Author: Mike Pavlichko

by Mike Pavlichko

GMCT Recap:  Monroe knocks off Colonia in only first round upset, as seven other higher seeds advance

Top-seed Edison and the rest of the top seven seeds advanced Monday in the GMC’s Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament, with only eight-seed Colonia getting upset.

It was a chalk Monday in the tournament, which has been fairly lucky in the first two rounds with weather. Rain had been in the forecast at one point or another for the first three days of the event, including Saturday’s preliminary round.

But all those games got off without a hitch – even if a few raindrops fell, it was nothing major – and Monday turned out to be a gorgeous day, with temps in the low 60s under mostly cloudy skies until about an hour into the 4 pm games, when the sun shone for the rest of the later afternoon.

Here’s a recap of all eight games, followed by the schedule for Wednesday’s quarterfinals, which – as of 11 pm Monday – has a round a 50 percent chance of showers between the hours of 4 and 6 pm. Any games not played Wednesday likely move to Thursday, with temperatures around 67 degrees, showers in the morning, but a mix of sun and clouds by afternoon.

(1) Edison 10, (17) Piscataway Magnet 5: The Eagles (15-5) scored early and often, getting five in the first and five in the second, more than enough runs for senior Connor Murphy, who struck out 13 and allowed just one infield hit and three baserunners in the game.

Read a full recap of the contest here, along with postgame reaction from sophomore Sam Kentos (2 triples, 4 RBI), Murphy, and head coach Vinnie Abene, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen.

Piscataway Magnet took just its second loss of the season to drop to 20-2.

The Eagles – a GMCT finalist last season – will host nine-seed Monroe in Wednesday’s quarterfinals. They split their two-game set in early April, with Edison winning the opener 7-1 on the at home, and Monroe getting a 2-0 shutout in the rematch at home.

(9) Monroe 9, (8) Colonia 2: With ace Colin Kroner sidelined due to injury, the Falcons (9-12) jumped out to a 3-0 lead, then added six more in the middle three innings to take a 9-1 lead, and allowed one sixth-inning run to the Patriots (10-7), who used four pitchers to get through the game. Starter Ryan Totin, who went 3 1/3 innings, took the loss, allowing five earned runs.

Matt Linke, Justin Mangamo and Michael Cinque drove in two runs apiece for the Falcons, who had dropped eight of nine coming in after a 7-4 start. Starting pitcher Ben Fagin was solid, scattering two hits and allowing just one unearned run, striking out 13 in a complete game effort.

Click here to listen to Monroe head coach Sean Field talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko about the Falcons’ win over the Patriots.

In the quarterfinals, Monroe will be at Edison on Wednesday. The teams split this season.

(5) South Plainfield 2, (12) St. Joseph-Metuchen 1: For the Tigers (12-10), they don’t come up bigger than Aiden McCarthy in big spots. The senior pitcher scattered five hits in a complete game effort, allowing one earned run, striking out ten, to improve to 6-1 on the season.

South Plainfield got out to a 1-0 lead in the botom of the first on a sac fly to right by Chris Loniewski. St. Joseph (5-15) – the defending tournament champs – tied it in the top of the fourth with a single by Logan ring, but the Tigers got the lead back in the home half of the inning when Dom Massaro was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, scoring Ed Budzinski.

The win puts the Tigers in Wednesday’s quarterfinals at fourth-seed Metuchen (15-5), a team they have not faced since 2018.

(4) Metuchen 3, (13) Spotswood 0: Starter James Fenton went 6 1/3 innings, allowing just three hits while striking out 15, and Matt Jelleme closed out the final two-thirds for the win. The Bulldogs (15-5) got an RBI from Matt Jelleme in ousting the Chargers (11-2), a GMCT semifinalist a year ago.

Metuchen will host 5th-seed South Plainfield (12-10) in Wednesday’s quarterfinals, the first meeting between the teams since 2018.

(3) Old Bridge 1, (14) Sayreville 0:  In a pitchers’ duel, the Knights (14-8) got a four-hit shutout from Brady Meyer, and got the only run they needed in the bottom of the fourth inning – when Jared Volpe scored on a passed ball with Erich Schikchneit at the plate – in taking the tight victory over the Bombers (9-11).

Both starting pitchers went the distance in this one. Meyer walked four but struck out seven, while Jack Martyn of Sayreville allowed one earned run on five hits in six innings of of work. He threw just 70 pitches; while Meyer threw only 85.

In the quarterfinals on Wednesday, the Knights will host sixth-seed Woodbridge (12-7), a team they beat twice this year, but both by slim margins: 2-1 at home on April 2nd, and 9-7 on the road two days later.

(6) Woodbridge 7, (11) East Brunswick 1: The Bears (6-13) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth, opening the scoring in the game, but it was all Barrons (12-7) from there on out, as they tied it in the bottom of the inning, then blew it open with five in the fifth before adding a seventh run in the sixth.

Jaidon Coello got East Brunswick on the board with a single in the fourth, but the lead was short-lived, as Xavier Diaz hit a solo homer to lead off the bottom of the inning, tying the game at one.

