Old Bridge and North Brunswick play in the GMC Tournament quarterfinals at North Brunswick Community Park on May 8, 2024. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
Playing in the Greater Middlesex Conference Red Division is tough enough – with the likes of St. Joseph, Monroe, Woodbridge, South Plainfield and more – but many teams still like to challenge themselves out of their conference.
Defending GMC Tournament champion Old Bridge did just that on Saturday, as the Knights – No. 8 in the Bellamy and Son Paving Top Ten – entertained Seton Hall Prep at Fred Cole Field.
The Pirates came into the game undefeated at 7-0, and ranked third in the NJ.com Top 20. But they headed back up Route Nine with their first loss of the season.
After taking a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first – only to see Seton Hall Prep get one back in the third and two more in the top of the sixth to tie it at 3-3 – Old Bridge went to work in the bottom of the inning, and scored six to come up with a 9-3 win that will make waves in the state rankings, and possibly the Bellamy & Son Paving rankings as well.
Reliever Brody Nugent got the win in relief, his first decision of the year, throwing an inning and two-thirds, getting the Knights out of the top of the sixth, keeping the score tied.
Akhil Penkala, Anthony Jannucci and Chris Crosta each drove in two runs for Old Bridge (7-4), which has now won three straight heading into a Tuesday meeting with Monroe, then a Thursday-Saturday home-and-home with first-place GMC Red Division foe Woodbridge (8-1).
The Barrons took their first loss Saturday, falling 7-3 to South Plainfield, but remain 2.5 games ahead of the Tigers and Knights, who are tied for second in the division at 5-3. Monroe is a game behind them at 4-4 in the Red.
Click below to hear Old Bridge head coach Matt Donaghue talk to Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko about the win:
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