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.
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