Ridge players and coaches in the dugout at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater during the Somerset County Tournament final on May 9, 2023. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
With a host of graduating seniors like Connor Byrne, Brendan Callanan, Aiden Stieglitz, Adam Meiner and others, making a third trip in as many years to the Somerset County Tournament Championship game wouldn’t be easy. And a 1-4 start could have had any other team packing it in.
But while the pitching was holding down the fort, the bats slowly, but surely, started to turn around. Ultimately, that has translated to the Red Devils winning nine of their next ten games, and after four weeks and a day of baseball, Ridge is 10-5, with the No. 7 ranking in the Week Four Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten.
Perfect time for a rematch between Ridge and top-ranked Bridgewater-Raritan, which doubled up the Red Devils, 8-4, back on April 11th.
The two will meet again Tuesday afternoon in a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, as Mike Pavlichko brings you all the action live from Basking Ridge. Pregame is set for 3:30, with first pitch at 3:45 pm. Click here to listen.
As for the pitching, head coach Tom Blackwell will send out Andrew Reynolds for his third start of the year. He began the season in the bullpen after sitting out last year due to an arm injury. But he was a big part of “holding down the fort” earlier in the season.
He’s also been getting some big hits, when he’s not pitching, as have guys like corner infielders Zack Kucerka (1B) and Ben Larner (3B), while right fielder Ezra Sadowski continues to hit well. “He completely carried us offensively early in the season,” says Blackwell.
Click below to hear Ridge head coach Tom Blackwell talk about the Red Devils’ turnaround, and Tuesday’s matchup with top-ranked Bridgewater-Raritan:
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