Ridge’s Connor Byrne pitches in the top of the 4th of the Somerset County Tournament Championship Game at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater on May 23, 2022. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
It was a pitchers duel in every sense of the word.
Combined, Ridge’s Connor Byrne and Bernards’ Evan Hoeckele allowed just four hits and one run in a 1-0 win for the Red Devils in the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals.
But of those four hits and one run, it was Byrne that allowed none and none, along with no walks. He threw 76 pitches, fanned seven, and faced the minimum 21 batters in reaching the ultimate pinnacle for a pitcher: a perfect game.
Funny thing is, second-seed Ridge (9-2) might have needed all of that perfection to actually win the game, since Hoeckele of Bernards (5-4) was almost – almost – as good. After all, four hits and one run should be good enough to win a ballgame most days.
But not on Tuesday.
The difference in the game was a solo home run in the fourth by Ridge’s Brendan Callanan that put them ahead 1-0, the final score.
Ridge moves on to play sixth-seed Pingry in the semifinals at 1 pm Thursday at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater. Central Jersey Sports Radio’s coverage of the Somerset County Tournament – presented by Zoned Sports Academy – will include play by play of that game, as well as the 4 pm semi between top-seed Bridgewater-Raritan and 12-seed Rutgers Prep.