Colonia’s Corey Pascarella – shown here against Middlesex in the GMCT 1st Round on May 12, 2025 – threw a no-hitter and struck out 16 in a second round playoff win over Middletown North Thursday. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
A Divison-1 recruit who’s going to play at Monmouth next year, Cory Pascarella has been a great pitcher in his career, even dominant this year, with a minuscule ERA of just over a half a run coming into Thursday’s North 2, Group 3 quarterfinal game for top-seed Colonia against eight-seed Middletown North.
But he had never thrown a no-hitter in his career, at any level.
Well, check that box.
Pascarella was literally unhittable Thursday, striking out 16 in a no-hit effort to send the Patriots (22-4) into the sectional semifinals for a second straight season with a 5-0 victory.
The first GMC team to win 20 games this year – and the only one still alive in the state tournament – Colonia has now outscored its first two opponents in the state tournament 21-0.
Colonia got one in the second on a Jayce Rodriguez sac fly that scored Matt Fasulo. They would score four more times in the fifth, on back-to-back RBI triples by Jake Harvatt and Joseph Massimino, then get two more on a Dylan Chiera RBI single to make it 5-0.
Head coach Mike Scialfo almost didn’t let him finish the game, but Pascarella says none of the coaches realized he had a no-hitter going. He didn’t mention it, but said he was going out to finish the game, and finish it he did.
Colonia will face fourth-seed North Hunterdon in Tuesday’s semifinals at home, after the Lions beat 12-seed Carteret Thursday, 3-2 out at Diamond Nation in Flemington.
Click below to hear Colonia’s Cory Pascarella talk to Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko about his no-hitter:
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