Softball Game Preview: Ridgefield Park Scarlets vs. Bayonne Bees

The Ridgefield Park Scarlets will square off against the Bayonne Bees at 11:00 a.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Bayonne will be up against a hot Ridgefield Park squad: the team just extended their winning streak to six. The Scarlets put the hurt on Westwood with a sharp 14-3 win on Wednesday.

Gabriella Rivera was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits (and only one walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run and two RBI.

In other batting news, Karylle Culala and Ivana Capurso did most of the damage at the plate: Culala went a perfect 4-for-4 with four runs, one stolen base, and one double, while Capurso went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. Those three runs gave Capurso a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Mia Monteleone, who went 1-for-4 with three RBI and one run.

Ridgefield Park kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 11 hits in six consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Bayonne got the win against Union City on Thursday by a conclusive 13-4. Winning may never get old, but the Bees sure are getting used to it with their fifth in a row.

Bayonne's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-2. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.5 runs on average over those games. As for Ridgefield Park, their victory bumped their record up to 11-1.