In the fifth, Woodbridge got another homer, this time a leadoff blast from Nate Langon to make it 2-1. Then, after a walk to Hogan Boyd, a single by Kevin Arroyo, and another walk to Jack Kobylakiewicz, a third walk – this time to Gavin Slicner – made it 3-1. Diaz singled to make it 4-1, Nick Lukachyk followed with one of his own to make it 6-1, more than enough to give the Barrons the win.

Arroyo got the win, scattering three hits across seven innings, needing just 98 pitches to finish, also recording seven strikeouts.

Next up, Woodbridge visits Old Bridge in Wednesday’s quarterfinals. The Knights took both games from the Barrons this season, 2-1 and 9-7.

(7) St. Thomas Aquinas 3, (10) South Brunswick 2: After falling behind 1-0 in the top of the first, the Trojans (9-12) got three in the home half to take a 3-1 lead they’d never relinquish in beating the Vikings (9-8).

Louis Rizzolo was masterful, improving to 6-0 on the season thanks to a two-hit complete game in which he struck out 13 and allowed two runs, one earned.

The first came in South Brunswick’s first at bat after Ayden Antigua – who reached on an error – scored with two outs. Starting pitcher Collin Perna drove in the other run with a single in the third.

But Aquinas got all three of its runs in the bottom of the first. Nikash Patel singled to drive in Adrian Sanchez, who had reached on a one-out double, then after a single by Tyler Coello, Justin Brown drove in Patel and Coello with a single.

Perna took the loss for South Brunswick, throwing 5 1/3, striking out six and walking one. All three runs were earned.

St. Thomas will visit second-seed Middlesex (19-2) – a GMC semifinalist last year – in Wednesday’s quarterfinals. The teams haven’t met this year, but split two games last season.

(2) Middlesex 12, (15) South River 2: The Blue Jays (19-2) won their fourth straight – and 15th in their last 16 games dating back exactly one month to April 11 – as they topped the Rams (16-6) in a five-inning, ten-run rule victory.

After getting a run in the first on a Luke Jones sacrifice fly that scored Marcus Lavornia – who’d stolen third after he reached on an error and sac bunt got him to second – Middlesex broke it open with five runs in the second. With the bases loaded and one out, Lavornia singled to make it 2-0, Dylan Ianiero walked to bring in Chris Kozak, Jones flied out to right to bring in Lavornia, and Sean Hughes drove in two with a double to left to make it 6-0.

And after the Rams got on the board in the top of the third on an RBI double by Hunter Krainski and a sac fly by Noah Barrero, Middlesex simply added six more in the bottom of the inning, then held the Rams the rest of the way. Jones, who finished with four runs batted in, was key in that inning with a two-run double.

Dom long got the win for Middlesex, going four innings, striking out six, and allowing two earned runs. Dalton Michael closed it out in the fifth, allowing just a two out single.

The Jays will host St. Thomas Aquinas (9-12) in Wednesday’s quarterfinals.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 13 – GMC JIM MULDOWNEY CHAMPIONSHIP QUARTERFINALS

  • (9) Monroe at (1) Edison (follow Nick Hart on Twitter for updates and a game recap)
  • (5) South Plainfield at (4) Metuchen
  • (6) Woodbridge at (3) Old Bridge
  • (7) St. Thomas Aquinas at (2) Middlesex (follow Alec Crouthamel on Twitter for updates and a game recap)

SATURDAY, MAY 16 – GMC JIM MULDOWNEY CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS (at East Brunswick Magnet)

  • Semifinal #1: 12 pm
  • Semifinal #2: 2:30 pm (highest remaining seed)

SATURDAY, MAY 23 – GMC JIM MULDOWNEY CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT FINAL (at East Brunswick Magnet)

  • Final: 2 pm
by Mike Pavlichko

Three of four go to chalk in Somerset County Tournament, as Bridgewater, Montgomery, Hillsborough advance to quarterfinals, while Franklin gets there with upset of Somerville

Three of the four higher seeds won Monday in the Somerset County Tournament’s second round, as fifth-seed Bridgewater-Raritan, sixth-seed Hillsborough and eighth-seed Montgomery all advanced, while 10th-seed Franklin picked up a 10-8 upset over seventh-seeded Somerville.

That sets up Thursday’s quarterfinal round, all to be played at the higher seeds of the top four teams that earned byes to the quarters.

Read through for a recap of all four games, plus the schedule for the remainder of the Tournament.

(5) Bridgewater-Raritan 8, (12) Pingry 4: The Panthers (7-14) gave up an early 2-0 lead after one and fell behind 4-1 after the Big Blue (8-10) put up a four-spot in the fourth, but it was all Bridgewater from there on out, as they pulled ahead with five in the bottomof the fourth and added an insurance run in the fifth.

All those runs in the decisive fourth came with two outs, as the first two hitters were retired. After a walk to Anthony Lorino, courtesy runner Matt DeLucia took his place and scored on a single by Josh Moore. Moore went to second on a wild pitch to Cody Rible, who then singled to drive him in, tying the game at four. Rible then stole second, and Kellan Komline singled to make it 5-4. Komline then stole second and advanced to third n a bad throw then scored on a single by Nick Spirra. And Michael Lobosco then doubled to drive in Spirra, giving the Panthers a 7-4 lead they’d never relinquish.

