Fifth-seeded Dunellen and second-seeded Piscataway will battle for the Ray Cipperly GMC Invitational Tournament Crown on Friday at Edison High School.
A Championship Friday is descending upon New Jersey baseball this weekend.
One of them, the Ray Cipperly GMC Invitational, will have its final on Friday at 4pm at Edison High School, between second-seeded Piscataway and fifth-seeded Dunellen.
Both teams have taken different paths to reach the meeting point. After respective first-round byes, the Chiefs defeated the seven-seed South Amboy, aided by a seven-run sixth inning, including a grand slam from Dominick Summonte. The Destroyers put up big-time runs across the board in a 14-3 win over four-seed East Brunswick Magnet.
In the semifinals, Dunellen kept its offensive attack at a ten in a wild 22-17 win over top-seeded Perth Amboy that took four hours, while Piscataway once again got some clutch hitting in a 5-4 walk-off victory over third-seeded North Brunswick.
But both have the same goal in mind, winning a title on Friday.
Each team brings its best to the bump. For the Chiefs, they have two, top junior Sumedh Shingala — the team’s leader in wins and strikeouts — will start, with No. 2 arm Jared Butler ready and waiting, who head coach Rob Stoddard described as “a bulldog” in both starting and high-leverage relief spots. For the Destroyers, Joe Reyes will get the ball as the leader in wins and ERA among the main rotation arms.
They both have battled through respective stretches of up-and-down play — as nearly every team does — but they’re playing their best ball as of late, and will do battle for the GMC Invitational title in Edison.
RAY CIPPERLY GMC INVITATIONAL FINAL AT-A-GLANCE
Teams:
(2) Piscataway Chiefs (10-10, 6-8, GMC Blue)
(5) Dunellen Destroyers (18-6, 9-2, GMC Gold)
Head Coaches:
Piscataway: Rob Stoddard (6th season, 46-81)
Dunellen: Connor Lindsay (3rd season, 45-31)
Probable Starters
Piscataway: Sumedh Shingala (4-2, 3.73 ERA)
Dunellen: Joseph Reyes (6-0, 2.65 ERA)
Date and Time: Friday, May 22, at 4 pm
Location: Edison High School
PREVIEW INTERVIEWS:
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Piscataway:
First round bye
Quarterfinals: def. (7) South Amboy, 11-5
Semifinals: def. (3) North Brunswick, 5-4
Dunellen:
First round bye
Quarterfinals: def. (4) East Brunswick Magnet, 14-3
Semifinals: def. (1) Perth Amboy, 22-17
TEAM LEADERS:
Dunellen:
- Batting Average: Juan Luis Rodriguez (.425), Michael Dow (.417), Joseph Reyes (.397)
- RBI: Kristian Roman Lopez (34), Colin Reynolds (26), Joseph Reyes (25)
- HR: Cesar Andres Fermin Alarcon (1), Kristian Roman Lopez (1)
- Walks: Kristian Roman Lopez (24), Jackson Portik (18), Joseph Reyes (14), Juan Luis Rodriguez (14)
- Stolen Bases: Juan Luis Rodriguez (38), Michael Dow (22), David Torres (17)
- Wins: Joseph Reyes (6), Cole Mayer (5), David Torres (4)
- ERA (min 12 innings): David Torres (2.12), Joseph Reyes (2.65), Colin Reynolds (4.77)
- Strikeouts (Pitcher): David Torres (53), Cole Mayer (49), Joseph Reyes (28)
Piscataway:
- Batting Average: Jason Mann (.444), Dominick Summonte (.423), Patrick Novak (.370)
- RBI: Patrick Novak (15), Dominick Summonte (14), Kevin Kovach (13)
- HR: Dominick Summonte (3), Jason Mann (1)
- Walks: Kevin Kovach (20), Sumedh Shingala (12), Jason Mann (8)
- Stolen Bases: Jason Mann (17), Bryce Payne (14), Dominick Summonte (7)
- Wins: Sumedh Shingala (4), Jared Butler (3), Brady Gallogly (2)
- ERA (min 12 innings): Brady Gallogly (2.51), Jared Butler (3.35), Sumedh Shingala (3.73)
- Strikeouts (Pitcher): Sumedh Shingala (72), Jared Butler (46), Brady Gallogly (29)
TEAM NUMBERS:
Dunellen:
- Runs Scored: 264
- Runs Allowed: 138
- Batting Average: .350
- Home Runs: 2
- Stolen bases: 124
- ERA: 4.19
Piscataway:
- Runs Scored: 133
- Runs Allowed: 132
- Batting Average: .291
- Home Runs: 4
- Stolen bases: 56
- ERA: 4.59
PREVIOUS COVERAGE of the RAY CIPPERLY GMC INVITATIONAL
- Dunellen wins marathon in GMC Invitational semis, topping Perth Amboy 22-17 to gain Friday finals berth
- Bryce Payne walks it off for Piscataway as Chiefs rally late again, top North Brunswick, 5-4, in Ray Cipperly GMC Invitational semis
- GMC’s Ray Cipperly Invitational resumes this week with semifinal games; CJSR will air Friday’s final
- South Amboy, defending champion New Brunswick win first round GMC Invitational games, move to Thursday’s quarterfinals
- Red Champ Edison gets top seed in GMC Championship Tournament, Middlesex gets No. 2; Perth Amboy heads Invitational bracket
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