Logan Ring of St. Joseph-Metuchen rips a double to right field in the third inning against Old Bridge in the Autism Awareness Challenge at Fred Cole Field on April 13, 2025. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
St. Joseph-Metuchen went after Justin Hascup early on Sunday, and had the kind of success few do against the Old Bridge ace.
In their Autism Awareness Challenge game – moved to Fred Cole Field after rain all weekend left the fields at North Brunswick Community Park unplayable – the Falcons scored six runs in the first two innings against Hascup, and held off an Old Bridge rally in the bottom of the seventh for a 6-3 win, their third straight.
St. Joseph (5-3, 4-3 GMC Red) got out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Bobby Christensen hit a ground rule double to center on the second pitch of the game, and after Joseph Barca walked – and both advanced a base on a wild pitch – he scored on a sac fly to center by JP Zayle. Luke Palermi drove in Barca – who advanced to third on the fly ball – for the second run.
In the second, Owen Krulikowski and Luke Baranauskas led off with back-to-back singles, and the two advanced on another wild pitch from Hascup. Zach Penley drove in Krulikowski with a sac fly to center, then Christensen made it 5-0 with a two-run homer, his first of the season, and the third of his career.
After Barca struck out, Zayle hit the Falcons’ second ground rule double of the game, advanced to third on yet another wild pitch, then scored on an outside pitch to Palermo that went off the catcher Adrian Lutomski’s glove for a passed ball, making it 6-0 Joe’s.
Hascup finished the inning, but that would be it for him, going two innings and allowing six hits and six runs – five earned – with two walks and three strikeouts.
Brody Meyer came in and relief and shut the door the rest of the way, throwing five scoreless, one-hit innings, and keeping his team in the game.
Meanwhile, Old Bridge (2-3, 2-3 GMC Red), couldn’t get anything going against St. Joe’s starter Rich Zangara, who scattered just two hits over 5 1/3 innings. Matt Friedman finished off the sixth, but got in trouble in the seventh, as the Knights mounted a comeback.
Chris Crosta flied out to center to lead off the inning, but the top of the order – Brody Nugent and John Smith – followed with back-to-back singles. Friedman then hit Justin Hascup to load the bases, then plunked Erich Shikschneit to get Old Bridge on the board.
Then it got wacky(er).
DH Anthony Jannucci hit a line drive to JP Zayle at second. An attempt to double-off Hascup at second wiht a throw to the shortstop, Christensen, was a hair late, and the Falcons let Smith trot home to third, conceding the run. But the lineout was negated as the umpires decided the catcher, Penley, had interfered with Jannucci getting out of the batters’ box. So, he was ruled safe, and the run came in to make it 6-2. Akhil Penkala grounded to short to drive in Hascup, making it 6-3, and the Knights still weren’t done.
Matt Chin walked to load the bases, bringing the winning run to the plate in Noah Balbuena, pinch-hitting for Lutomski, but Dominic Elbafina came in the he struck out looking at a 3-2 pitch on the outside corner to end the game.
Zangara got the win to improve to 2-0, while Hascup fell to 1-1.
Click below for postgame reaction presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen with St. Joseph senior Bobby Christensen and head coach Dennis McCaffery:
Correction: An earlier version of this story said Lutomski struck out to end the game, but he was pinch-hit for by Balbuena.
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