Friday NJSIAA baseball tourney roundup: Hillsborough, St. Joseph, St. Thomas Aquinas advance to sectional semifinals next week

Well, of the eleven teams we said could win a state title this year, it was inevitable that two would drop out this week when they played each other in the sectional semifinals.

But that still leaves nine we picked, plus three others still alive in the NJSIAA state baseball tournament after Friday play, which included non-public quarterfinals, and a handful of public school quarterfinals that couldn’t get games in Thursday due to poor field conditions after rain earlier in the week.

On the public side, nine-seed Hillsborough won at top-seed Hunterdon Central, putting the Raiders in a sectional semifinals for the first time since the won North 2, Group 4 in 2012. You can find our recap and interviews with winning pitcher James Drinkwater and head coach Matt Mosko here.

Below, find section-by-section recaps and scores, followed by the projected schedule for next week:

Non-Public South A Quarterfinals: In the only game in this section involving CJSR coverage area teams, four-seed St. Joseph of Metuchen (16-6) continued its hot late-season play with a 5-4 win over fifth-seed Immaculata (17-8). In a battle of county champions – the Spartans in Somerset, the Falcons in the GMC – this one was a back-and-forth affair. Joe’s got two in the bottom of the third on RBI singles by Bobby Christensen and Joseph Barca, but ‘Lata got three in the top of the fourth. Aiden English drove in a run with a sac fly, then back-to-back bases loaded walks by Jayden Capindica and Jayson Labrador made it 3-2 Spartans. The Falcons then took a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the fifth, thanks to a bases clearing double by cleanup hitter Luke Palermo. Immaculata got something started in the seventh, with a Justin Labrador single and a Colin Kassai double with one out. After Owen Schilling grounded out for the second out without advancing either runner, Aiden English singled home Labrador, but that’s when St. Joseph head coach Dennis McCaffery brought in Rich Zangara, and he struck out Connor Quinn looking to end the game. The Falcons will go on to play at top-seed Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft next Wednesday in the semifinals.

(1) Christian Brothers def. (8) Paul VI, 2-0
(4) St. Joseph-Metuchen def. (5) Immaculata, 5-4
(3) St. Augustine def. (6) Union Catholic
(10) Donovan Catholic def. (7) Notre Dame, 3-1 (first round)
SATURDAY: (10) Donovan Catholic at (2) Red Bank Catholic, 10 am

Non-Public North B: In a GMC-Skyland matchup, fourth-seed St. Thomas Aquinas (16-8) beat five-seed Rutgers Prep (13-10), as the Trojans broke a 1-1 tie with five runs in the bottom of the sixth, in what turned out to be their final at bat. Louis Rizzolo went the distance, striking out seven and scattering four hits. Click here for a full game recap with postgame audio via Alec Crouthamel.

(1) Montclair-Kimberley def. (8) Newark Academy, 16-5
(4) St. Thomas Aquinas def. (5) Rutgers Prep, 6-1
(6) Pope John def. (3) St. Mary-Rutherford, 5-4
(2) Morristown-Beard def. (10) Hawthorne Christian, 4-0

Central Jersey Group 1 Quarterfinals: Only two of the quarterfinal games scheduled for Wednesday got played, and in one of the two moved to Thursday, 7th-seed South Amboy (7-14) lost at second-seed and three-time defending champion Point Pleasant Beach. The Garnet Gulls scored early and often, with six in the first and three in the third to take a 9-1 lead after two that mostly stuck. Starter Michael Nemeth took the loss for the Guvs. Top-seed Middlesex – which Point Beach beat in the 2022 CJ1 final – is the last area team in the section, and will host four-seed Shore Tuesday, after the Blue Devils beat five-seed Florence 8-7 on Thursday.

(4) Shore def. (5) Florence, 8-7
(2) Pt. Pleasant Beach def. (7) South Amboy, 12-2

SATURDAY SCHEDULE

Non-Public South A Quarterfinals
(10) Donovan Catholic at (2) Red Bank Catholic, 10 am

MONDAY SCHEDULE

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2 Semifinals
(11) Mendham at (10) Bernards, 4 pm

TUESDAY SCHEDULE

Central Jersey Group 4 Semifinals
(12) Montgomery at (9) Hillsborough, 4 pm
(3) Edison at (2) Old Bridge, 5 pm

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 Semifinals
(4) Elizabeth at (1) Ridge, 4 pm
(3) Westfield at (2) Woodbridge, 4 pm

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2 Semifinals
(4) North Hunterdon at (1) Colonia, 4 pm
(3) South Plainfield at (2) Millburn, 4 pm

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2
(4) West Morris at (1) West Essex, 2 pm

Central Jersey Group 1 Semifinals
(1) Middlesex vs. (5) Florence/(4)Shore winner, 4 pm
(6) Delaware Valley at (2) Point Pleasant Beach, TBA

WEDNESDAY SCHEDULE

Non-Public South A Semifinals
(4) St. Joseph-Metuchen at (1) Christian Brothers Academy
(3) St. Augustine vs. (10) Donovan Catholic/(2) Red Bank Catholic winner

Non-Public North B Semifinals
(4) St. Thomas Aquinas at (1) Montclair Kimberley
(6) Pope John at (2) Morristown-Beard