MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The Columbia High School softball team defeated Elizabeth and Phillipsburg to advance to the semifinals of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 state tournament.
The second-seeded Cougars defeated No. 10 seed Elizabeth, 10-0, in five innings in the first round on Wednesday, May 28, at Meadowland Park field in South Orange. Junior Claire Shupe pitched a no-hitter with 11 strikeouts and one walk. Junior Eva Clevenger went 4-for-4 with three doubles and three RBI. Junior Lexi Kaplan and senior Anna Shalom each had a double and two RBI. Senior Charlotte Klepesch had a single and two RBI.
Shupe pitched a two-hitter with five strikeouts and one walk and she helped her own cause at the plate with a solo home run and two walks to lead the Cougars to a 3-1 win over Phillipsburg on Friday, May 30, at Mike Sheppard Sr. Field at Ivy Hill Park, home of Seton Hall University. Klepesch had a single and an RBI and senior Scarlett Levinson had an RBI, as the Cougars scored all three runs in the first inning.
The Cougars, who improved to 19-6 on the season, were scheduled to host Scotch Plains-Fanwood in the semifinals on Wednesday, June 4, after press time.
The other semifinal pitted No. 1 seed Watchung Hills against No. 4 seed Bridgewater-Raritan. The final is Friday, June 6, at the higher-seeded school.
The Cougars reached the final of the North 1, Group 4 state sectional tournament in each of the past two years. They won the sectional in 2023 and lost in the final last season.
Columbia HS softball team reaches sectional semis added by Joe Ragozzino on
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