Ridge seeks sixth straight SCT title game bid, while Watchung Hills looks to get back to the party

In the last few years since the COVID-19 pandemic, Ridge has consistently been in the mix for championships.

The Red Devils have made the last five Somerset County Tournament title games, going back to the season before the pandemic, and the last four since. (There was no tournament in 2020, when no baseball was played, nor in 2021, the first season back.)

They have also won ten straight against Watchung Hills, their opponent Monday in the semifinals. The Hustlin’ Warriors last win over Ridge came in their first meeting since COVID, a 7-6 win on April 29, 2021.

And for Watchung Hills, they’re looking to get back to the finals for the first time since 2016, when they made the second of back-to-back trips, losing in the 2015 title game to Hillsborough, and the year after to Montgomery.

Monday afternoon, it’ll be second-seed Watchung Hills and third-seed Ridge playing for a trip back to the championship game, and we’ve got it live for you on Central Jersey Sports Radio. First pitch is set for 1 pm from TD Bank Park in Bridgewater, with pregame at 12:40. Game Two between top-seed and defending champion Immaculata and fifth-seed Bridgewater-Raritan will follow at 4 pm.

Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel 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) Watchung Hills (13-7) vs. (3) Ridge (14-8)
at TD Bank Park, Bridgewater
1 pm on Central Jersey Sports Radio
Audio Stream: (LISTEN LIVE)
Video Stream: (WATCH LIVE)

PROBABLE PITCHERS:
Watchung Hills: Rob Centamore (5-0, 1.33 ERA)
Ridge: Lucas Liston (2-3, 5.71 ERA)

PREVIEW INTERVIEWS:

HOW THEY GOT HERE: As top four seeds, each team got a bye to the quarterfinals, which were held last Thursday afternoon.

Watchung Hills: The Warriors were 9-5 winners over ten-seed Franklin in the quarterfinals. Watchung Hills got off to a rough start, falling behind 2-0 in the top of the first. They took a 3-2 lead in the home half of the inning, then found themselves down again before taking a 5-3 lead in the sixth, never looking back. Lucas Sheehan got the win, tossing six three-hit innings, striking out seven. Jacob Jaconski and Max Payne each had two RBIs, with Jaconski going 4-for-5 on the day.

Ridge: The Red Devils blanked six-seed Hillsborough 7-0 on strong pitching from starter Dmitro Romer, who pitched six innings and allowed just one hit. Toby Nicholson hit a two-run home in the fifth after Ridge got a run in the first and four more in the second, all coming on RBI singles.

TOP HITTERS:

Watchung Hills: Senior DH Jacob Jaconski is hitting a team-best .477, and leads the Hustlin’ Warriors with 31 hits and nine doubles. The next seven hitters down are all hitting .300 or better, including Landon Pudlan, who has a team-high 13 stolen bases and hit hitting .344 with nine runs batted in. May Payne has driven in a team-best 21 runs, while the Warriors have hit eleven home runs, led by three off the bat of Rob Centamore.

Ridge: The Red Devils have cranked eleven homers this year, five off the bat of Jake Dolan, who also is the team’s top hitter at .429, with 26 RBIs, also a team-best. He and Kieran Callanan both lead the team with 15 stolen bases apiece. Callanan also is hitting over .400, at .421, to be exact. They can put the ball in play with the best of them.

LAST FINALS BERTH:

Watchung Hills: The Warriors last made the finals in 2016, and also made it the year prior. They lost to Hillsborough in the first of those trips, in 2015, and to Montgomery in the second. Their last SCT title was all the way back in 2009, when they were the second seed, and took out nine-seed Montgomery, 4-0. Watchung Hills has won five SCT titles, fourth on the all-time list behind Hillsborough, Ridge, and leader Immaculata, which has 15.

Ridge: The Red Devils have made the last five county finals, going all the way back to 2019, pre-COVID. They lost to the Immaculata last year, just as they did last season, and their only title in that time was in 2022, the first SCT after the pandemic, when they beat six-seed Rutgers Prep, 6-0. Ridge is second on the all-time title list with seven, second only to Immaculata.

PAST COVERAGE:

Watchung Hills

• SCT Quarterfinal Recap: Skyland Delaware sweeps into Monday’s semis as Immaculata, Ridge roll, Watchung Hills recovers from early deficit, Bridgewater-Raritan needs extras
• Full-lineup power propels No. 5 Watchung Hills to 10-0 run-rule win over No. 1 Immaculata
• Watchung Hills “steals” walk-off, 7-6 win over Bridgewater-Raritan to sweep two-game set
• Watchung Hills looks for midweek sweep, 3-1 start in battle against Bridgewater-Raritan

Ridge

• SCT Quarterfinal Recap: Skyland Delaware sweeps into Monday’s semis as Immaculata, Ridge roll, Watchung Hills recovers from early deficit, Bridgewater-Raritan needs extras
• 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
• INSTANT REPLAY: No. 1 Immaculata 6, No. 2 Ridge 0
• Ryan Auten’s two-hit gem gives No. 1 Immaculata 6-0 win over No. 2 Ridge, two-game sweep of Red Devils
• After series-opening loss, No. 2 Ridge looking for more offense in rematch against No. 1 Immaculata Wednesday, with SCT implications
• Top four stay the same, led by Immaculata, Ridge, in Bellamy & Son Paving Week 2 baseball rankings
• Ace starter Stieglitz is gone, but Ridge baseball has plenty back to be back in the thick of things again in 2026