The Lady Highlanders softball team beat Paramus in the semifinals of the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 3 Tournament in Paramus on May 24.
West Milford entered the tournament as the eighth seed while Paramus entered as the fourth.
The Lady Highlanders started the game strong, knocking in three runs in the top of the first inning before scoring once more in the second to take a 4-0 lead.
After a two-run fourth inning, West Milford scored five in the fifth on their way to the 11-0 shutout win.
Courtney Cienki went 3-for-4 with a run, a home run, and six RBIs in the victory, while teammate Samantha Araujo went 3-for-3 with with three RBIs and two runs.
Mackenzie McGuinness went 2-for-4 with an RBI as well, while Jessica Perucki went 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI.
Perucki also had another strong game from the mound, giving up just one hit and no runs in her five innings pitched, while striking out four batters.
Last week, the Lady Highlanders softball team beat Ramapo in the quarterfinals of the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 3 Tournament in Ramapo.
The Raiders entered the tournament as the top seed while West Milford entered as the eighth.
The Lady Highlanders had a 3-0 lead going into the bottom of the fourth before Ramapo scored the team’s only four runs and took the lead.
West Milford, however, was able to retake the lead for good in the sixth, winning by a final score of 6-4.
Perucki struck out 11 batters and allowed four hits in her seven innings pitched.
Kristen Cienki went 2-for-4 with two RBIs in the game, while Courtney Cienki, Mackenzie McGuinness, and Jenna Moran each had an RBI as well.
Samantha Araujo went 1-for-3 with four runs.
The win marked the second time in two weeks that the Lady Highlanders were able to take down the top seed in tournament play.
The Lady Highlanders (13-10) were scheduled to travel to North Caldwell next where they will face West Essex (seventh seed) in the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 3 Tournament finals on Wednesday.