Corica's no-hitter paces JFK to big softball win BY SHAWN LAYTON Staff Writer One run in the first inningwould prove to be plenty of run support for Heather Corica and the John F. Kennedy High School softball team in a 5-0 win over North Brunswick last week. A lone run proved to be more than enough for theMustangs as Coricawould go the distance without allowing a single hit. "Heather's no-hitter was the story of the game," Kennedy head coach Nancy Cuntala said. "She got some help by a terrific catch by Victoria Olzesen in the outfield. Victoria made a running one-hand catch to help preserve the no-hitter." Olzesen's catch was evenmore spectacular, considering the Mustangs were short two of their three full-time outfielders. "Victoria made her first start in right field this season and she played very well," Cuntala said. "We moved our backup third baseman, Allison Riche, to center field and she also did a very nice job for us." Although Kennedy could only get five hits off Colonia, the team was able to make the most of each hit. "It was nice to see we scored in multiple innings," Cuntala said. "We've struggled to score all year, so it was nice to see us come up with hits at opportune times." Corica provided the big hits for theMustangs, including a run-scoring triple. She finished with three of the team's five hits. "Heather is just having a monstrous season with the bat and in the pitching circle," Cuntala said. "She's kept us in every game." Earlier last week Corica gave the team another stellar pitching performance, holding Monroe scoreless for 10 innings. In the 10th inning, Kennedy's Liz Kline smacked a two-out bloop single to knock in the winning run. Another extra-inning affair last week did not turn out as fortunate as the win overMonroe, as Colonia avenged an earlyseason 9-1 loss with a 2-1 win over Kennedy in 11 innings. "Colonia really did a great job in this one," Cuntala said. "They played errorless defense and made adjustments at the plate. Girls that struck out in our first game with them put the ball in play and forced our defense to make plays. Unfortunately, a pair of throwing errors proved too costly for us and we lost." The loss dropped Kennedy to 11-2 in the White Division and tied for the division lead with Carteret. Kennedy was scheduled to play its final division game against Sayreville earlier in the week. A victory would assure the team of at least a share of the division title and its second consecutive White Division title. "We beat Sayreville the first time though, thanks to a magnificent pitching performance from Heather," Cuntala said. "We also hit the ball well, as every player finished with a hit. I can't expect that to happen again, and Sayreville has some very good players, so we'll need to play our best." After wrapping up division play, Kennedy will finish the week on the road on May 9 for a 3:45 p.m. game against Dunellen.