South River’s Mike Lepore, Jr., wins 300th game as Rams cruise past Princeton in states tune-up

Tuesday was a mix of emotions for South River baseball coach Mike Lepore, Jr., to say the least.

Lepore, who topped his dad’s school record for wins with his 292nd earlier in the year in a 13-3 win over East Brunswick Magnet in the Autism Awareness Challenge on April 19th, joined the 300-win club Tuesday, with a 12-2 win over Princeton.

That milestone was a bit tempered for Lepore, with the passing of legendary Edison baseball coach Jim Muldowney at the age of 68 early Tuesday morning.

It was Muldowney, then the baseball coach at Middlesex County College, who recruited Lepore to play for him, when no one else would. It jump-started his career, and after his two seasons, Lepore went to Trenton State, where he played for the Division III national championship in 1991.

His longevity and success with the Rams is one of the reasons why it was a nice milestone, but he’s got to move on to bigger and better things. To be specific, Wednesday’s Central Jersey Group 2 opening round playoff game at Carteret, which was moved up a day due to the threat of thunderstorms on Thursday.

In Tuesday’s game, South River (12-11) scored in every inning, getting two in the first and one each in the next two innings before exploding for six in the bottom of the fourth. With an 11-2 lead going into the sixth, the Rams walked it off with a run in the bottom of the inning to induce the ten-run rule.

Starter Brendan Lell got the win, scattering two hits and striking out three in four innings of work. Parker Lane went 3-for-3 – all singles – with three RBIs and a walk to lead the offensive attack. Julius Rosado was two for three with two doubles and a pair of runs batted in, plus two walks.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Mike Lepore, Jr. of South River, the newest member of the 300-win club: