Varsity Softball | 4/16/2023 8:35:00 AM

The amazing start to the Union Catholic softball season continued with a very impressive sweep of its two games at Saturday's Striking Out Autism Tournament that the Vikings hosted in Scotch Plains.

In the first game, the Vikings broke a scoreless tie with six runs in the fourth inning and plated another six runs in the sixth to defeated Middlesex, 12-2. The Vikings carried that momentum into its game vs. crosstown rival Scotch Plains-Fanwood, scoring four times in the first inning and winning in dramatic fashion when Caroline Parker raced home on a wild pitch with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Vikings a thrilling 5-4 win. 

Those two victories raised UC's record to 7-1 under first-year coach AJ Bonadies, who has done a remarkable job since taking over the helm just before the season started.

As has been the case all season, the Vikings received timely hitting, great pitching, and played fundamentally sound on Saturday, and multiple players produced sparkling web gems in the field against Scotch Plains-Fanwood.

Several players came up big for the Vikings.
       
Junior Cameron Kelly homered, doubled and drove in four runs vs. Middlesex, and was the winning pitcher vs. Scotch Plains-Fanwood, hurling a complete gam e with seven strikeouts. Kelly has made an immediate impact in her first-year on the team. On the mound, she's 4-0 with two no hitters, has a 2.62 earned run average, and has struck out 40 batters in 24 innings. At the plate, she's hitting .448 with two homers and 15 runs batted in.

Junior Jules Hart had two hits and knocked in two runs vs. Middlesex, drove in a run vs. SPF, and started a pivotal double play in the SPF when she caught a line drive in center field and fired a bullet to first base to compete the DP.    
 
Isabella Cruz doubled in two runs vs. SPF, singled in a run vs. Middlesex and made a sensational sliding catch with runners on base to prevent what could have potentially been a big inning for the Raiders.  

Lilah Reidy was great on the mound, striking out 11 in the six-inning victory as she notched her second win of the season. 

Freshman Emma Kaminski knocked in two runs vs. Middlesex, including the game winning sacrifice fly in the sixth.
     
Jessica Sot and Parker each had two hits vs. SPF. Deyalyn Sosa had two hits and an RBI vs. Middlesex. Junior catcher Sarah Potts had two hits vs. Middlesex, and she made a pair of big plays vs. SPF, throwing out a runner after a third strike got away from her, and making a very difficult running catch up against the backstop. And Hannah Buniak scored a pair of runs vs. Middlesex.