Softball: Morris/Sussex Top 10 rankings after county tournament upsets
County tournaments are in full swing and there have been some surprise results.
Here are the latest Morris/Sussex Top 10 rankings.
10. Whippany Park (6-5)
Last week: No. 9
The Wildcats could not figure out Daniella Biggio, falling to her Montville squad on Tuesday in the second round of the Morris County tournament. Whippany Park bounced back later in the week, pulling off a 7-6 win over Randolph on Friday. Ellie Williams and Michaela Falduto each drove in a pair as the Wildcats built a six-run lead before pulling out the victory in the seventh inning.
9. Roxbury (6-8)
Last week: Not ranked
The Gaels did what nobody else has done this spring by slaying top-seeded Morris Knolls in the Morris County tournament quarterfinals on Saturday. Roxbury survived a late rally by the Golden Eagles in a 6-5 win to reach the county semifinals as the No. 8 seed. Lily Spezza's home run was the only ball to leave the yard as Roxbury built a 5-0 lead after three innings.
8. Sparta (8-7)
Last week: No. 8
The Spartans moved on to the quarterfinals of the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex tournament with a 10-0 win over Newton in five innings during Saturday's second round. Alexia Hill drove in five runs with a pair of hits including a home run, and Gabrielle Heim struck out 12 across five hitless innings for the victory.
7. Pope John (9-7)
Last week: No. 5
Pope John played only once this week, defeating Vernon by a 9-4 score in the second round of the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex tournament on Saturday. Olivia Cilli and Isabella Evicci combined for six of the 15 hits by the Lions, including a three-run first-inning home run by Abbey Davis. Pope John hosts either North Warren or Voorhees in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
6. High Point (12-2)
Last week: No. 7
The bats are on fire at High Point as the Wildcats have scored at least seven runs in every game during a five-game winning streak. Combined with the offensive output has been the pitching of Grace Meyers, who struck out nine in a complete game shutout, a 7-0 win over Sparta on Thursday.
5. West Morris (14-1)
Last week: No. 6
The longest active win streak in the NJAC currently belongs to the Wolfpack, which have won 12 in a row and advanced to the Morris County tournament semifinals. Megan McNally and Jenna Jacot were the only runners to score in a 2-0 win over Jefferson in Saturday's quarterfinals. West Morris faces Morris Catholic in Wednesday's semifinals having not yet allowed a run in the county tournament.
4. Randolph (11-7)
Last week: No. 4
The Rams withstood tough losses to both Jefferson and Whippany Park this week, but won county tournament games over Mendham and Hanover Park to reach the Morris County tournament semifinals. Samantha Niewiarowski's two-RBI double capped a three-run sixth inning as Randolph had just enough to get past Hanover Park, 6-5, in Saturday's quarterfinals.
3. Jefferson (13-2)
Last week: No. 3
An eight-game winning streak for the Falcons was snapped on Saturday with a 2-0 loss to West Morris. The powerful Jefferson lineup was held to five singles. Earlier in the week, the Falcons rallied for a three-run seventh inning to avoid an upset to Morris Hills, 4-3, in the county tournament's second round. Jefferson has combined for one total run in its two losses while scoring at least four runs in every victory this season.
2. Morris Catholic (12-3)
Last week: No. 2
The Crusaders won all three games this week and will return to the Morris County semifinals, one win away from defending its county title. Sofia Reisinger struck out 19 batters in Saturday's 8-1 win over Montville in the county quarterfinals, setting a career high in strikeouts and giving her double-digit strikeouts in a game for the fifth time this season.
1. Morris Knolls (16-1)
Last week: No. 1
There are no longer undefeated softball teams in New Jersey as the Golden Eagles finally suffered a loss this week. Morris Knolls was upset by Roxbury in Saturday's Morris County tournament quarterfinals. Before that happened, Knolls beat Pequannock and Cedar Grove. Leah Kleczkowski allowed only one run across 11 innings pitched in both of those victories.
Also considered (listed alphabetically): Hanover Park (14-4), Lenape Valley (9-5), Montville (9-9)
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Softball: Morris/Sussex rankings after county tournament upsets
