Ominous clouds move in on Mountainview Park in Middlesex. Rain, thunder and lightning moved the Central Jersey Group 1 title game to Wednesday at 1 pm.
In the end, it was probably the best-case scenario for both teams.
Before Florence could even get off their long, yellow bus, the Central Jersey Group 1 semifinals, originally scheduled for today at 4 pm, were called off.
Lightning and thunder could be seen and heard in the distance around 3:00 as the Middlesex players were warming up. Then a loud crack and a flash sent them off the field, and into the school for what head coach Justin Nastasi hoped would be a “wait it out” situation.
In the end, the forecast was not good, and the game was called.
Top-seed Middlesex (17-4) and 12th-seed Florence (8-8) now are scheduled to play at 1 pm tomorrow at Mountainview Park in Middlesex, in a game that can be heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Pregame is scheduled for 12:30 pm. Click here to listen.
Middlesex is seeking its third straight crown in Central Jersey Group 1, and it fourth straight appearance in the title game. The Blue Jays have won it in four of the last five seasons, and have also won two Group 1 statewide championships in that stretch.
As of this writing at 4:45 pm, the other GMC team left in the state tournament, Old Bridge, was in a rain delay at Marlboro. The 12th-seeded Knights trailed 1-0 in the bottom of the third, with the Mustangs getting the leadoff man aboard with a walk.
Both starters – Justin Herbstman for Old Bridge and Alex Jankowski for Marlboro eclipsed the 31 pitch mark, so neither would be available if the game had to be continued tomorrow.
Keep checking this website, and follow us on Twitter at @cjsportsradio, for the latest on both games.