Nottingham’s Iliana Nyktas displays the ball she got her 100th career hit with today in the Northstars 7-3 MCT win over Allentown. The senior shortstop’s milestone hit came on a two-run single in a five-run fourth inning (Photo by Rich Fisher).
By Rich Fisher
Fish4scores.com
May 9: It was not only a successful day for Hamilton Township schools in the Mercer County Tournament, it was a historic one.
Seventh-seeded Nottingham topped 10th-seeded Allentown, 7-3, in a first-round game while 3rd-seeded Steinert defeated 14th-seeded Princeton, 21-0.
In the Northstars win, senior shortstop Iliana “The Statistician/Photographer” Nyktas became the seventh player in program history to get her 100th hit.
Nottingham (10-8), much like its baseball counterparts on the opposite field, took a quick lead when Jordyn Varone walked and scored on a single by Heather Clevenger in the first inning. The Stars doubled their lead in the second on singles by Stella Spatola and Jayden Glazewski.
Nottingham put it away with a five-run fourth, as Nyktas’ milestone hit was also an important one. Spatola and Sophie DeFrank singled, Glazewski walked and Varone hit an RBI single. The Statistician/Photographer then laced a two-run single to bust it open, and Clevenger followed with an RBI single. Gabriella Estrada also had an RBI in the uprising.
Clevenger got the win by throwing six scoreless innings.
The Northstars are right back at it Thursday as they meet 2nd-seeded West Windsor-Plainsboro North at Armstrong Field in the quarterfinals.
Steinert had little trouble against the Little Tigers, as Kaylee Whittaker pitched a four-inning no-hitter with 10 strikeouts. Dara Kelly had three hits and three runs scored, Whittaker had two hits and three runs, Nicole Cerasi added two hits and two runs and Hailey Nardone had two hits and a run.
Steinert takes on 6th-seeded Hightstown Thursday one year after the Rams upset the Spartans in the quarterfinals at Armstrong
