Belleville HS softball players garner All-Area and All-SEC honors

BELLEVILLE – The Belleville High School varsity softball team enjoyed a successful 14-10 season underhead coach Chris Cantarella.

The following BHS players have made Worrall Media All-Area:

First Team:

Senior shortstop Kristan Lombardi.

Junior pitcher/designated player Kaila Freid.

Junior first baseman/designated player Victoria Bruno.

Senior outfielder Breana Nieves

Junior pitcher Kara Sica

Junior first baseman/designated player Gianna Benacquista.

Freshman catcher Cherylann Nicosia

Second Team:

Junior second baseman Luciana Gilfone

Senior center fielder Keila Garcia

Junior third baseman Jasmine LaTorre

In addition, Lombardi, Freid and Nieves made First Team on the All-Super Essex Conference-Colonial Division.

Bruno, Sica, Benacquista, and Nicosia made Second Team on the All-SEC-Colonial.

The Bucs tied for second place with Newark East Side in the SEC-Colonial Division behind champion Millburn.

Freid, a two-year varsity player, split time as a pitcher and a designated player. Offensively, she hit .439 with 20 RBI.  As a pitcher, she went 8-4 with 64 strikeouts in 60 innings.

Bruno,  a three-year varsity player, split time at first base and as a designated player. She hit .400 with 16 RBI and 22 runs scored.

Nieves, a two-year starter as an outfielder, hit .349 and only made three errors all season for a .986 fielding percentage. She was also a tri-captain.

Sica,  a two-year varsity starter, split pitching duties this year.

Benacquista, a three-year varsity starter,  missed two weeks in the season due to injury. She hit .500 with 25 hits in 16 games and drove in 17 runs.

Nicosia enjoyed a fine freshman year.  She hit .400. Until an injury limited her time behind the plate, Nicosia was having an outstanding start to a very promising career as a catcher.

Gilfone, a three-year starter at second base,  hit .425 and was second on the team in runs driven in and hits.

LaTorre and Keila Garcia were both outstanding leaders as well, said Cantarella. LaTorre moved to third base and made giant strides moving from the pitching circle last year and Garcia battled injuries and played an wonderful center field as a tri-captain and excellent leader, Cantarella said.

  Belleville High School softball