On to the final! Old Bridge wins wild Group 4 semi over Eastern, 8-6 to advance to first-ever state title game

In a game that had the long ball, hits, errors, and gold glove plays, it was a balk call int he sixth inning that led to the winning run.

Old Bridge doesn’t care how; they’ll take it: an 8-6 win over Eastern in the Group 4 semifinals at Fred Cole Field that sends them to the state Group 4 title game in Hamilton at 4 pm Saturday against Ridgewood, which walked-off Bayonne with a single in the seventh to win 14-13.

In a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio, Justin Hascup closed the game on the mound, and scored the go-ahead run in the sixth. He led off the inning with the game tied 6-6 by knocking a triple. Evan Smith walked and a sac bunt by Adam Scire put him at second. With second and third and one out, a balk was called on Eastern pitcher Logan Dawson to score Hascup. A passed ball then brought home Smith with an insurance run the Knights would turn out not to need.

Old Bridge was down 2-0 before even coming to bat, as Eastern got a two-RBI double from Rich Iulucci, but starter JT Meyer settled in from there.

The Knights got three back in the second on an RBI double by Scire that drove in Mike Villani. Then Meyer knocked in two with a two-out triple to make it 3-2 Old Bridge after two.

The Vikings took a 6-3 lead in the fifth. With a runner on third, Bill Bentliff popped up a bunt to first that Shawn Bogda caught; he tried to double up Spencer Haldeman on third but threw it away and the run score to tie the game. After a hit batter and a walk put two on, Sam Winsett crushed a three-run homer to left.

That’s the way the game would stay until the wacky sixth inning.

Old Bridge goes to the finals with a record of 21-8; Hascup got the win in relief. Logan Dawson took the loss for Eastern, which falls to 17-11-1.

Click below for postgame reaction presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen: