Championship Day! Bridgewater-Raritan, Monroe, South Plainfield to play for sectional titles in Monday state tourney action

Three Central Jersey Sports Radio-Area teams will play for sectional championships today, as the high school baseball season in New Jersey enters its final week.

Two area squads will play for Group 4 sectional titles. Top-seed Bridgewater-Raritan faces seventh-seed Hunterdon Central in North 2, while fifth-seed Monroe travels to third-seed Jackson Memorial in Central. Both games start at 4 pm.

Meanwhile, in North 2, Group 3 action, top-seed South Plainfield will host second-seed Randolph for a sectional title.

Read on for previews of each game, as well as links to follow all of our coverage of all three title games Monday afternoon.

NORTH 2, GROUP 4 CHAMPIONSHIP:

Teams:
(1) Bridgewater-Raritan (27-3, 10-0, Skyland Conference Delaware Division champions, #4 in NJ)
(7) Hunterdon Central (16-6, 4-6 Skyland Conference Delaware Division, 5th place)

Date and Time: Monday, June 3, 2024 – 4 pm
Location: Bridgewater, NJ
Coverage: Follow Alec Crouthamel on Twitter (Click here to follow!)

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

Bridgewater-Raritan:
First Round: def. (16) Union, 3-0
Quarterfinals: def. (9) Edison, 3-0
Semifinals: def. (4) Westfield, 10-0 (5 inn.) (CLICK HERE FOR RECAP)

Hunterdon Central:
First Round: def. (10) Watchung Hills, 6-4
Quarterfinals: def. (2) Scotch Plains-Fanwood, 9-3
Semifinals: def. (3) Ridge, 2-1

THE LOWDOWN:

The Panthers are back in this game for a second straight year, after losing last year to fifth-seed Bayonne last year at home, 9-2, in the North 2 Group 4 final. That team finished 23-7, and this year’s edition is that much better.

The Panthers are 27-3 and have won 11 straight games, their last loss coming almost a month ago, on May 3rd, 3-2 to Howell. Their other losses also were out of conference in the midst of a challenging schedule, to West Morris and Lawrence.

What’s notable is that this will be the third time the schools have played each other this year. Not only did Bridgewater-Raritan win both matchups, but they haven’t lost to Central since 2022, when the Red Devils swept both meetings and finished 25-5, going all the way to the state Group 4 title game, losing to Howell. The Panthers swept three from them last year – including a 19-8 win in the quarterfinals of the North 2, Group 4 section – and won this year’s games 7-0 on April 16th, and 5-2 on May third.

Head coach Max Newill will have a lot of options on the mound. Everyone will be available for the full compliment of 110 pitches allowed except Owen Crimmins, who threw 70 in the semifinals Friday, and would only have 80 left. Kellan Komline or Jack Lanum could get the nod, while Bridgewater rarely needs anyone else out of the bullpen besides Cory Rible, who has worked exclusively out of the bullpen this year as a stopper/closer. The Panthers are 14-0 in games where he’s pitched.

The Panthers continue to hit very well, with senior Matthew Fattore batting .450 with 32 RBIs to lead the team. And junior catcher JR Rosado is right behind him at .397, with 24 runs batted in.

Central is 16-10 on the season, and finished fifth in the six-team Delaware Division in the Skyland Conference, going 4-6. Bridgewater won the division with a perfect 10-0 record. The Red Devils have won eight of their last nine, their only loss in that span – going back to May 9th – was an 11-7 home loss to St. Joseph-Metuchen.

The Red Devils have hit better as a team all year long, at .337 compared to BR’s .295, with sophomore outfielder Danny Contiliano leading the way, hitting .405 with 15 runs batted in, while his brother, Mike – a senior – his hitting .390 and leads the team with 17 RBIs. Hunterdon Central should have the majority of their pitchers available, except for Jared Jacobus, who threw 73 pitches against Ridge Friday in the semis.

Finals History…

Bridgewater-Raritan is in the title game for the second year in a row, and looking for its first title since head coach Max Newill’s third season, in 2010. They beat Edison to win the trophy that year, but lost to Randolph – now in Group 3 – in the Group four semifinals. The Panthers also made it to the sectional final in 2008, Newill’s first season, but lost. A win would make Bridgewater 2-2 in sectional finals under Newill.

Hunterdon Central last made the finals in 2022, beating Woodbridge at home, 5-1, to take the North 2, Group 4 title. They wound up losing to Howell, 9-8, in the state Group 4 final. In 2018, the Red Devils won Central Group 4, beating Manalapan, then blanked Westfield 7-0 in the state Group 4 title game, capping a 28-2 season. They also won a sectional title in 2017, another state title in 2016, and a sectional in 2013.

Previous Coverage of Bridgewater-Raritan

CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 4 CHAMPIONSHIP:

Teams:
(5) Monroe (16-9, 7-5 GMC Red Division, 3rd place)
(3) Jackson Memorial (17-10, 9-5 Shore Conference A South Division, 4th place)

Date and Time: Monday, June 3, 2024 – 4 pm
Location: Jackson Twp., NJ
Coverage: Follow Vin Ebenau on Twitter (Click here to follow!)