Gavin Butch got the win for Bridgewater-Raritan, going five innings, allowing one earned run, striking out three – and he did that all in an efficient 67 pitches.

Next up, the Panthers will travel to fourth-seed Rutgers Prep (12-4) in Thursday’s quarterfinals. The Argonauts took a 12-8 decision from Bridgewater last Monday in a Skyland Conference crossover game.

(6) Hillsborough 3, (11) Bernards 0: Raider head coach Matt Mosko picked up his 50th win as the Raiders got back to the .500 mark with the victory. Hillsborough (9-9) got one run each in the first, third and fifth, while Gavin Glazewski, Jonathan Feltra and Aidan Murphy combined to blank the Mountaineers, with Glazewski getting the win, tossing the first four innings, allowing just two hits, striking out five. Those wre the only two hits Bernards could muster.

Tommy Kester scored the first run on a wild pitch with Elijah Dawes at the plate. The second run came on an Anthony Guerrero ground ball to first that was misplayed and went into the outfield, scoring a run. Shane Khurana also scored on a wild pitch with Guerrero at the plate in the fifth.

Click hear to listen to Hillsborough head coach Matt Mosko talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko about the Raiders’ win over Bernards.

The Raiders will now play at third-seed Ridge (13-7) in Thursday’s quarterfinals. Sklyand Conference Delaware Division foes, the teams met just once this year, with the Raiders taking a 9-5 decision in Basking Ridge last Tuesday. Their second meeting, scheduled for last Thursday, was postponed due to a scheduling conflict, and a makeup has not yet been set.

(8) Montgomery 11, (9) Gill St. Bernard’s 4: The Cougars (9-11) trailed 2-0 after three and 4-1 through four-and-a-half innings before rallying for ten runs in the fifth and sixth innings to come up with the win.

Gill went ahead 2-0 in the third on a two-RBI single by Niko West. Montgomery got one back in the fourth on an Evan Puleio sac fly, then the Knights got an RBI single from West and and RBI double by Ian Quinn to make it 4-1.

But things turned Montgomery’s way in the bottom of the fourth. Alex Bender walked with one out, then Quinn did the same, and Mason Nefueld got plunked to load the bases. That set up Henry Maddox for a bases-clearing double to tie the score at 4-4, while Liam McDonnell singled to drive in pinch-runner Like Awadalla, giving Monty its first lead of the game.

And the fifth went mostly the same way. Spencer Harris got plunked to lead off, and Kenta Komatsu walked. Alex Bender followed with a single for one run, and Quinn did the same to make it 7-4. After a Neufeld single, Maddox singled to drive in Quinn, and after a fly out for the first of the inning, Puleio reached on an error, with pinch-runner Evan Petronella scoring the tenth and final run.

Jake Hayes went the distance, allowing ten hits and four runs, but throwing just 88 pitches through seven, striking out four to get the win.

Next up, Montgomery will visit top-seed and defending champion Immaculata (14-4) at Diamond Nation in Flemington in Thursday’s quarterfinals. The two haven’t met this year, nor did they play last year. The Cougars and Spartans split a pair in 2024.

(10) Franklin 10, (7) Somerville 8: The Warriors (6-7) gave up an early 6-0 lead after two innings and trailed 8-1 after five, but rallied for five in the fifth to take the lead and held off the Pioneers (9-12) for the victory.

Franklin got all six runs in the second with one out. The first two came on an error by the shortstop on a ground ball by Christian Jacas. Then, two more scored on a single by Kevin Heuston. Two more came in on a double by Stanley Madera.

But Somerville cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the third on two bases loaded walks and a groundout, and Franklin went up 7-3 on a ground out by Dylan Shaw in the top of the fourth.

The Pioneers finally took the lead in the bottom of the fifth. A Peter Keller double cut with nobody out cut it to 7-5, pinch-hitter Brett Meyers reached on an error to cut it to one, and a bases loaded balk brought in a run to tie the game. Somerville took an 8-7 lead on a four-pitch walk with the bases loaded by Travis Binkley.

But Franklin went ahead for good on a two-out, three-run homer by Elijah Zavatsky to make it 10-8, and Shane Rooney closed out the next two innings to get the win.

Next up, the Warriors are at second-seed Watchung Hills (11-5) Thursday in the quarterfinals, a battle of the Warriors. This will be their first meeting this year; the “Hustlin’ Warriors” – the baseball program’s nickname – took two of three from Franklin last year, but Franklin won their matchup in the SCT quarterfinals 12-10.

