It’s Group 1 vs. Group 4, Middlesex battling Old Bridge, in Saturday’s second GMCT semifinal

Sure, you could call it David vs. Goliath, but is it really?

One is a Group 1 school, the Middlesex Blue Jays out of the GMC White Division. The GMC Tournament’s second seed, they are 20-2 and the defending state Group 1 champions.

The other is among the larger Group 4 schools (Group 5 in football) and won the tournament in 2011, 2019 and 2024, and was a sectional finalist last year, too. This year, they’re the three seed.

Still, you might not know which is which.

But they will battle for a trip to the GMC Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament final in the second game of a semifinal doubleheader at East Brunswick Magnet School Saturday afternoon, and Central Jersey Sports Radio will have live coverage at 2:30 pm, following the opener between South Plainfield and Monroe, which starts at noon.

Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe will call all the play-by-play; click here to listen or watch here on our YouTube channel.

Here’s a closer look at the first semifinal game of the day:

(2) Middlesex (20-2) vs. (3) Old Bridge (16-8)
at East Brunswick Magnet School
2:30 pm on Central Jersey Sports Radio
Audio Stream: (LISTEN LIVE)
Video Stream: (WATCH LIVE)

PROBABLE PITCHERS:
Middlesex: Dom Long (7-0, 1.71 ERA)
Old Bridge: Brady Meyer (3-2, 3.50 ERA)

PREVIEW STORIES:

• It’s been a minute: Second-seed Middlesex, defending state Group 1 champs, looking for first GMC Tourney finals berth in 14 years
• Third-seed Old Bridge clicking at the right time heading into Middlesex tussle in Saturday’s GMC Tournament semis

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

Middlesex: The Blue Jays have done little wrong this year, and even when they have, more often than not they still find a way to come out on top. Their first round game on Monday was a 12-2 blowout of 15th-seed South River, but they faced a little more of a challenge on Wednesday in the quarterfinals, coming up with a 3-0 win over St. Thomas Aquinas, thanks in large part to a big two-RBI pinch-hit from pinch-hitter extraordinaire Dalton Michael.

Old Bridge: The Knights got here by the slimmest of margins. Monday, in the opening round, they beat 14th-seed Sayreville 1-0, then came back two days later and got a walk-off win, 1-0 over sixth-seed Woodbridge, on an eighth-inning knock by Erich Schickschneit. The Red Division gauntlet has done them well.

TOP HITTERS:

Middlesex: While the Blue Jays are hitting a highly-respectable .314 on the season, eight players with at least 40 at bats are hitting over .300, ranging from .373 to .302, an astounding display of balance. Dalton Michael is the only one under 40 at bats on the year, and he’s even hitting .345, with two big RBIs in a three-run inning that propelled them into the semifinals. Marcus Lavornia is hitting .373 with 13 runs batted in, and Sean Hughes has knocked in a team-best 24 runs. They’ve scored 53 more runs than Old Bridge this season, 156 total.

Old Bridge: Sophomore Matt Chin paces the offense at .417 with 19 RBIs and 2 homers, leading the team in all 13 categories, along with 13 walks, also a team high. Chris Crosta also has two of the team’s eight home runs, and is hitting .321, while Jared Volpe is hitting .333 and has a team-high 23 singles. The Knights are hitting .276 as a team.

LAST FINALS BERTH:

Middlesex: The Blue Jays have only made one final in their history, despite a significantly successful track record in the state tournament. That came in 2012, when they were the third-seed, and beat upset top-seed Sayreville, 10-4, with Mike O’Donnell – now the school’s Athletic Director and the GMC baseball co-chair – as head coach.

Old Bridge: The Knights have won three GMC Tournament championships since the 1994 merger of Madison Central and Cedar Ridge, although it took them 14 years to get there. They lost to St. Joseph-Metuchen in 2008, but won the next three, including 2011, 2019, and their most recent in 2024, a year they also won the Central Jersey Group 4 title. They were the third-seed that year, and knocked off top-seed South Plainfield, 6-1 in the final.

PAST COVERAGE:

Middlesex

• It’s been a minute: Second-seed Middlesex, defending state Group 1 champs, looking for first GMC Tourney finals berth in 14 years
• Two-seed Middlesex shuts down seven-seed St. Thomas Aquinas 3-0, advances to GMC semifinals for second straight year
• Red Champ Edison gets top seed in GMC Championship Tournament, Middlesex gets No. 2; Perth Amboy heads Invitational bracket
• Kozak logs 200th career K as No. 2 Middlesex “steals” one at “home” from St. Joseph-Metuchen in 8-7 walkoff victory
• INSTANT REPLAY: No. 2 Middlesex 4, No. 5 Colonia 0
• No. 2 Middlesex uses big second inning to get past No. 5 Colonia, 4-0, in GMC White finale
• With division crown in hand, No. 2 Middlesex eyes sweep of No. 5 Colonia to continue blazing-fast start
• INSTANT REPLAY: No. 4 Middlesex 12, Spotswood 1
• No. 4 Middlesex uses solid outing from Long, late offensive outburst to pick up 12-1 win, sweep season-opening series from Spotswood
• Coming off emotional Opening Day, Middlesex looks to return the favor, sweep Spotswood

Old Bridge

• Third-seed Old Bridge clicking at the right time heading into Middlesex tussle in Saturday’s GMC Tournament semis
• GMCT Quarterfinal Roundup: Monroe ousts top-seed Edison, Old Bridge wins pitchers duel, Middlesex tops Aquinas, South Plainfield holds off Metuchen
• Baseball Power Points Analysis: With a week to go before cutoff, Old Bridge takes top spot from Edison; Middlesex, Ridge remain atop their sections; Immaculata, Rutgers Prep slip to two, but it’s close
• Top teams roll on again in Week Three, but bottom-half turmoil brings Old Bridge, Rutgers Prep into Bellamy & Son Paving baseball rankings
• INSTANT REPLAY: Old Bridge 9, No. 7 South Plainfield 3
• Timely hitting, pitching, send Old Bridge past No. 7 South Plainfield, 9-3, and put Knights ahead of Tigers in GMC Red
• As GMC Red beats each other up, Old Bridge and South Plainfield tussle in Friday matchup at Fred Cole Field