By Chris Iseman – Record Sports

Jack Casimiro is afforded a luxury not too many coaches have.

The Ridgefield coach has two excellent pitchers on his roster: senior Marissa Semeraro and junior Jackie Lara.

Both can shut down opposing lineups. Both can record critical outs.

“The strength of our team is in our pitching,” Casimiro said. “I feel comfortable throwing either of those kids against any team on our schedule. They’re going to come out, they’re going to compete. They’re quality pitchers and get the ball over the plate, and they’re not afraid to go after hitters.”

The duo of Semeraro and Lara, both right-handers, has been crucial to Ridgefield’s 12-3 season. Combined with their work in the circle, the Royals are sound defensively and they boast a lineup with consistent, scrappy and speedy hitters.

“Offensively we have kids that can hit,” Casimiro said. “We’re not really a power-hitting team. But we have some kids that can put the bat on the ball. I have athletes who can run, so we’ll run the bases. We’re a scrappy little offensive team. We can build a run here or there and then let the pitchers taking care of that.”

Ridgefield will be looking to do that today when the No. 19 Royals play No. 14 Glen Rock in the first round of the Bergen County tournament.

Lara is 5-1 with an ERA of just 0.50. She has struck out 71 batters in 42 innings.

Semeraro also was 5-1 entering Sunday with an ERA of 2.60. She had fanned 45 batters in 35 innings pitched.

They’ve each given Ridgefield consistency in the circle, but they’ve also done a nice job at the plate while their teammates have backed them up.

Senior first baseman Hailey Walsh entered Sunday batting .432 with three doubles, one triple and seven RBI.

Walsh didn’t even play softball until her junior season.

“She’s converted herself into one of the kids who anchors the middle of our lineup,” Casimiro said. “She’s a tough kid, a kid that I think every coach would appreciate to have on their team. She comes out every day to compete, tries hard and has made herself an important piece of our lineup.”

Semeraro, meanwhile, is batting .439 with 10 RBI while delivering plenty of clutch hits. Lara came into Sunday hitting .435 with two home runs and 11 RBI.

They also each earned their 100th career hit last week. They’re just the third and fourth players in program history to hit that milestone.