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

Monroe:
First Round: def. (12) East Brunswick, 4-0
Quarterfinals: def. (4) South Brunswick, 3-0
Semifinals: def. (1) Old Bridge, 6-5 (CLICK HERE FOR RECAP)

Jackson Memorial:
First Round: def. (14) West Windsor-Plainsboro North, 9-1
Quarterfinals: def. (6) Howell, 7-4
Semifinals: def. (2) Manalapan, 2-1

THE LOWDOWN:

Monroe and Old Bridge were considered the preseason favorites to win the GMC Red Division. Neither did, as South Plainfield took the pennant, lost to the Knights in the GMC Tournament title game, but now is in a state sectional title game Monday as well, taking on Randolph in the North 2, Group 3 final. The Falcons get their crack at the hardware after pulling off the upset of top-seed and defending champion Old Bridge in last Friday’s semifinals at Fred Cole Field. Harrison Lollin was OK, and Lucas White closed it out, though even he needed some help from the defense in the seventh inning, getting a tag-out of the tying run at the plate on a grounder to Lollin, who finished the game at first base.

The Falcons aren’t a heavy-hitting team, but they’re well-balanced, solid from top to bottom in the lineup. Junior Owen Judge is leading the team at .347, with Lollin batting .329 and leading the squad with 21 runs batted in. Six players have driven in at least ten runs, further proof of the balanced lineup. Lollin would not be available after throwing 78 pitchers Friday against the Knights, but Zack Wallace got his fourth required day of rest Sunday after throwing 99 tosses in Wednesday’s quarterfinals, and Lucas White will have three fewer than the daily max (107) available to him Monday afternoon. Expect Wallace to get the nod here.

Monroe came out aggressive against Old Bridge, getting four straight singles to start the game, and none of those batters saw more than two pitchers. They came out swinging, and the strategy worked. It could be something we see Monday against the Jaguars in the title game.

As for Jackson, they started the season 3-0, and won five of their first six, but never won more than two straight the rest of the season until just before the state tournament, where they have now won four straight, including three in the states. In the semis at second-seed Manalapan, both teams scored a run in the second, with the decisive run in the 2-1 Jaugars win coming from Julian Caruso, who was looking to steal third when an errant throw from behind the plate allowed him to score. It’s Manalapan’s first finals appearance since 2018.

Statistically, they are led by senior Nick Izzo, hitting .415 with by-far-and-away a team best 34 runs batted in – as many RBIs as he has hits. He’s also knocked eight home runs, while junior shortstop Jackson Osmond has hit five, driven in 17, and is batting .395 on the year. Expect the ball to go to senior Jovani Hallihan, with 51 Ks in 39 1/3 innings pitched and a 2.19 ERA.

Finals History…

There’s a little history between these two in the state tournament. This will be Monroe’s first appearance in a sectional final since 2014, when they lost 6-2 to the same Jackson Jaguars. The Falcons also made the CJ4 title game in 2011.

For Jackson, their last sectional final berth came in 2018, in South 4, when they beat Shawnee, but lost to Hunterdon Central in the Group 4 semifinals. Their most recent appearance before that came in 2015, when they beat Monroe in the CJ4 final, and went 20-7-1, winning the Group 4 state title over Roxbury.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE OF MONROE:

NORTH 2, GROUP 3 CHAMPIONSHIP:

Teams:
(1) South Plainfield (22-5-1, 10-2 GMC Red Division Champions, #13 in NJ)
(2) Randolph Rams (20-9, 7-5 North Jersey Athletic Conference, American Division, 2nd place)

Date and Time: Monday, June 3, 2024 – 2 pm
Location: South Plainfield, NJ
Live Coverage: Mike Pavlichko has the play-by-play (Click here to listen!)

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

South Plainfield:
First Round: def. (16) Cliffside Park, 12-1
Quarterfinals: def. (8) Cranford, 6-2
Semifinals: def. (5) Colonia, 5-1 (CLICK HERE FOR RECAP)

Randolph:
First Round: def. (15) Payne Tech, 10-0
Quarterfinals: def. (7) Mendham, 3-2
Semifinals: def. (3) North Hunterdon, 4-3

PREVIEWS (with interviews):

South Plainfield fresh and fired up for crack at first North 2, Group 3 title in nearly a decade

Randolph has seen steady progression under Rizzi to reach North 2, Group 3 final

Finals History…

South Plainfield’s title came in 2015. Knocked out of the GMC Tournament in the quarterfinals, they went right into the state tournament four days later, beating Warren Hills, Ferris, and Roxbury en route to the North 2, Group 3 title game, where they edged Cranford, 4-2, on the road. After beating North 1 champion Mount Olive in the Group 3 semifinals, they topped Northern Burlington 8-4 to win the state Group 3 title, capping off a 24-8 season under then-head coach Anthony Guida. The Tigers also made the sectional finals in 2017, losing 6-5 at Governor Livingston, and in 2013, losing 5-1 at Cranford.

This will be the first sectional title game for Randolph head coach Mark Rizzi, who spent 17 years leading the Rutgers-Newark baseball program. Their last trip to the finals came in 2018, the last year before Rizzi took over, when they lost in the North 1, Group 4 title game to Ridgewood for a second straight season. Their last trophy came in the same year South Plainfield got theirs, in 2015. That year, Randolph topped Morristown, 10-3, for the North 1, Group 4 crown. They made it to the state Group 4 final, but lost 4-0 to Millburn.

Previous Coverage of South Plainfield