When the North Arlington softball team went through an up and down April, there was always a strong belief that this veteran group would come together and go on a run.
At 13-8, the Vikings have done just that and with the state tournament starting this week, the timing couldn’t be any better.
North Arlington heads into its NJSIAA North 2, Group 1 first round game at West Caldwell Tech having won six of its last eight games.
“We’ve definitely been working hard and working well as a group,” said head coach Emma Stagg. “We were definitely so-so to start and we had a bunch of conversations about how we’re going to get there. It’s just going to take us a little bit longer than everybody else.
“I think we’ve gotten into our routine, we know what to do. We’ve kind of settled down from the whole early spring jitters that we had in the middle of April and gotten to where we need to be.”
The biggest reason for the turnaround has been a dynamic and deep offense that has averaged nearly eight and a half runs per game during this eight game stretch.
It’s a lineup that has been anchored by one of the NJIC’s best one-two duos at the top with pitcher/first baseman Cadence Mansfield leading off, followed by centerfielder/catcher Isabella Buccheri hitting second.
Mansfield, a junior, is hitting .514 with 23 runs scored and 18 stolen bases. As impressive as those numbers are, they pale in comparison to Buccheri, who has emerged as one of Bergen County’s premier hitters. Buccheri, a junior, is batting an incredible .658 on the season with 48 hits, 18 extra-base hits, four homers, 35 RBI, 33 runs and 26 stolen bases.
“She’s been hot all season and just the way she sees the ball is just so much improved,” Stagg said about Buccheri, who got her 100th career hit on May 15. “She’s improved and grown as a player and a kid the last three years. Her approach is drastically different and it truly shows in her numbers.”
The lineup is further bolstered with a veteran infield that features three four-year varsity players in Jacklyn Burbach, Lyndsay Gilbert and McKenzie Stone.
Burbach, who shares the first base and pitching responsibilities with Mansfield, is hitting .333 with a team-best 17 walks, 22 RBI and 10 stolen bases. Gilbert, a third baseman, is hitting .301 with 14 runs, 13 RBI and stolen bases. Stone, a shortstop, is hitting .284 with 19 RBI, 11 runs and 13 steals.
Rounding out the infield is sophomore Abigail Cubero, is having a breakout season, hitting .320 with 11 runs scored.
Another four-year senior is left fielder Skyler Crudele, who is hitting .385 with 11 walks, 17 runs and 13 RBI. Crudele has been equally valuable defensively as she has started in all three outfield spots this season.
Right field has been shared between freshman Isabella Mannuzza (.294 average) and sophomore Lilliana Laboy (.276), while another sophomore, Emma Graci, is the primary designated player.
The result is a lineup that is without question the deepest Stagg has had in her three seasons at North Arlington.
“It’s definitely a good problem to have (finding at-bats for all of them),” said Stagg. “I don’t like taking any of them out of the lineup because they can all put the bat on the ball, but it depends on who we’re playing and who is pitching, where everything else kind of falls into place.”
Freshman Paige Schlameuss is the starting catcher when Buccheri is in the outfield. Sophomore Sophia Graci and freshman Elissa Malek have been used quite a bit as pinch-runners off a bench that includes sophomores Jenna Ramirez, Taylor Todechine and Keira Pfaff as well as freshmen Zoe Merchado, Sophia Villalobos, Julianna Mickeal and Isabella Mannuzza.
In the circle, Burbach (3.48 ERA with 99 strikeouts in 70.1 innings) and Mansfield (4.11 ERA with 64 strikeouts in 59.2 innings) have split the job and while both have struggled at times, the belief is that the reduced wear and tear on their arms will prove beneficial for the playoffs.
North Arlington, which earned the 10th seed in North 2, Group 1, will seek its first state tournament win since 2021 when it plays at seventh-seeded West Caldwell Tech on Tuesday, May 26. The winner will move on to face the winner of Brearley and University in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
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Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)