Top-seed Colonia cruises in opening round N2, G3 playoffs, while Carteret, South Plainfield, Somerville all advance

After getting knocked out of the Jim Muldowney GMC Championship Tournament in the first round of what was a wild playoff – where none of the top four seeds reached the semifinals – Colonia rebounded with a blowout win as the top seed in the North 2, Group 3 NJSIAA playoffs, which opened Tuesday for public schools across the state.

Just like Montgomery in Central 4, there was a 12/5 upset here, as Carteret knocked off North Plainfield, while higher seeds South Plainfield and Somerville also picked up wins. Here’s a recap of the section’s first day of action

(1) Colonia 16, (16) Lincoln 0 (5 inn.): The Patriots (21-4) – who last week became the first 20-game winner in the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area – came alive at the plate, pounding out a dozen hits and taking advantage of six errors by Lincoln, which hails from Jersey City. Nine different players drove in runs, as Tyler Chiola knocked in three and Dylan Chiera and Colin Kroner each plated two for Colonia, which led 1-0 after one but scored 13 runs in the second to bury the Lions, batting around twice, sending 18 men to the plate. As usual, the pitching was solid, as Chiera, Kroner and Ryan Totin combined on a five-inning no-hitter, with Kroner getting the win. The Patriots will host 8-seed Middletown North on Thursday.

(12) Carteret 3, (5) North Plainfield 1: The Ramblers (10-13) – last year’s GMC Invitational winners – found themselves down 1-0 after one, but rallied for three in the fifth to beat the Canucks (14-8) for the second time in three meetings this season. North Plainfield got on the board with a two-out RBI triple by Jake Zotollo in the first, Carteret took the lead in the fifth on a two-run error by the Canucks second-baseman with Miles Ferreiras at the plate, adding an insurance run later in the fram with a Drexler Rodriguez bases loaded walk that scored Eric Thompson. Luis Hernandez went the distance, allowing just one unearned run on two hits, striking out five. The Ramblers will visit fourth-seed North Hunterdon Thursday.

(3) South Plainfield 15, (14) Rahway 0 (5 inn.): The Tigers struck early in this one, getting eight in the bottom of the first and three more in the second of a mercy rule win. Kevin Penny was 2-for-3 with three runs batted in, while Dan Kapsch, Jack Jones each had a pair of RBIs as South Plainfield took advantage of seven Rahway (5-16) miscues in the field. Mike Castagna pitched three innings and gave up just one hit, striking out five en route to the win. The Tigers will host six-seed Cranford Thursday.

(7) Somerville 3, (10) Payne Tech 1: The Pioneers (14-10) survived a seventh-inning scare to hold on for the win against the Lions (13-8) after taking a 3-0 lead into the final inning. The first two runs came in the home half of the first, with Jordan Snow scoring from third on a pickoff play gone awry at second, the Chris Banos’ hitting a sacrifice fly to center. Another sac fly by Joe Anglim in the fourth made it 3-0. In the seventh, with two on and two out, Payne Tech got its lone run on a passed ball, but Dalton Carman got the final out via strikeout to end it. Michael Meyers got the win, allowing just four hits over 6 2/3 innings, striking out eight. Somerville will face two-seed Millburn on the road Thurday.

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 3 QUARTERFINALS
THURSDAY SCHEDULE:

(8) Middletown North at (1) Colonia
(12) Carteret at (4) North Hunterdon
(6) Cranford at (3) South Plainfield
(7) Somerville at (2) Millburn