Columbia HS softball team tops Bayonne to reach North Jersey Section 2, Group 4 tournament quarterfinals

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MAPLEWOOD – Jordan Stephan fired a three-hitter with five strikeouts and no walks and went 3-for-3 with a run as the 11th-seeded Columbia High School defeated sixth-seeded Bayonne, 2-1, in the first round of the state North Jersey Section 2, Group 4 tournament on May 23 in Bayonne.

Sophie Goldman went 2-for-4 with a run for the Cougars, who improved to 13-11 and will visit third-seeded Millburn in the quarterfinals on May 25. The semifinals are May 31 and the final is June 3.

Stephan fired a three-hitter with nine strikeouts and one walk and drove in Sophie Goldman for the lone run of the game in the 1-0 win at Westfield on May 16 in a non-conference game.

The Cougars lost to Newark Academy, 7-2, May 18, at Meadowlands Park field in a Super Essex Conference-Liberty Division game. Maya Goldner went 2-for-4 with two singles and Stephan went 2-for-4 with a single and double. Gabby Salinardo and Bridget Sherman each went 1-for-2 with a single and an RBI. Salinardo also had a walk.

Salinardo went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored and an RBI and Goldman and Stephan each went 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run to lead the Cougars to a 9-7 win at Belleville on May 19 in a Super Essex Conference-Liberty Division game.

CHS defeated Montclair Kimberley, 4-0, May 20, at home in a divisional game.