THURSDAY, MAY 14 – SCT QUARTERFINALS

(8) Montgomery at (1) Immaculata
(5) Bridgewater-Raritan at (4) Rutgers Prep
(6) Hillsborough at (3) Ridge
(10) Franklin at (2) Watchung Hills

MONDAY, MAY 18 – SCT SEMIFINALS (at TD Bank Park, Bridgewater)

Semifinal #1: 1 pm (LIVE on CJSR)
Semifinal #2: 4 pm (LIVE on CJSR)

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20 – SCT FINAL (at TD Bank Park, Bridgewater)

Finals: 6 pm (LIVE on CJSR)

by Mike Pavlichko

Top-seed Edison plays nearly perfect game in 10-0 win over Piscataway Magnet in GMC Tournament first round

Senior pitcher Connor Murphy struck out 14 of the 17 batters he faced, and sophomore Sam Kentos drove in four runs on two triples as top-seed Edison picked up a 10-0, five-inning home win over 17th-seed Piscataway Magnet Monday afternoon in the First Round of the GMC’s Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament, heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

After Murphy (now 5-1) struck out the side 1-2-3 in the top of the first, the Eagles got on the board with five runs in the home half of the inning, then added five more for insurance, which they would never need.

That’s because the Monmouth-bound Muprhy was lights out, and against a GMC Gold Division team that had won its first 18 games of the year and came into Monday’s affair at 20-1, the first 20-win team in the Greater Middlesex Confernece this season.

But likely, the Raiders had not seen someone who throws as hard, as quickly, and with such movement as Murphy.

After a three-up, three-down first, he struck out the first two batters in the second, walked Elvis Rodriguez, then got his sixth strikeout to end the inning. He got two Ks and a groundout to short in the third. In the fourth, he struck out the first two batters before giving up an infield hit to Colton Lyerly, but got another K to end the inning. And after a leadoff walk to Rodriguez in the fifth – the only Raider not to fan against Muprhy – he got three straight strikeouts to seal the mercy-rule win.

Meanwhile, Edison did a lot of damage at the plate, all with contact.

Robert Roma led off the first with a walk, and after a fly ball out in foul territory to right by Dom Innocenti, Ray Tavarez drove in Roma with an RBI single. Connor Murphy walked, and when Darren Tirado lined what looked like maybe an extra base hit to right field, Tavarez came in to score, but Murphy got caught in a rundown.

After a couple of back-and-forths, Murphy was tagged down the third base line, while Tirado advanced to third. But the home plate umpire ruled Murphy was safe after noticing that he had been tagged by an Edison player’s glove hand, but the ball was in the other hand. That made it 3-0 Edison, and they still weren’t done.

Damian Calandra knocked in Tirado with a double, and Kentos drove in Calandra with a triple before the last two hitters struck out, ending the first with Edison up 5-0.

In the second, Edison would bat around again – and then some. Roma led with a triple, Innocenti singled to drive him in, making it 6-0. Tavarez flew out to center for the first out, and Murphy reached on a fielder’s choice, erasing Innocenti, but moving Roma to third. Calandra walked to load the bases, setting up Kentos for his second triple of the afternoon, clearing the bases to give Edison a 9-0 lead. Tyler Shuck made it 10-0 with an RBI single.

That was all Edison got, and all they would need to improve to 15-5 on the season, advancing to Wednesday’s GMC Tournament quarterfinals back home again on their red turf, where they’ll play  nine-seed Monroe, a 9-2 winner at eight-seed Colonia Monday afternoon.

Piscataway Magnet drops to 20-2 on the season, but also is still alive in the NJTAC Group 1 and 2 Tournament, while still in the running for a top-seed in the state tournament in Central Jersey Group 1, narrowly trailing Middlesex entering Monday’s action.

The win also was a big one for Edison, power-points wise. They’ll get the maximum allowed by NJSIAA rule, 48 points, and net 40 after their loss to Columbia – worth 8 points – drops off. Depending how other teams fare Monday, that could put Edison back atop Central Jersey Group 4 after they were jumped and knocked into third by Old Bridge in the past week.

Click below for postgame reaction from Edison sophomore Sam Kentos, senior Connor Murphy, and head coach Vinnie Abene, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

After much shuffling, stability returns to Week 6 Bellamy & Son Paving baseball Top Ten

Division play is all done, county tournaments are underway, and crossovers and non-conference games took center stage last week in the GMC and Somerset County.

And while eight of the teams in last week’s top ten took at least one loss, that was a recipe for a break in the volatility of the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten for Week Six.

In fact, only three teams moved around this week, one dropped out, and the top five remained the same, led once again by Immaculata (14-4) for a sixth straight week. The Spartans opened the week with a 10-0 loss on Tuesday at No. 5 Watchung Hills. But that didn’t knock them from the top spot, nor did it cost them the No. 1 seed in the Somerset County Tournament, which the coaches voted on that very night. But due to Skyland Conference scheduling, Immaculata never got a crack at the Warriors a second time before the seeding meeting, and with a 6-0 Immaculata win at Diamond Nation in Flemington Thursday over Watchung Hills, they split the series. The Spartans finished out the week with a 5-2 win Saturday over The Hun School. They’re next play Tuesday at DePaul.

Holding in second is Middlesex (18-2), which went 3-0 in the week gone by. They beat two GMC Red Division teams in crossovers, topping St. Joseph-Metuchen 8-7 on Monday, then winning 10-8 at East Brunswick on Wednesday. Yet, it was not enough to give them the top-seed over Edison in the GMC Tournament, which was seeded Friday morning. Still, the Blue Jays beat then-No. 6 Rutgers Prep on Saturday at Mountainview Park, 7-1. Middlesex is back in action Monday afternoon against South River in the first round of the GMCT.

Speaking of Edison (14-5), the Eagles fell Monday to Metuchen, 6-5, but rebounded with a 16-2 win Tuesday over East Brunswick and a 1-0 win Wednesday over Spotswood. Edison did indeed get the top seed in the Jim Muldowney GMC Championship Tournament, and will host Piscataway Magnet in the GMC’s first round Monday afternoon.

At No. 4 again this week is is Ridge (13-6), which dropped its first game of the week, 9-5, to Hillsborough on Tuesday, but rebounded with two home wins: 4-3 over Bridgewater-Raritan on Wednesday, and 8-0 over Somerville on Friday. The Red Devils are back in action Monday afternoon when they take on St. Peter’s Prep out of Jersey City.

Holding at No. 5 is Watchung Hills (11-5). The Warriors were just 1-2 in the week gone by, but their first loss came to defending state Group 2 champion Governor Livingston on Monday, 12-2. They bounced back with a 10-0 home win over Immaculata Tuesday, though it was not enough to give them the top-seed in the Somerset County Tournament, having lost twice to Ridge, which in turn had lost twice to the Spartans. And the Warriors had to settle for a split with Immaculata after taking a 6-0 loss at the hands of the Spartans Thursday out at Diamond Nation in Flemington. Watchung Hills has a few days off before a Thursday Somerset County Tournament quarterfinal game, where they’ll host the winner of Monday’s second round game between Somerville and Franklin.

Moving up two spots on a the strength of a 4-0 week is Old Bridge (13-8), which rises to No. 6. The Knights won 10-4 at Colonia on Monday, then beat Metuchen, 8-0, on Wednesday. They welcomed in Bridgewater-Raritan from Somerset County on Friday and won 5-4, before taking down Jersey City’s St. Peter’s Prep Saturday, 3-1. Old Bridge is back in action at home Monday against Sayreville in the first round of the GMC Tournament.

That drops Rutgers Prep (12-4) one spot to seventh, after the Argonauts split four games in the past week. The beat Bridgewater-Raritan 12-8 on Monday, then lost a pitchers’ duel out at North Hunterdon, 1-0, on Tuesday. Prep bounced back with a 10-0 home win over the Lions Thursday to split the home-and-home, but lost Saturday at Middlesex, 7-1. Next up, the Argonauts play Newark Academy on Wednesday.

Also down a spot to No. 8 is Colonia (10-6). The Patriots only played two games this past week, and split. Monday, they lost 10-4 at home to Old Bridge, but they came back to beat St. Joseph-Metuchen on Wednesday, 3-2. Colonia is back in action hosting Monroe in the first round of the GMC Tournament on Monday.

Holding at No. 9 is South Plainfield (11-10). The Tigers went 3-2 in a busy week gone by, winning their first three games: Monday 3-1 at Spotswood, Tuesday 10-5 at Monroe, and Thursday at home, 14-4, over JFK. But on Friday, they lost 5-4 at Sayreville in a crossover with the White Division, then fell 19-9 in a full seven innings to Red Bank Catholic on Saturday.

Making its season debut in the Top Ten is Metuchen (14-5). They enter at No. 9 after a 2-1 week that began in fine fashion with a 6-5 win over No. 3 Edison. They lost at Old Bridge, 8-0, on Wednesday, but bounced back with a 4-2 home win over Monroe on Saturday. The Bulldogs return to action Monday in the GMC Tournament’s first round when they host Spotswood.

Metuchen knocked out previous No. 10 Carteret (14-4), which on Tuesday, handed Piscataway Magnet a 10-0 loss, the Raiders’ first of the season, then beat Highland Park 10-0, but lost a GMC Tournament preliminary round game to Sayreville, 6-1.

Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving H.S. Baseball Top Ten for Week Six:

by Mike Pavlichko

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

Well, we’re down to the last six days before the NJSIAA cutoff in high school baseball.

That’s right, the 2026 season has flown by. The county tournaments are underway, and there is just one more week for teams to get in games to qualify for the state tournament.

Games played through this Saturday will count for playoff qualification, with the NJSIAA announcing the pairings on Tuesday, May 19, with brackets becoming official by noon the next day (in case of any discrepancies).

With that said, we’ll take one more detailed, section-by-section look at how the teams in the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area are faring as we race to Saturday’s cutoff date.

Since only two games were played on Sunday, Mother’s Day – both in the Morris County Tournament semifinals, games postponed from Saturday due to rain – all games have been reported, and our analysis is based on power point standings as posted on NJ.com as of 8 pm on Sunday, May 10, 2026.

Click on the header for each section to see the official NJSIAA standings.

