Watchung Hills looks for midweek sweep, 3-1 start in battle against Bridgewater-Raritan

As the ground continues to thaw — and the wind continues to whip, as it did Tuesday — Watchung Hills’ offense has stayed hot, on the way to a 2-1 start.

The Warriors have scored 22 runs in three games, an average of just over seven per contest. And they’ll take their solid play back home for a Thursday matchup against Bridgewater-Raritan. They already faced the Panthers once, a 9-1 victory on Tuesday, and are looking for the sweep as the season starts to get fully in swing.

Watchung Hills eagerly awaits the finale of the two-game home-and-home set. That’s a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with first pitch at 4 pm and pregame at 3:40, with Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel on the call. Click here to listen.

The hitting and pitching stood out on Tuesday, as a classic pitcher’s duel between top arms Kellan Komline (BR) and Robbie Centamore (WH) set up a 2-1 game after four innings. But from there, both outings went in different directions.

Komline left the game after picking up two outs in the fifth, but the Warriors were already in full swing. They tacked on seven unanswered runs to end the game, as Centamore went six strong innings with 12 strikeouts.

Watchung Hills returns a key core of veterans after graduating a few of their top hitters from last year’s team. But it’s not like the new elder statesmen are filling new roles. This veteran group has seen a lot of varsity experience from a young age, and have developed under 13th-year head coach Joe Tremarco.

Centamore helps get everyone going both on the mound and at the plate. Stef DeGeronimo and Landon Pudlak — a junior and senior, respectively — continue their reign in the Warriors’ middle infield and are off to solid starts once again. Centamore and fellow senior Jacob Jaconski each pace the team with five hits in the early goings, and the lineup has produced at a high level, no matter who steps into the batter’s box.

On the pitching side, Watchung Hills is looking to a few veterans to fill out the rotation as an important secondary pitcher, including senior Isaac Russell. Centamore has thrown the lion’s share of innings so far, but won’t get the ball next after his stellar outing on Tuesday. In the bullpen, junior Caden Dias has emerged as a weapon out of the bullpen with three scoreless innings in the Warriors’ two wins so far.

As the sun continues to shine later, and the afternoons heat up, Watchung Hills looks to stay hot with its third win in four games to start the campaign.

Click below to hear Alec Crouthamel talk with Watchung Hills head coach Joe Tremarco about the first week of the season, and Thursday’s game against Bridgewater-Raritan: