared on their thoughts on Facebook commenting, “Great season girls.  You should be proud of yourselves.” The posts also consisted of all the praise for the people following them.  “Thank you to all of our supporters and fans.”