Central Jersey Group 4: For the first time in at least the last few weeks, there’s a new team atop the section. Old Bridge (13-8, 26.239 power points) surged in the past week, going 4-0 since our last update, and now the Knights top the section, but not by very much. They jumped Hunterdon Central, Hightstown, and the Eagles, but only lead the second-place Red Devils (11-99, 26.105) by .134 points. And even Edison (14-5, 25.959) is just .28 points behind Old Bridge. One thing that could help is the Eagles get 20-win Piscataway Magnet in the GMCT first round Monday, a win that will be worth 48 points – if they get it – and a net of 40, since it would drop their current lowest game, a loss to Columbia worth only eight. This one, we think, still is going to come right down to the wire, and is simply too close to call right now. The next CJSR-area team down the line is Monroe (8-12, 19.902), which has lost three straight since last week’s update, and fell two places to seventh. They have a slim margin – less than one full point – over both defending sectional champ and 8th-place Hillsborough (8-9, 19.657) as well as 9th-place Sayreville (9-10, 19.291). Like the race at the top, this one could go any which way, and could also come down to the wire. Of note: all those area teams remain alive in their county tournaments, so those could be some big wins, too. It’s also possible Marlboro (9-9, 18.811), Montgomery (8-11, 18.606, 11th) and maybe even South Brunswick (9-7, 18.499) could make a run at a top eight seed. The Vikings are just 1.158 points away. Just look at the Bombers, who pulled up from 15th place last week to ninth this week. Yes, it can be done, but it also can happen the other way. Franklin (5-7, 16.489) dropped from 8th (at 4-5 last week) to 14th this week, and that was with a 1-2 week. That’s not usually so disastrous, but this section is so tightly packed with seven eight teams jammed in a range of 20.086 to 18.223 power points. This could look entirely different by next Saturday. East Brunswick (6-12, 16.616) dropped from 12 to 15 this week, but they’re also more than two points ahead of the 17th-place team, Trenton (7-10, 14.3). They’re a bubble team for sure, but for now, they’re probably more than a 50-50 chance of making the field. North Brunswick (6-14, 13.797) is a bit of a longshot, then again, if they can go on a run in the GMC Invitational and win regular season games against Union and South Brunswick, they could make a big jump.

Central Jersey Group 2: Rumson-Fair Haven (17-3, 32.047) has taken over the top spot here from defending state Group 2 champion Governor Livingston (18-3, 30.247) despite neither team losing a single game in the past week; the Bulldogs went 3-0, the Highlanders 4-0. It’s just that Rumson’s wins were worth more. The highest area team here is South River (1605, 26.332), but the Rams – despite going 3-0 in the past week and increasing their power point average – fell one spot from fourth to fifth. They’re a shade over a full point behind A.L. Johnson (15-4, 27.38) for a top four finish. Arch-rival Spotswood (11-11, 22.075) had a 2-2 week and pulled up one spot to tenth, so they should squarely be in the playoffs. But a top eight finish isn’t out of the realm of possibilities, especially if they can make a run in the GMC Tournament, which would mean knocking off a good 12-win Metuchen team in the GMC Tournament first round on Monday. Ahead of them are Manasquan (10-7, 22.573, 9th) and Robbinsville (15-5, 23.328, 8th).

Central Jersey Group 1: The lead has gotten even larger for defending state Group 1 champion Middlesex (18-2, 30.832), which went 3-0 since our last update, with wins over GMC Red clubs St. Joseph-Metuchen and East Brunswick, and another over Rutgers Prep in a Somerset County crossover. Their closest competition is from Piscataway Magnet (20-1, 27.611), which is having a season for the ages, but will have top-seed Edison – and likely one of their aces, Connor Murphy – Monday afternoon in the GMC Tournament’s first round. A huge upset there could put them over the top (we’ll keep an eye out if it happens). The Raiders would have to make a big run and knock off some big teams this week, since they already have 20 wins, and four wins have already dropped off their total (only the highest 16 power point values count). However, to finish in the top two – which guarantees home field through at least the sectional semis – they may have to hold off teams behind them, including Point Pleasant Beach (12-4, 26.482) in third and Metuchen (14-5, 25.314), which has Spotswood Monday in the GMCT first round. The Bulldogs remain in fourth, and though they don’t have a huge lead over fifth-place Shore (14-5, 24.994) – just .32 points behind – it’s a long way back to sixth-place Dunellen (13-5, 19.226), so they likely only have to worry about the Blue Devils. The next area team here is Somerset Tech (9-7, 13.208), which fell one spot to 11th this week. They’ll be on the road in the first round, as will Manville (7-9, 12.37), which looks solidly in at 13th. South Amboy (8-8, 10.951) in 14th, however, is a bit more on the bubble; they’re around 1.9 points ahead of 17th place Bound Brook (2-11), but at this point, any win for the Crusaders would be huge, having only two wins; they have Dunellen and Henry Hudson this week. Highland Park (5-12, 9.607) currently occupies the 16th seed, just .594 points ahead of the Crusaders.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4: It’s still Ridge (13-6, 28.191) at the top, with a larger lead over second-place Bayonne (16-5, 26.718) than they had last week over Watchung Hills (11-5, 24.292), which is now down one spot to third. We think the Red Devils have a good shot at holding on to No. 1, but all of a sudden here’s JP Stevens (13-7) in fourth, climbing three spots from seventh after a 2-1 week. That’s how tightly a lot of the teams are packed. And there are three more teams at five, six and seven and very close to the Hawks, including Westfield (11-9, 23.467), Scotch Plains-Fanwood (11-8, 23.089) and Columbia (10-9, 23.056). So, JP is hardly assured of anything at the moment, with 1.236 points separating third from seventh place. The next area team is Bridgewater-Raritan (6-14, 19.963) in ninth, but they are not far behind Phillipsburg (10-6, 20.696) in tenth. The Panthers should have a shot at a top eight finish – and at least a first round home game. Woodbridge (11-7, 19.364) may also have a shot as well from their position in tenth. Piscataway (8-10, 14.159) is a bubble team but on the right side of it, and we think likely to make it in as well.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3: North Hunterdon (16-6, 29.912) and Chatham (14-5, 19.658) are neck-and-neck for the second seed, and then we have two nearly-neighboring towns back to back at four and five: North Plainfield (16-7, 23.147, 4th) and South Plainfield (11-10, 21.816, 5th). Either has a shot at a top four seed, which guarantees home field through at least the sectional quarterfinals, with Middletown North (10-8, 21.575, 6th) also in range. It might be a longer shot for the next two teams though. That’s Carteret (14-4, 20.197) in seventh – down three spots since last week – and Colonia (10-6, 19.843) in eighth, which did the opposite, and rose three spots, even though they went 1-1 since out last update. They may have to fend off some teams behind them to hand on to a top eight finish, though. There’s Somerville (9-11, 19.508) in ninth – up one spot from a week ago – followed by Millburn (7-12, 18.789) and Summit (7-11-1, 12.282), but likely not anyone else. JFK (6-14, 14.895) likely finishes in the bottom eight, sitting in 12th, down one from last week’s breakdown.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2: Caldwell (15-1, 30.833) remains the leader here over West Morris (14-5, 28.592), even though the margin has shrunk a bit. Bernards (12-6, 19.268) edged up from eleventh to ten; they’re the only team from the CJSR coverage area in this section. They might have a shot at a top eight seed, but likely have to jump Hackettstown (11-5-1, 20.965) and Parsippany Hills (10-9, 21.007).

