Softball: Predictions, preview for Bergen County Tournament quarterfinals

The quarterfinals of the Bergen County softball tournament will be held Saturday at Immaculate Heart Academy.

Here, we break down all four games and make our picks.

(1) IHA vs. (9) Ridgewood, 10 a.m.

How they got here: The Blue Eagles won back-to-back 10-0 games over Saddle Brook and Holy Angels in the first two rounds. Ridgewood outscored Leonia, 12-4, in the first round and River Dell, 12-1, in the second.

Players to watch: IHA - Gabby Shadek, junior C; Gianna DiMeglio, senior; Ridgewood - Gia Liu, senior P; Caitlin Bergman, senior OF.

Prediction: The Blue Eagles are on course for a county three-peat. They handled Ridgewood, 9-0, earlier this season. Shadek is the front-runner for North Jersey Softball Player of the Year. She is such a valuable weapon as a hitter and defensively. The Blue Eagles have to make sure they aren’t overlooking Ridgewood, which can hang with them and would love for this to be 2-1 in the fifth inning or something. But that’s unlikely. IHA will be focused and should advance.

(5) Indian Hills vs. (13) Paramus Catholic, noon

How they got here: Indian Hills held off Wallington, 2-1, in the second round after beating Dumont, 7-1. The Paladins beat Group 1 power Emerson in the first round, 9-4, and upset fourth-seeded Rutherford, 10-2, in the second round.

Players to Watch: Indian Hills - Mikayla Amoruso, senior P, Celina Brown, senior OF; Paramus Catholic - Haley Kempf, junior, Gianna Presutto, junior.

Prediction: These two teams just met Wednesday in a non-conference game, which Indian Hills won 7-5 after trailing 5-1. That sounds about right. This isn’t a loaded Braves team, but they’re scrappy and play hard. I can see Paramus Catholic winning if Indian Hills has an off day, but the Braves will be confident after what happened earlier this week. Do the Paladins throw a different pitcher than they used Wednesday? That’s an interesting decision. Indian Hills would love to play spoiler in the semis against IHA and have nothing to lose.

(2) Ramsey vs. (7) Glen Rock, 2 p.m.

How they got here: Ramsey went back and forth with St. Mary before beating the Gaels, 17-10, in the second round in one of the highest-scoring games in tournament history. The Rams blanked Demarest, 12-0, in the opening round. Glen Rock beat Westwood, 14-4, and beat 2023 Bergen County semifinalist Bergen Tech, 7-1.

Players to Watch: Glen Rock - Natalia Danyluk, senior 1B, Natalie Luftman, senior P; Ramsey - Alana Chetaitis, senior, Lucy Sobel, sophomore.

Prediction: In 2023, Ramsey beat IHA during the regular season, but then lost to the Blue Eagles in the county final. This year, IHA beat Ramsey during the regular season, so maybe that means something. Glen Rock is the last hope of the classic small schools this year. The Panthers are legit and got a big boost when Natalia Danyluk became eligible after her sit-out period for transferring. This is the best Glen Rock has ever been seeded and just the third time it reached the county quarterfinals. The Panthers have never made the semis. The Panthers line-up is good. Ramsey is just a tick better in most spots. They play great defense and have the pitching. I think it’s low scoring but Ramsey triumphs.

(6) Ramapo vs. (14) Fair Lawn, 4 p.m.

How they got here: The Cutters knocked off No. 3 seed Ridgefield Park, 6-1, in the second round and blanked Pascack Valley, 10-0, in the first round. Ramapo is in the quarters for the fifth straight time after out-slugging Pascack Hills, 20-10, in the first round and Old Tappan, 11-7, in the second.

Players to Watch: Fair Lawn - senior P Kendall McNamara, junior infielder Morgan Hayes; Ramapo - senior OF Sophia DelBuono, junior SS LeeAnn Downey.

Prediction: Ramapo comes in Saturday as one of the hottest teams in Bergen County with 10 wins in a row (before Friday’s game against West Milford). The Green Raiders have done it with offense, scoring double-digit runs in seven of their last 10 games. Fair Lawn plays tough competition, so don’t be fooled by the Cutters' record. They played IHA tough and beat Ridgewood on Wednesday. Can they avoid the big mistake against Ramapo? They have the edge at pitcher with McNamara. I think Fair Lawn is capable, and if it were against Indian Hills, I might pick the Cutters, but I believe Ramapo has one big inning and wins it.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ softball: Predictions for Bergen County Tournament quarterfinals