Jalia Santos, left, get congratulated by coach Bob Mayer after hitting a homer.
BLOOMFIELD, NJ (updated Tuesday May 16, 12:28 a.m.) –
The Bloomfield High School varsity softball team hopes to make a strong run in the state tournament. The sixth-seeded Bengals will host No. 11 seed Memorial of West New York in the first round of the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1, Group 4 state tournament May 18 at Clarla Ward Memorial Field at Clarks Pond South at 6 p.m. The winner will face the winner between No. 14 seed Ridgewood and No. 3 seed Mount Olive in the quarterfinals on or by May 22.
In addition, the Bengals advanced to the Essex County Tournament quarterfinals with an 11-5 win over 12th-seeded Millburn,May 9, at Carla Ward Memorial Field. Senior Jaila Santos went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and finished with four RBI and three runs and junior Ayana Andrade-Zygmunt went 4-for-5 with three runs to lead the fifth-seeded Bengals, who were scheduled to host No. 13 seed West Orange in the quarterfinals May 16. Freshman Jamell Quiles went 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs; junior Kristina Collins went 2-for-3 with one RBI and two runs; junior Desiree Ramos and senior Kasey Coury each had an RBI and junior Rachel Jones had a hit and a run. Freshman Lexi Corio struck 10 and scattered seven hits for the win.
The winner of BHS-West Orange will face top-seeded Mount Saint Dominic Academy in the ECT semifinals doubleheader at Ivy Hill Park in Newark, Friday, May 19, at 7 p.m. The other semifinal pits No. 3 seed Cedar Grove against No. 2 seed West Essex at 5 p.m. The final is Saturday, May 20, at Ivy Hill Park at 7 p.m.
The Bengals won both Super Essex Conference-Liberty Division meetings with West Orange this season. They won, 15-7, April 7, at West Orange in their third game of the season, and 11-1 on April 28 at home.
BHS played Millburn again one day after beating Millburn in the ECT. This time, Millburn won, 15-4, in a SEC-Liberty Division game, snapping the Bengals’ three-game winning streak..
The Bengals bounced back with a 6-4 win over Dayton, May 11, in a non-conference game in Springfield. Andrade-Zygmunt went 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs and Santos went 2-for-4 with a triple and three RBI to lead the Bengals. Corio scattered nine hits and struck out eight for the win, and also went 1-for-2 at the plate.
The Bengals lost at Nutley, 5-1, Friday, May 12, in a Super Essex Conference non-division game to move to a 13-9 record.
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