Softball team finishes 2nd in division

Win or lose, one constant for the Newton High School softball team this season was effort - and a solid effort at that.

The Braves tallied 10 hard-fought victories and 13 losses to place second in the Colonial Division of the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference.

“Two games really stand out for me. The first game was our win against Lenape Valley,’’ head coach Paul Filan said. “We were trailing in the seventh inning with one out, and we end up making a comeback and winning the game (6-4 on May 1). The girls showed a lot of heart and toughness storming back in the last inning. This was probably our best win of the season.

“The other game was our 3-0 loss to Ramsey in the first round of the state playoffs. Ramsey was on a 21-game winning streak and was 25-1 at the time,” he said, referring to the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey Section 1 Group 2 tournament.

“The team made some great individual plays defensively that kept us in the game. The score was 0-0 going into the bottom of the fifth and unfortunately we lost 3-0, but I was very proud of how the girls competed against one of the best teams in the state of New Jersey. They didn’t back down, they competed and we almost had the opportunity to knock off the No. 1 seed.’’

The team had strong leadership throughout the spring.

“Our captain, Allison Mountford, stepped up as a leader this season,’’ Filan said. “She brought the energy and excitement for the Ramsey game and the team fed off of her energy. There was also a game this season at Wallkill Valley where we struggled during warm-ups and she pulled the team aside and picked them up and we ended up winning the game 17-6.’’

Optimism abounds for the 2024 season.

“We bring back some of our better players in Catherine Vena, Katie Golder Ryan and Bella DeLeon, who were our two, three and four hitters this season,’’ the coach said. “We bring back a girl who was injured all year and who will help us offensively and defensively. We also bring back a good group of young girls and have some good incoming players that will help the team next year.’’