With their spate of injuries behind them, the North Warren Patriots softball team shook off a four-game losing streak to win three in a row, including a quarterfinal berth in the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament.
On May 5th, the Pats routed Wallkill Valley 16-0, following a 6-4 win over Lenape Valley May 4th and a 19-2 defeat of Notre Dame on April 27th.
“Yeah, we’re healthy again,” said Head Coach Dan Delany. “It’s been a while since we’ve had everybody playing,”
Winning pitcher Amber Snyder threw four innings before the game was called after four innings. She gave up one hit and struck out two.
Lauren Palmer led North Warren with three hits over four innings. Katelyn Galante and Jolie Wagner both homered with each driving in three runs.
“We’ve been able to play to our strengths in the past few games, rather than the other teams’ weaknesses,” Delany said.
That’s not to say the Patriots are on cruise control. Delany sees several challenges looming, not the least of which is the May 10th tournament game against Hunterdon Central.
“We’re at our full strength now but these games are going to challenge us,” Delany said.
In addition to the Hunterdon Central tournament game, North Warren faces a tough test against Pope John May 8th.
“Pope John and Hunterdon Central will be our biggest challenges,” Delany said.
Pope John’s 7-7 record is a bit deceiving. They are riding a five-game winning streak and are seven for their last nine.
Upcoming non-tournament home games include Vernon May 9 and High Point May 11th.
Joe Phalon
Joe was lured out of retirement by the opportunity to be a part of The Ridgeview Echo. During a decades-long career in publishing and journalism, he has covered government on many levels from local school boards to the United States Supreme Court.
Along the way, Joe has worked at American Lawyer Magazine, The National Law Journal and The Record among other publications, and as the Press Officer of Columbia Law School. His work has been recognized with several first place awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the New Jersey Press Association.
Being part of the Ridgeview Echo brings Joe back to his roots and the kind of news coverage he loves: Telling the stories of people and local communities as well as keeping an eye on how their money is spent by their government officials.
Joe lives in Blairstown with his wife Rose, the founder of Quilting for a Cause, and their two wiener dogs. He is an artist in his spare time.