Non-Public North A: Although they now have a win under their belt – a 7-1 victory over 0-16 Perth Amboy Magnet – the Timothy Christian/Roselle Catholic co-op (1-14, 7.242) still sits in last place, and we think it’s likely they will opt-out of this thing. Assuming no-one else does, they would get fourth-seed Seton Hall Prep, the No. 5 team in the state which nearly got a perfect game Saturday from Boston College commit J.J. Drennan in a 6-0 win over Columbia; instead he settled for just his second straight no-hitter. Put this in a category of one of those games that just shouldn’t happen.

Non-Public North B: Rutgers Prep (12-5, 24.058) had been in first for a while, with St. Mary-Rutherford right behind them but now they have overtaken the Argonauts, but not by much. St. Mary is 12-4 and has 24.49 power points, just .432 points ahead. This should come down to the wire, but they appear to be the only two teams duking it out for the top seed. Morristown-Beard (8-7, 18.823) and St. Thomas Aquinas (8-12, 18.761) are a good number of points back. The Trojans, however, may need a strong week to fend off fifth-place Morris Catholic (10-10, 16.963) and Montclair-Kimberley (5-14, 16.61). We say that about MKA, despite their record, because with just five wins, and still close to No. 4 in power point average, any win could be a huge jump – it would be a 20 percent increase in their win total. Gill St. Bernard’s (7-8, 15.428) currently sits in eighth place in what should be a ten team field, as Wardlaw-Hartridge didn’t field a team this year, and Golda Och (0-7) could opt out.

Non-Public South A: St. Augustine (17-4, 32.271) has pulled ahead of Immaculata (14-4, 31.008) for the overall top seed, and with the section so far-flung geographically, it would be a big difference if the Spartans had to make the long trip down to Richfield (about halfway between Philadelphia and Atlantic City) for a title game, as opposed to playing at home, at Diamond Nation in Flemington. But this race is far from settled, with just 1.263 points between them. Watch Red Bank Catholic (14-4, 28.362) in third as well. After that, it’s down to ninth for Pingry (8-9, 15.388), and then 11th (next to last) for defending GMC champion St. Joseph-Metuchen (5-14, 14.676).

by Mike Pavlichko

Piscataway Magnet earns program’s first win in GMC Championship Tournament, outlasting JFK 10-5; Spotswood, Sayreville, South River all advance to Monday’s first round

The “open” format of the Greater Middlesex Conference baseball tournament ended in 2019, when the league split its signature event into the Championship Bracket – now known as the Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament – and the Invitational, now named for former East Brunswick Tech (now Magnet) AD and coach Ray Cipperly.

Now in its seventh year, Piscataway Magnet – having its best year program history – not only made the championship bracket for the first time ever with a record of 18-1, and a Gold Division title (12-0) under its belt, but on Saturday, they picked up their first win ever in the championship tournament.

