Never mind that the Roadrunner Softball team fielded a roster of only 10 players throughout the 2024 spring season.

Never mind that conference and region opponents all had more depth and more players sitting in their dugouts.

This RCSJ team, coached by veteran Steve DePasquale, was simply not going to be denied their success.

The Runners finished the 2024 season with a 21-8 overall record, winning the Garden State Athletic Conference with a 14-2 league mark.

"This was a scrappy bunch who always had each others' backs," said Coach Steve DePasquale. "They showed up for games and did whatever the coaches asked them. They have the right attitude and mind set entering our Region tournament. And yes, there are some pretty talented players on our roster."

With that impressive regular season in the books, the Runners are well prepared to take on all comers in this weekend's Region 19 North Atlantic District Final Four tournament hosted by RCSJ.

The No. 1 seed Runners' opening round semifinal opponent in the double elimination tourney will be No. 4 Northampton Community College in a 10 am start Saturday morning. In the other semifinal, No. 2 Middlesex meets No. 3 Brookdale.

Throughout the season, the coaching staff moved players around to different positions, and the team enjoyed a productive campaign.

Two of the top players, sophomore second baseman Anna Cirucci and freshman third baseman Grace Huber, turned in solid seasons and will be ready for action this weekend.

"We're very competitive -- everyone wants to win and everyone works together as a team," said Huber, a Highland Regional High School grad who turned in a red-hot .473 batting average while collecting 29 RBIs. "We have a lot of confidence."

"Our lineup -- 1 through 9 -- has some very good players," she added. "Anyone can get a big hit and pull through at any moment."

Cirucci, a returning All-American from Williamstown who ended the season with a .490 BA and 21 RBIs, agrees.

"We think about nothing but winning -- taking every game one at a time and just doing our jobs," said Anna. "Everybody cares about each other and we pick each other up."

The Runners will also count on two of the region's top pitchers -- returning All-American Gemma Galloway, who finished 17-4 with a sparkling 2.02 ERA, and freshman standout Angelina Rinaldi, who registered a solid 3-2 record and 3.34 ERA.

"We compete in one of the top regions in the country," said DePasquale. "All of these games will go back and forth and will be real battles. We have a lot of experience in close games, so hopefully we will be ready."

NJCAA North Atlantic District / Region 19 Championships

Scores and updates for the NJCAA Division III Softball North Atlantic District/Region 19 Championship. Winner advances to the NJCAA Division III World Series in Chattanooga, TN!

Final Four Saturday 5/11 and Sunday 5/12 – Double Elimination Tournament

5/11, Game 1 - #1 RCSJ vs #4 Northampton | 10am

5/11, Game 2 - #2 Middlesex vs #3 Brookdale | 12pm

5/11, Game 3 – Winner game 1 vs Winner game 2 | 2pm

5/11, Game 4 – Loser game 1 vs Loser game 2 | 4pm

5/12, Game 5 – Loser game 3 vs Winner game 4 |10am

5/12, Game 6 – Winner game 3 vs Winner game 5 | 12pm

5/12, Game 7 – "IF game" | 2pm