Sadowski homers, knocks in five, as Ridge outslugs Hillsborough in SCT quarters

In a game that saw four home runs and 11 pitchers get used, it turns out that Ridge got all the runs it needed to win in the first inning.

The third-seeded Red Devils sent 14 hitters to the plate in the bottom of the first, got home runs from Ezra Sadowski and starting pitcher Ben Larner, and scored eight runs in the inning. And when it was over, Ridge came away with a 12-7 win over a sixth-seed Hillsborough side that wouldn’t lay down in the Somerset County Tournament semifinals at Diamond Nation in Flemington, in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio, presented by Zoned Sports Academy of Bridgewater.

After a 1-2-3 top of the first, the Ridge offense exploded in the first. Nick Selitti and Jake Dolan led off with walks, and Sadowski whacked a 2-2 pitch to left to make it 3-0. That chased Raider starter Jack McLaughlin.

With Brayden Fox in relief, he got a flyout, but then Quinn Dashefsky singled, and Larner smacked another home run to make it 5-0. Zach Kucerka reached on a single, and after a popup to short, two extra base hits brought in more. Andrew Reynolds doubled to make it 6-0, and a double by Selliti made it 7-0. After a Dolan walk, Sadowski picked up his fourth RBI of the inning with an RBI single. Rossi walked, and Aiden Cooper came on in relief to get Dashefsky to fly out and end the inning.

Cooper held Ridge in check for a while, retiring seven straight through the end of the third, giving ‘Boro a chance to make up some ground.

Max Romanok led off the fourth with a single, Logan Raghunath walked, and Andrew Advani reached on a fielder’s choice to put runners at the corners. Jake Battagliese then tripled to knock in two, and JJ Lotierzo scored him with a single to make it 8-3. Two batters later, Peter Cipparulo singled to cut the lead in half, 8-4.

But Ridge got two back in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI single by Kucerak, and a bases loaded walk drawn by Kieran Callanan to make it 10-4.

Each team got a run in the fifth. Loteirzo worked out a bases loaded walk for Hillsborough to cut it to 10-5, but Ridge got it right back on a solo home run by Jake Dolan to give the Red Devils an 11-7 advantage.

The Raiders got two more in the sixth after Cipparulo led off with a single and Alex Reiling hit a two-run homer to make it 12-7, but Ridge again answered, this time with a sac fly RBI to center by Sadowski – his 5th RBI of the game – to plate Reynolds, making it 12-7.

And just for good measure, Sadowski pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning to end the game.

Ridge (17-7) moves on to Monday’s semifinals at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater, where they’ll play second seed Immaculata. The Spartans seven-seed Somerville, 3-2 in a walkoff, also at Diamond Nation.