NUTLEY – The third-seeded Nutley High School varsity softball team’s quest for the Essex County Tournament title came up short as the Raiders lost to sixth-seeded Cedar Grove, 2-1, in the quarterfinals on May 14 at Yanticaw Park.
The Raiders took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on an RBI by Alanis Concepcion to score Danielle Pomponio.
But Cedar Grove answered when Olivia Spinella hit a two-run double in the fifth inning.
The Raiders defeated Cedar Grove in both Super Essex Conference-American Division meetings this season, 4-0, April 11, at Yanticaw, and 9-1, April 29, in Cedar Grove.
Breanna DeMaio, Sydney Kunz, Samantha Eccheveria, Pomponio and pitcher Emily Holden each had a hit for the Raiders, who moved to a 17-5 record. Cedar Grove improved to a 13-10.
ECT quarterfinals
(9) Montclair defeated (1) Mount Saint Dominic, 4-3, nine innings
(4) Livingston defeated (5) Newark Academy, 6-3
(7) Bloomfield defeated (2) West Essex, 3-0
(6) Cedar Grove defeated (3) Nutley, 2-1
ECT semifinals, Friday, May 20, at Mike Sheppard Sr. Field at Ivy Hill Park, Newark
(6) Cedar Grove vs. (2) West Essex, 5 p.m.
(9) Montclair vs. (4) LIvingston, 7 p.m.
ECT final, Saturday, May 21, at Sheppard Sr. Field, 7 p.m.
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