Gov. Livingston Softball Rolls Into Union County Tournament Quarterfinals Behind 17-0 Rout of Rahway

BERKELEY HEIGHTS, N.J. — The Governor Livingston softball team has quietly built one of the stronger résumés in Union County this spring, and a 17-0 run-rule victory over Rahway in the second round of the Union County Tournament Friday made clear the Highlanders are hitting their stride at the right time.A Season of Peaks and ValleysGov. Livingston enters the quarterfinals at 13-5 overall and 8-4 in the UCC Watchung Division after a season defined by big offensive outbursts and a handful of narrow defeats.The Highlanders got off to a solid start, winning five of their first six games and showing an ability to put up crooked numbers early. A 16-7 blowout of Westfield, a 14-0 shutout of Roselle Park and an 8-0 road win at Cranford signaled a lineup capable of taking over a game in a hurry.Their five losses, however, told a different story. Four came by two runs or fewer — a 6-5 decision at Dayton, a 3-2 loss at Mount St. Dominic, a 2-0 shutout loss to Scotch Plains-Fanwood and a gut-wrenching 1-0 defeat at Johnson on May 1. A 10-1 loss to Johnson at home was the one exception. The Highlanders responded each time, going on a six-game winning streak in late April that included a 20-8 rout of Roselle Park and a 10-0 road win at Westfield.A 1-0 road win at Columbia on May 5 — their tightest win of the season — showed the Highlanders can also grind out results when the offense goes quiet.Tournament StatementGov. Livingston arrived at the Union County Tournament and left little doubt Friday, run-ruling Rahway 17-0 in the second round. Alyssa Monaco and Addy Figlar combined to shut Rahway out on one hit across four innings, striking out eight without issuing a walk. Monaco threw the first two innings, fanning four on a perfect outing, and Figlar matched her with four more strikeouts over the final two frames.The pitching duo delivered exactly what a tournament team needs: efficient, dominant innings that kept the offense loose and the lineup rolling.The offense was just as overpowering. Lily Sandholm led the way, going 4-for-4 with three RBIs and a triple. Vanessa Popola added two hits, a home run and three RBIs, while Abbey Devanney went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a stolen base. Izzy Joly went 2-for-2 with two doubles and two RBIs, and Ally Gardner contributed a triple and two RBIs while reaching base three times. Paige Drennan added a double and an RBI, and Addy Figlar went 1-for-1 with a double and an RBI — contributing at the plate before closing the game in the circle. The Highlanders batted .625 as a team, collecting 15 hits with four doubles, two triples and a home run across four innings, sending 18 runners across the plate.Up NextThe Highlanders host Brearley in the Union County Tournament quarterfinal round Tuesday with a 4:30 p.m. first pitch at home. Gov. Livingston also has regular-season games remaining against Union Catholic on Saturday, May 16, at 10 a.m. and North Hunterdon on Thursday, May 21, at 4 p.m.