UPDATE: Pope John softball team loses in state semis

Kylie Otero tripled twice and scored three times to help lead the fourth-seeded Pope John XXIII Regional High School softball team to an 8-5 victory over fifth-seeded Pingry in the quarterfinal round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey, Non-Public A tournament on Thursday, May 25 at home.

The Lions then lost to top-seeded Mount St. Dominic, 4-1, on Tuesday, May 30 in a sectional semifinal in Caldwell.

Pope John (12-11) trailed Pingry, 4-3, before striking for four runs in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead for good.

In addition to Otero, Pope John was led offensively by Remmi Joustra (RBI double), Ryleigh Manning (1-for-3, RBI, run), Abbey Davis (1-for-1, RBI, two stolen bases, walk, two runs) and Karly Severinsen (1-for-3, double, RBI, run).

Here is how other Pope John sports teams fared last week:

Baseball

The Lions saw their very successful season come to an end with a 6-4 loss to St. Joseph of Montvale in a NJSIAA North Jersey, Non-Public A quarterfinal on Friday, May 26 in Montvale.

Michael Gallaway drove in two runs and Christopher Manco added an RBI as Pope John (16-8) led, 4-1, after the second inning. St. Joseph (21-8) scored four times in the sixth to take a 6-4 lead.

Pope John, the fifth seed, had defeated 12th-seeded Paramus Catholic, 8-3, in a first-round game May 23 in Sparta.

Marco Bonfiglio was 1-for-3 with a double and three RBI; Massimo Mondi went 1-for-2 with a double, a walk, two RBI and two runs; and Nick Struble singled in two runs to pace the offense.

Boys lacrosse

The Lions were seeded sixth for the NJSIAA Non-Public, Group A tournament and were scheduled to host 11th-seeded Notre Dame in a first-round game May 30 in Sparta.

Pope John (13-3) will enter the states on a six-game winning streak, having won 12 of its past 13 games.

Boys tennis

The 14th-seeded Lions dropped a 5-0 decision to third-seeded and No. 8 ranked Delbarton in the opening round of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Non-Public tournament May 25 in Morristown.

Pope John (2-10) was led this season by Will Mason (first singles), Adam Komosinski (second singles), Sebastian Rondon (third singles), Jack Sacchiero and Vinny Romano (first doubles), and Henry Lee and James Illardi (second doubles).

Boys volleyball

The season came to an end for the Lions, seeded 11th, in a loss to sixth-seeded Wood-Ridge in the first round of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Group 1 tournament Wednesday, May 24 in Wood-Ridge.

Pope John (6-17) won its final match Monday, May 22 at home against Newark Vocational, 25-11, 25-22.

The Lions were led by Magnuss Bars (six assists, two aces, one kill), Jayden Anger (four kills, four aces), Alessio Orlando (four blocks, three kills, three aces), Reuben Renshaw (three kills, two aces) and Henry Czarnecki (two blocks, one kill).