No. 2 Immaculata downs No. 8 Hillsborough in pitchers duel, 3-0 behind combined one-hitter from Raymond, younger Auten

Ryan Auten is the senior pitcher heading to Wake Forest, but it was his freshman brother, Bryson, who got the win Tuesday on Opening Day for Immaculata.

Cole Raymond made his first start, after coming out of the bullpen last season, and went 3 1/3 innings without allowing a hit or a run, and just three baserunners. But Bryson Auten got out of a two-on, one-out jam in the fourth out of the ‘pen, then finished things off for a 3-0 win for No. 2 Immaculata at No. 8 Hillsborough on Opening Day, in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Bryson got the win – as the game was scoreless when he entered – thtrowing 3 2/3 innings, allowing just one hit, striking out six.

Early-season baseball in the Northeast is hardly pretty, but with a game-time temprature of 81 degrees, and a solid breeze that turned into a gusty wind from time-time-time, it was more like early May baseball, and the play reflected it, with both starting pitchers having good control.

Raymond struck out five and walked two, while Hillsborough starter Shane Borer – who barely threw more than six innings all year last year – went 5 2/3 innings, allowing just two earned rund on four hits, walking one and striking out five.

And the defense was solid, too, even though Immaculata was charged with two tough errors, neither of which came back to bite them.

Scoreless into the fifth, Immaculata got a run in each of the last three innings. In the fifth, No. 7 hitter Connor Quinn reached on a one-out double down thwe left field line. Owen Rivernbark walked, and Quinn moved to third on a 5-4 fielder’s choice, then came home on a wild pitch to leadoff hitter Luca Catanzarite.

In the sixth, Immaculata picked up another run on an RBI single up the middle by Brian Cilento, who drove in Nehemiah Diaz from third. He’d reached on a single, and stole second and third during Cilento’s at bat to earn him an easy trot home.

Then, in the seventh, the Spartans got one more for insurance. Quinn singled to lead off the inning, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and later stole third. After Rivenbark walked, Gino Spigarelli grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to bring in Quinn with his second run scored of the game.

Hillsborough threatened in the fourth, getting runners on second and third, but ‘Lata brought in Bryson Auten to get out of the jam, and he did just that in his first high school pitching appearance, getting Samuel Malone to fly out to right, and Matt Battoglia to strike out looking to end the inning.

They had another chance in the fifth, with Anthony Guerrero reaching on a one-out walk, and evenutally advancing to third on a couple of wild pitches by Auten, but the freshman wound up striking out the side to escape unscathed.

Hillsborough (0-1) faces Montgomery Wednesday before visiting Immaculata (1-0) – which is off Wednesday – to finish the two-game set out at Dimaond Nation.

Click below to hear postgame reaction from Alec Crouthamel with Immaculata head coach Kevin Cust, pitcheer Bryson Auten and first baseman Conor Quinn, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen: