Old Bridge head coach Matt Donaghue talks to his players after a walk-off 4-3 win over Edison in the Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals on June 3, 2025. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
Of the nine area public schools left in the NJSIAA state baseball playoffs, there was no doubt two would be going home after Tuesday’s sectional semifinals, while seven could advance.
Well, there was great success yet again in the Central Jersey Sports Radio listening area, as six of those advance to sectional finals this Thursday afternoon.
And two of them will have all local teams in them, as Old Bridge will host Hillsborough in the Central Jersey Group 4 final, while South Plainfield will visit Colonia in the North 2, Group 3 title tilt.
Meanwhile, in North 2, Group 4, Ridge will hold Westfield for the chance at a trophy, while Middlesex will renew its rivalry with Shore Conference opponent Point Pleasant Beach when they beet at the Blue Jays’ home in Mountainview Park for the Central Jersey Group 1 title.
Here’s a roundup of Tuesday’s action, followed by the upcoming schedule for Wednesday and Thursday.
CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 4
You can debate whether Hillsborough is a Cinderella team or not, or maybe the Raiders got a low seed based on the new power point system, but either way, ninth-seeded Hillsborough (13-10) is in a sectional final for the first time since 2012. The Raiders erupted for five first inning runs and walked off 12th-seed Montgomery – definitely a Cinderella after starting the season just 3-11 – with a 10-0 win in five innings at home. Click here for Alec Crouthamel’s game story, including postgame reaction with players and head coach Matt Mosko.
They will face second-seed Old Bridge (18-10), which won the section two seasons ago as the top-seed, beating second-seed North Brunswick, 2-1. The Knights were 4-3 winners in a walk-off over third-seed Edison in eight innings, as Akhil Penkala singled down the left field line with the bases loaded and nobody out in the bottom of the eighth. Starter Justin Hascup got the win in relief as John Smith came out in the fifth with an injury. Read Mike Pavlichko’s recap with postgame reaction with players and coaches here.
NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 4
Top-seeded Ridge (20-6) is back in a sectional final for the second time in five years – its first since they won the section in 2021 – after a 5-1 win over fourth-seed Elizabeth, the only 20-plus win team of the four in semifinal action Tuesday. That is, until Ridge won, to reach 20 wins for a fourth straight season. After a scoreless first three innings, the Red Devils exploded for five runs in the fourth, with the Minutemen getting their only run in the top of the seventh. Aidan Stieglitz got the win to improve to 9-3 on the season, throwing five innings of four-hit shutout ball.
Ridge will get third-seed Westfield (18-6) in the finals, in a battle of Devils (Ridge, though they wear green, against the Blue Devils). Westfield was an 8-4 winner at second-seed Woodbridge Tuesday, in a game that was back and forth over the first two innings. The Blue Devils out up a four-spot in the first, chasing Ryan Leach – who took the loss – while the Barrons got two back in the bottom of the inning. Then, they added three in the top of the second to go up 7-2, but gave up two more in the bottom of the inning to make it 7-4. Westfield added an insurance run in the sixth. Michael Gurovich had two RBIs on a double for Woodbridge, whose season ends at 18-18.
NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 3
Top-seed Colonia (23-4) came out with a 1-0 win in ten innings in an epic pitchers’ duel, and it was a pitcher who won it. Cory Pascarella got the start, throwing 7 2/3 scoreless one-hit innings, and Colin Kroner pitched the final inning-and-a-third to get the win, also allowing just one hit. And it was Kroner who won it at the plate in the bottom of the tenth with a two-out single that drove in Joe Massimino from second. Click here to read Dom Savino’s game story with postgame reaction from players and head coach Mike Scialfo.
They’ll face third-seed South Plainfield (17-10), which is in the sectional final for the second straight year – losing to Randolph last season – after an 8-1 win at second-seed Millburn. The Tigers’ bats erupted for six runs in the second and two more in the third to give starting pitcher Aiden McCarthy some breathing room. He allowed just four hits and one unearned run in the complete game effort, while Dan Kapsch and Kevin Penny each knocked in a pair of runs, while Kapsch and Ryan Balent each went 2-for-4.
CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 1
Top-seed Middlesex (20-5) walked-off fourth-seed Shore by the ten-run rule with a 10-0 victory over fourth-seed Shore. It was actually a tight through five, as the Blue Jays scattered three runs, one each in the first, third and fifth innings, but then blew it open in the sixth with a seven-spot. Dom Parenti and Dylan Ianiero each knocked in three runs, while Parenti was 3-for-4 with two singles and a double. Owen Reynolds was 2-for-3 as well, while Chris Kozak threw a six-inning complete game two-hitter, striking out eight, walking none.
The Blue Jays will face a very familiar foe in the finals, Point Pleasant Beach. The second-seeded Garnet Gulls were 5-0 winners over Delaware Valley at home Tuesday, going up 3-0 after one and 5-0 after three. Noah Banick, Brody Powers and Daniel Lubach each knocked in runs, while Bennett Moberg threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings of two-hit ball to get the victory, coming out only because he had reached the 110-pitch daily limit.
Point Beach knocked out Middlesex in the semis last year, and beat them in the finals in 2023 and 2022. But the Blue Jays topped the Gulls in the 2021, 2019 and 2018 finals.
Here’s the upcoming schedule in the state tournament for Wednesday’s non-public sectional semifinals, and Thursday’s sectional title games for public schools.
WEDNESDAY SCHEDULE
Non-Public South A Semifinals
(4) St. Joseph-Metuchen at (1) Christian Brothers Academy, 4 pm
(3) St. Augustine at (2) Red Bank Catholic, 3 pm
Non-Public North B Semifinals
(4) St. Thomas Aquinas at (1) Montclair Kimberley, 4 pm
(6) Pope John at (2) Morristown-Beard, 2 pm
THURSDAY SCHEDULE
Central Jersey Group 4 Championship Game
(9) Hillsborough at (2) Old Bridge, 5 pm
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 Championship Game
(3) Westfield at (1) Ridge, 4 pm
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 Championship Game
(3) South Plainfield at (1) Colonia, 1 pm
Note: This game was rescheduled for earlier in the day since both schools have Prom that night.
Central Jersey Group 1 Championship Game
(2) Pt. Pleasant Beach at (1) Middlesex, 4 pm
Coverage plans will be released via Twitter soon!
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