SPOTSWOOD — There was no shortage of storylines when the second-ranked South Plainfield High School softball team and third-ranked Spotswood opened their seasons on Tuesday.
There were the visiting Tigers, beginning their defense of the Greater Middlesex Conference championship against a Spotswood program that was getting its first taste of Red Division action after winning the White Division a year ago.
There was the potential for an intriguing pitcher’s duel between South Plainfield’s Erin Townley and Spotswood’s Ava Mormile, the area’s most decorated returning arms.
And there were the Tigers taking the field for the first time since the 1980s without legendary Don Panzarella, New Jersey’s all-time winningest coach.
As things panned out, the only storyline that mattered was that South Plainfield looks like a squad that is capable of retaining that title after it dispatched its hosts by an 8-2 margin.
The Tigers scored six runs in the second inning and breezed behind Townley, who recorded her 10th strikeout on the game’s final out.
“It’s amazing, I have a great group of girls. It’s spectacular,” said Antonia Pacillo, South Plainfield’s first new softball coach in 44 seasons. “I thought we played really well. We got deep into counts, I was very impressed, they’ve been doing well all preseason but that was definitely a big win for us. A big team win.”
South Plainfield scored six times in the second frame, as Mormile uncharacteristically walked three consecutive batters with the bases loaded. Jocelyn Sosa followed with a three-run triple to left and Townley had a six-run cushion to work with.
“We were really excited, with the new coach, we fully trust our coach and we love her, but there was the unknown -- like, how was our team going to be,” Townley said. “Just coming out here and seeing the bats come alive, to see all of us play as a team, that was so exciting for everyone.”
Spotswood started to chip away at the lead on Juliana Ziegler’s two-run double in the fourth inning, but the Tigers immediately got one back on Ava Cabrera’s grounder in the top of the fifth. Sophia Alvarez concluded the scoring with a solo homer over the fence in left-center in the top of the sixth.
“A couple of small things that definitely hurt us and a big inning for them,” Spotswood coach Vin Vizzi said. “We gave away extra outs and South Plainfield capitalized, so credit to them.”
For Townley, whose lone walk came on a nine-pitch at bat in the sixth inning, it was her first time ...
