Nutley junior Makenna DeJianne fires a pitch during the 5-2 road win over Bloomfield on May 5.
NUTLEY — The third-seeded Nutley High School softball team, under head coach Luann Zullo, had a good run in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 state tournament.
The Raiders defeated 14th-seeded Mendham 10-0 in six innings in the first round on May 26 at Grant Avenue field in Nutley. Sophomore Gigi Liloia went 3-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, and junior Sofia Rocha went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and two RBIs.
Junior Makenna DeJianne pitched five innings of two-hit ball with 10 strikeouts for the win. Liloia pitched one inning and struck out two.
NHS lost to sixth-seeded Cranford 11-4 in the quarterfinal round on May 28 at Grant Avenue field to end a four-game winning streak and finished with an 18-10 record. This season, the Raiders advanced to the Essex County Tournament semifinals, losing to top-seeded Mount St. Dominic 10-0 on May 15 at Seton Hall University’s Mike Sheppard Sr. field at Ivy Hill Park.
Zullo completed her 28th year at the helm. She has been the head coach since 1999.
The following NHS players earned All–Super Essex Conference–Liberty Division honors, as voted by the division.
First Team
- Gigi Liloia, sophomore.
- Camryn Ortega, junior.
Second Team
- Sofia Rocha, junior.
- Sophia DeLanzo, sophomore.
- Makenna DeJianne, junior.
Honorable Mention
- Kaitlyn Nellegar, junior.
Photos Courtesy of Jerry Simon
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