Cougars Boys Lacrosse Dominates, Baseball Stumbles Late, Softball Blanked by Bound Brook

Nicholas Mistretta

MHS ’79 Cougar Sports Correspondent

It was a week of mixed results for the Montgomery Cougars, with the boys lacrosse team delivering a decisive home victory, while baseball and softball both faced tough losses on Thursday.

Lacrosse: Cougars Charge Past Knights, 14-3
The Montgomery boys lacrosse team took center stage Tuesday night at Cougar Stadium, dismantling the West Windsor-Plainsboro Knights 14-3 in a dominant performance.

Senior attacker Colin Long led the scoring onslaught with five goals, one assist, and three ground balls. Patrick Petrozzini recording a hat trick, five assists for eight total points, and three ground balls. Will Schwartz added his own hat trick, while Zach Mutton netted two goals and Matthew Cudmore chipped in with one to cap off the scoring.

Defensively, Xander Mancilla was solid in net, stopping four shots and allowing just three goals across four quarters. The victory gives the Cougars a strong push as they head into the heart of the season.

Baseball: Cougars Can’t Contain Late Warriors Rally in 12-4 Loss
Montgomery varsity baseball was poised for an upset on Thursday but faltered late, falling to Watchung Hills 12-4 at home.

The Cougars jumped out early with two runs in the first, and led 3-2 heading into the seventh. However, the Warriors exploded for seven runs in the top of the frame, ultimately outpacing Montgomery 10-1 over the final three innings. Despite the scoreline, Henry Maddox turned in a solid performance at the plate, going 2-for-4. Mason Nuefeld reached base twice and scored two runs, while Alex Bender added a single in his 1-for-2 day.

On the mound, Jake Hayes pitched 6.1 innings, throwing 92 pitches, allowing 4 runs (2 earned) on 9 hits, with 3 strikeouts and 2 walks. Nuefeld came in for relief, giving up 5 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits and striking out 3 in two-thirds of an inning. Fielding woes plagued the Cougars, who committed five errors and left eight runners on base.

Softball: Bound Brook’s Marusiak Silences Cougars in Perfect Game
Thursday’s softball contest saw a tough outing for Montgomery, as they were defeated by Bound Brook 14-0 in a five-inning run-rule loss. The story of the game was Bound Brook pitcher Mia Marusiak, who threw a perfect game, striking out Cougar batters with surgical precision while allowing no hits, no walks, and no baserunners. In the circle for Montgomery, Nicolette Shackelford and Ryane Riddell combined to allow 14 runs (13 earned) and walked five batters each. The Cougars couldn’t get their bats going and struggled to find momentum against a red-hot Crusaders squad.

Photo Credit: Nick Mistretta/headlinenewsmontgomery.com