Rutgers Prep’s Li Perez – shown here in the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinal against Bridgewater-Raritan on May 14, 2026 – recorded all 15 outs Thursday against Pope John via the strikeout. (Photo: Alec Crouthamel)
There was an “immaculate inning” in the second, and it wasn’t a perfect game, but it was pretty close.
Rutgers Prep senior Li Perez allowed just one-hit and struck out 15 Pope John hitters Thursday afternoon in Non-Public North B quarterfinal action, as the second-seeded Argonauts (17-7) routed the 10th-seeded Lions 16-0 in a five-inning, ten-run rule win. All 15 outs recorded by Perez coming via strikeout. And he did it with just 59 pitches thrown.
Meanwhile, the offense pumped out its second-biggest run total of the year, one shy of the 17 Rutgers Prep scored in a 17-10 win over Union Catholic in the Autism Awareness Challenge on April 17th. Fellow senior Maddox Chu drove in five runs on a 2-for-2 day, which included a three-run homer to center in the first inning, and a two-run homer to right in the second, giving the Argos an 8-0 lead they would extend to 10-0 by the time the inning was over.
And just to make sure the ending was not in doubt, Rutgers Prep added a five-spot in the third, and one more in their final at bat, in the fourth, just for good measure.
The Argonauts move on to the North B semifinals next Tuesday, where they’ll play third-seed St. Thomas Aquinas in a Skyland Conference-GMC crossover. The Trojans (13-14) were 7-0 winners over Morris Catholic (13-11) Thursday in North Edison, and Louis Rizzolo (9 Ks in 6 innings) and Nikash Patel combined for a one-hit shutout.
Aquinas opened the scoring with three runs in the bottom of the third, and added three more in the fourth and another in the fifth. Patel stole home for the third run in the third, then drove in a run with a single in the fourth. Adrian Sanchez went 3-for-4 with two runs scored.
- (1) St. Mary-Rutherford def. (8) Montclair Kimberley, 12-1 (5 inn.)
- (5) Morristown-Beard def. (4) Newark Academy, 4-2
- (3) St. Thomas Aquinas def. (6) Morris Catholic, 7-0
- (2) Rutgers Prep def. (10) Pope John, 16-0 (5 inn.)
Non-Public South A:
Top-seed Immaculata (22-5) won its playoff opener Thursday, 7-0 over Paul VI of Haddonfield. The Spartans picked up a run each in the first and second off the bat of Luca Catanzerite – with a solo home run to right (his second of the year) to leadoff the bottom of the first, then a groundout in the second – before exploding for five in the third, all coming with two outs. Bryson Auten had the big blow in that inning, a three-run homer for his third of the season.
His older brother, Ryan, struck out 14, and allowed just one-hit in a complete-game shutout, to improve to 7-1 on the season.
The Spartans will host fifth-seed Christian Brothers Academy (17-8), in the first meeting between the teams in 15 years, at Diamond Nation in Flemington next Tuesday in the semifinals. CBA beat four-seed Union Catholic 9-2 in Thursday’s quarterfinals.
On the other side of the bracket, 10-seed Pingry (11-15) lost 8-0 down at second-seed St. Augustine (20-7). The Hermits did their damage early, with one in the first and three in the second, then another in the third and three more in the fourth. The Big Blue were held to three hits by Aug’s starter Alex Weingartner, who went five innings, with two other relievers combining for two innings of no-hit ball.
- (1) Immaculata def. (8) Paul VI, 7-0
- (5) Christian Brothers def. (4) Union Catholic, 9-2
- (3) Red Bank Catholic def. (6) St. John Vianney, 4-1
- (2) St. Augustine def. (10) Pingry, 8-0
UPCOMING SCHEUDLE:
Friday, May 29 (all games 4pm unless otherwise noted)
Central Jersey Group 4 Quarterfinals
- (8) Freehold Twp. at (1) Old Bridge
- (5) Monroe at (4) Hightstown
- (6) Manalapan at (3) Hunterdon Central
- (15) Franklin at (10) Hillsborough or (7) Jackson Twp.
Central Jersey Group 1 Quarterfinals
- (4) Metuchen at (1) Middlesex
- (5) Shore at (4) Metuchen
- (11) Florence at (3) Point Pleasant Beach
- (10) Delaware Valley at (2) Piscataway Magnet
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 Quarterfinals
- (8) Phillipsburg at (1) Ridge
- (5) Bridgewater-Raritan at (4) JP Stevens
- (6) Westfield at (3) Watchung Hills
- (10) Woodbridge at (2) Bayonne, 4:30 pm
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 Quarterfinals
- (9) Middletown North at (1) Chatham
- (5) North Plainfield at (4) South Plainfield
- (11) Summit at (3) Cranford
- (7) Millburn at (2) North Hunterdon
Tuesday, June 3 (all games 4 pm unless otherwise noted)
Non-Public North B Semifinals
- (5) Morristown Beard at (1) St. Mary-Rutherford
- (3) St. Thomas Aquinas at (2) Rutgers Prep
Non-Public South A Semifinals
- (5) Christian Brothers Academy at (1) Immaculata (at Diamond Nation, Flemington)
- (3) Red Bank Catholic at (2) St. Augustine
Discover more from Central Jersey Sports Radio
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.