Lady Mustangs are the GMC's team to beat
Pitching, defense key to JFK's success
BY SHAWN LAYTON
Staff Writer

Above, J.F. Kennedy's Allison Greaney fires a pitch to the plate during the Mustangs' game with Shore Conference power St. John Vianney in Woodbridge on Thursday. At left, JFK's Carlisa Jimenez puts the bat on the ball.

ISELIN - After landing the No. 1 seed in the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament for the first time in school history, the John F. Kennedy High School softball team did not disappoint with a first-round 5-0 win over No. 17 Metuchen.

The Mustangs will look to advance to the semifinals with a win today over No. 8 Dunellen. Dunellen advanced with an 8-7 win over South Amboy. The two teams will square off at South Plainfield High School.

Kennedy garnered the top seed after an impressive season dominating the GMC White Division. The Mustangs took the White Division crown with a 13-1 mark in league play. They enter this week's action at 20-4 on the season.

"We were able to capitalize on a couple of Metuchen mistakes to win that first-round game," Kennedy head coach Nancy Cuntala said. "Allison Greaney was solid and threw her seventh shutout of the season."

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Greaney held Metuchen scoreless, thanks to impeccable control. She fanned six batters and issued no walks. Greaney also delivered at the plate with a big three-run double. Teammate Jess Tymitz started the Kennedy scoring with an RBI single in the second inning.

"We took some time to score, but we felt pretty confident after Allison's double in the fifth inning," Cuntala said. "With the win, Allison improved to 12-3 on the year."

While Greaney may get the start in today's matchup with Dunellen, Kennedy has a luxury unavailable to many other teams with two aces on the pitching staff. Sophomore Heather Corica is just as capable and will also be available for today's game. Corica is 8-1 on the season.

"It all starts with pitching," Cuntala said. "That has been our strength this season first and foremost. It's been absolutely instrumental in our success. We've been able to stay in every game by keeping our opponents' runs down."

Although offensive productivity has not come easy to the Mustangs, Corica, Greaney, Nicole Claridge and Becky Castelucci have provided the team with consistency.

"At some point or another everyone has had a big hit or a big defensive play that contributed to a win," Cuntala said. "After a 1-2 start to the season, the girls really turned it on and haven't looked back."

After the sluggish start, Kennedy went on to roll off 18 straight wins to set a new school record.

"Good pitching was the real key," Cuntala said. "Like I said, everyone provided the team with something special during the 18-game winning streak."

Following today's quarterfinal matchup, Kennedy will take on the winner of a Colonia/Morristown meeting on May 24 in its first game of the North Jersey II Group 3 state tournament. The Mustangs are the No. 1 seed in the tourney.

"Getting a No. 1 seed is nice, but it doesn't guarantee you anything," Cuntala said. "We'll still have to play the way we are capable of playing. We'll need strong pitching and consistent hitting."