IN THE NEWS: Mount's Softball Team Seeded First in ECT

CALDWELL - The Mount St. Dominic Academy softball team has a 10-2 record and will play its first game in the Essex County Tournament this week.

The Lions are the top seed in the tournament. They were set to take on Newark East Side, the 17th seed, on Wednesday, May 12 in the first round.

The quarterfinals of the Essex County Tournament are scheduled Saturday, May 15. The semifinals are set for Friday, May 21, and the championship game is scheduled for Saturday, May 22.

The Lions are the defending Essex County Tournament champions, winning the title in 2019. The county title two years ago was the eighth overall and fourth in the previous six seasons for the Mount.

The team defeated West Essex, 18-2, on April 26. Sophia Kiseloski drove in seven runs on three home runs. Grace Perez had 10 strikeouts and allowed two hits in four innings. Alexa Raphael had two RBI on three hits, and Lyndsey Hoffman drove in two runs with a single and a double.

The Lions defeated Hunterdon Central, 10-6, on April 28. Raphael went 4 for 4, scored three runs, hit four singles and stole three bases. Perez hit a home run and drove in two runs. Gianna Stern hit two singles and drove in a run. Kiseloski had two RBIs and two singles. Sydney Rosenkranz had three RBIs and two singles.

The Lions shut out Lenape Valley, 14-0, on April 30. Raphael scored four times, had three singles, drove in a run and stole five bases. Stern drove in four runs with a single and two doubles and scored twice. Rosenkranz drove in four runs and hit a home run.

The Mount shut out town rival James Caldwell High School, 10-0, on Monday, May 3. Perez struck out 10 and gave up a hit, no walks and no runs in four innings. Kiseloski drove in three runs, and Hoffman hit a two-run home run and scored three times. Rosenkranz went 3 for 3 with a home run and drove in two runs. Raphael had two hits and scored twice.

The Lions’ more recent victory was against Nutley, 4-0, on Thursday, May 6. Kiseloski tossed a three-hit shutout with 13 strikeouts and no walks. She also hit a home run and a double at the plate. Rosenkranz hit a home run, and Raphael had two hits.

The Lions’ only losses were to Donovan Catholic, 7-2, on Saturday, May 1 and Livingston, 6-5, on Friday, May 7.

Against Donovan Catholic, Kiseloski drove in a run, and Raphael had two hits.

Against Livingston, Rosenkranz drove in three runs. Perez and Raphael each drove in a run. The Lions trailed, 6-4, heading into the seventh inning. They scored a run but couldn’t tie the game in the top of the seventh.

The Lions were set to take on Columbia on Monday, May 10 and Indian Hills on Tuesday, May 11. They are scheduled to play Cedar Grove on Thursday, May 13; Immaculate Heart Academy on Friday, May 14; Verona on Monday, May 17; Morris Catholic on Tuesday, May 18; and Passaic Valley on Wednesday, May 19.