By Andy Loigu

The first round of state tournament play was a successful one for Hackettstown in softball and boys lacrosse on Friday.

The eighth seeded softball team won big over visiting Newark Tech by an 18-1 score and the boys lacrosse team prevailed in a rugged 12-7 battle over Pequannock.

Andi McMahon pitched a one-hitter, with six strikeouts and a walk, in the Tigers’ mercy-rule shortened five-inning softball win, to get off on the right paw in the North Section 2 Group 2 brackets. The Tigers have a 15-10 overall season record.

Taylor Evans swung a big bat, going 2-for-2, including a home run and five runs batted in.

The boys lacrosse team is 9-7 on the season, after overcoming a tough Pequannock squad in a North Section 1 Group 2 contest. Dan Ferrara scored four goals and dished four assists to lead the way, while Xavier Rodriguez scored three goals.

And In Other News…

The Warren Hills baseball team has a disappointing 7-12 record, but hasn’t thrown in the towel on the season quite yet. The Blue Streaks stroked 11 base hits on Friday afternoon in an 8-5 win at nearby Belvidere (now 6-14) in the kind of non-division neighborhood rivalry game which does not get scheduled enough in this era of super conference craziness. Whatever the records, anytime the Blue Streaks play Big Red it is loads of fun with area bragging rights as the prize for a win.

Kevin Laferia belted two hits which drove in two runs. Kyle Smith had two singles and scored a run and Garrett Koch (an RBI and a run) and Peter Nichols (also an RBI and a run scored) contributed to the win for Warren Hills.

Brett Dalrymple kept Belvidere close, going 3-for-3 while scoring a run.
Earlier in the week, Warren Hills lost 8-3 to High Point.

**************Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building.