Union County Sports Notebook

With the first two weeks of spring sports in the books, the teams that got off to a good start are in the drivers' seat, while the those who didn't, still have a chance to get into the thick of things before it's too late.

Here's a look back at the highlights from the past week. 

Berkeley Heights

When two rival schools like Cranford and Governor Livingston meet in any sport, tensions are always running high. When the schools’ girls lacrosse teams met on Wednesday, the Highlanders had one goal in mind throughout the entire game.

“We were playing like it was the last game that we ever played, and we just wanted to crush them,” said Highlanders’ goaltender Alex Grossman. “There was nothing else that we wanted to do.”

The Highlanders certainly proved up to the task, breaking a 6-6 tie while scoring four consecutive goals in the second half over the Cougars on their way to a 10-8 victory at Governor Livingston High School in Berkeley Heights.

It was a big win for the Highlanders, who enter Friday night’s showdown against Mount St. Dominic Academy with an above-.500 record.

“This win was huge for us. We were 2-2 prior to today. This puts us at 3-2, with the hopes of being 4-2 at the end of the week,” said Highlanders’ head coach Kristy Annussek. “We have a rivalry against Cranford, so I think it does a lot for our mental game, as well, taking this game from them.”

Chalk up another victory for the Gov. Livingston softball team after they cruised to an easy 15-4 triumph over visiting Rahway in Berkeley Heights Thursday afternoon.

On a picture-perfect day, Patch was on-hand to get the perfect pictures, featuring a gallery of 75 photos.

The star of the day was Paige Murphy -- who finished an impressive was 4-for-4 with a home run, a double and six RBI.

Mackenzie Liss was 3-for-4 with a triple, two ribbies, and two runs scored.

GL rolled past Union 17-4 with Liss going 4-for-5, while Jenna Kulback went 4-for-4 with a home run.  The Highlanders finished the week with a 8-1 victory over Millburn on Saturday. Samantha Frunglio buried a three-run homer while Jordan Robbing improved to 4-1 on the mound. GL is 7-1 on the season.

Clark

The Clark Board of Education honored winter athletes at the final meeting of the Board of Education year Tuesday night. Members of the Arthur L. Johnson High School wrestling, swimming, indoor track, and bowling were recognized for their accomplishments, as well as the undefeated Carl H. Kumpf Middle School girls basketball team.

three times a year at their Showcase of Success. Athletic Director Gus Kalikas doled out the praises, awarding certificates and kind words to each of the student athletes.

“What an amazing winter season we had this year,” Kalikas said. “All the student athletes are very deserving of all accolades they have and continue to receive.” Kalikas went on to thank the Board of Education for their continuous, unconditional support for school athletics.

The season got underway on Saturday, April 9 and Patch was there to take photos of the days' events. .

Also, the Johnson baseball team improved to 3-3  with a come-from-behind 7-6 victory over Hanover Park on Saturday. Jay Shapiro blasted a three-run homer in the win.

The Johnson softball team improved the 6-3 overall thanks to their 11-3 win over Summit on Saturday. Allie Cocchia's three hits paced a 15-hit effort.

Cranford

The early-season "game to watch" on the baseball diamond has yet to take place, but maybe the third time will be the charm. After back-to-back rainouts last week, Cranford is scheduled to host Gov. Livingston in a battle of the top-ranked teams in Union County. The game is scheduled for April 20th. GL is 6-1 and ranked # 7 in the state. Cranford, ranked # 6 in the state, fell to 6-1 after losing 12-7 to Delbarton Saturday. Sean Trotter and Eric Walano pounded out two hits apiece in that contest.

New Providence

The boys' lacrosse team had a 15-goal outburst while shutting down Union City 15-1. Give credit to four-goal scorer James Burke and Dan Sullivan, who posted a hat trick, as the Pioneers improved to 3-2 on the year.

Scotch Plains-Fanwood

The Union Catholic baseball squad has improved to 7-2 after a 10-0 whitewash of Hillside. Evan Dickerson tossed a two-hitter during five innings of work. Zach Perez delivered a pair of RBI's. 

On the Scotch Plains H.S. baseball diamond, the Raiders improved to 5-3 overall thanks to a walk-off, two-run double off the bat of James D'Angelo in the bottom of the seventh inning. Sean Reilly picked up the win on the mound.

The SP-F girls' lacrosse team moved above the .500 mark thanks to three goals by Elizabeth Schiller as the Lady Raiders defeated Cranford 10-9.

Springfield

The Dayton baseball squad finished the week at 5-2 for the season after a solid 5-4 win over South Hunterdon. Darren Farbstein had the game-winning RBI for the Bulldogs. Chad Bohannon hurled five scoreless innings to earn the win.

Summit

At this point, there's not a team in New Jersey -- or outside the state for that matter -- that can stop the Hilltoppers to this point. Led by junior attackman Nick Kilkowski, Summit defeated Ridgefield of Connecticut 10-5 to improve to 7-0 on the season and continue their stanglehold on the # 1 state ranking. Kilkowski tallied a season-high four goals while Sonny Round and Auston Carbone delivered two each.

Over at Kent Place, the girls' lacrosse juggernaut continues to impress with a 17-6 triumph over Columbia. Anna Doherty now has 36 goals for the season after her five-goal scoring-spree on Saturday, while her sister Christine hit the net four times. Kent Place is 6-1 on the year, and ranked # 14 in the state.

Westfield

The Westfield H.S. girls' lacrosse team earned their third win of the year with a 12-5 victory over Morristown-Beard. Liz Cusick, Emily Gretsky and Courtney Weisse all earned hat tricks.

Meanwhile the varsity baseball team has cracked the Top 20, and they're looking to keep it that way after posting a strong 6-0 win over Eilzabeth on Saturday. Junior righthander Brett Ryan tossed a shutout to improve to 2-0 on the campaign. Offensively, the Blue Devils were led by A.J. Murray and Dan Kerr. 

Watch for Westfield to move up the ladder in this very competitive county.