The 17th-seeded Raiders were 10-5 road winners at 16th-seed JFK in Saturday morning’s preliminary round, making them 19-1. And it may even be their first win ever in a GMC championship bracket – open or otherwise – with the only other victory we could find in readily available online records being a 5-2 decision over Perth Amboy Magnet in the first round of the 2023 Invitational.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko with Piscataway Magnet head coach Greg Sampson and junior pitcher Kyla Malchiodi:

Each team scored twice in the first inning, then the Raiders got one in the top of the second and the Mustangs (6-14) got one in the bottom of the third to make it 3-3 heading into the top of the fourth, when as it turns out, Piscataway Magnet would get all the runs it needed. Kyle Malchiodi drove in a run with a sac fly, Vincent Canavan scored on a wild pitch, and Elvis Rodriguez hit a ground ball to short, reaching on an error, scoring two more runs to make it 7-3 Raiders.

Piscataway Magnet junior Kyle Malchiodi pitches against JFK in the GMC Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament preliminary round on May 9, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

For good measure, Piscataway Magnet picked up three more insurance runs in the top of the seventh. Freshman Trey Lyerly drove in two with a hard single to left, and Malchiodi singled to drive in another run, making it 10-3.

Back out on the mound to try and finish it off in the home seventh, Malchiodi gave up a single and a walk, then another single scoring two runs, cutting the lead to 10-5. Head coach Greg Sampson went to the bullpen and brought in Brody Guthrie, who walked one to put runners at first and second.

That’s when things got interesting.

Myles Ulaki took a 2-2 pitch, getting hit on the elbow. But the home plate umpire quickly stepped in and said Ulaki leaned over the plate with his elbow, and called him out for the first out of the inning.

After a brief argument – to no avail – Michael Rosales came up, and swung and missed at a 1-2 pitch for the second out. Catcher Colton Lyerly dropped the ball, but with runners on first and second, Rosales couldn’t run down to first. But Lyerly saw the runner on second, Fremy Peralta, far off the bag, threw down, and the tag applied by his younger brother, Trey, ended the game.

The victory sends Piscataway Magnet into Monday’s first round, where they will visit top-seed Edison (14-5), with first pitch set for 4 pm.

OTHER PRELIMINARY ROUND RECAPS:

(13) Spotswood 11, (20) North Plainfield 1: The Chargers (11-11) scored early and often in a five-inning ten-run rule win over the Canucks (16-7). Spotswood scored in every inning, starting with five in the first, highlighted by a two-RBI Ryan Orth double and a two-RBI single from Sebby Saracino. They picked up four more in the fourth, two in the third, and one in the fourth, not needing to bat in the bottom of the fifth with a 10-1 lead.

Starter Jack Korneski was efficient, going four innings with six strikeouts, no walks, allowing just one unearned run; he needed only 46 pitches to do it. Jack Abrams needed just seven pitches to lock it down in the fifth.

The win gives Spotswood just its second win streak of the year in an up-and-down season, after having won four straight in mid-April. They advance to Monday’s first round, where they will play at fourth-seed Metuchen (14-5), which swept two White Division games from the Chargers this season: 10-2 on April 4 and 4-0 on April 7.

(14) Sayreville 6, (19) Carteret 1: The Bombers had a 6-0 lead – with a run each in the first and second and two each in the fourth and fifth – before the Ramblers (14-4) could get on the board. Logan Kaufman went 1-for-3 with two RBI, both coming on a single to left in the fourth, while also tossing six four-hit innings, allowing one unearned run, striking out five to improve to 3-4 on the season..

Sayreville improves to 9-10 on the season and will travel to Old Bridge Monday at 4 pm to face the third-seeded Knights for the first time this season. Old Bridge has won two straight against the Bombers, including a 6-5 regular season game last year, and a 4-0 decision in 2024 in the Central Jersey Group 4 quarterfinals.

(15) South River 5, (16) JP Stevens 2: The Rams (16-5) got another solid start from Jullien Borusevic, who needed just 76 pitches to go the distance, allowing just two runs – one unearned – while striking out three to improve to 4-3 on the season.

South River took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first, on a two-RBI Burosevic double and a Noah Barrero single. But Stevens (13-7) cut the deficit to 3-2 in the top of the second, the first run coming on an error of a bunt play, the other on a sacrifice fly by Soham Prajapati.

But the Rams came right back with two more in the bottom of the third, on a Noah Barrero single and a Brendan Lell fielder’s choice. Borusevic would only allow three more JP baserunners the rest of the game, on two singles, and an error.

South River will go on the road in the first round Monday at 4 pm, facing second-seed Middlesex (18-2), which won a regular season game Saturday, topping Rutgers Prep 7-1.

MONDAY’S FIRST ROUND SCHEDULE:

  • (17) Piscataway Magnet at (1) Edison
  • (9) Monroe at (8) Colonia
  • (12) St. Joseph-Metuchen at (5) South Plainfield
  • (13) Spotswood at (4) Metuchen
  • (14) Sayreville at (3) Old Bridge
  • (11) East Brunswick at (6) Woodbridge
  • (10) South Brunswick at (7) St. Thomas Aquinas
  • (15) South River at (2) Middlesex

by Mike Pavlichko

Bernards, Pingry advance in first round of SCT

Both higher seeds advanced Friday afternoon in the opening round of the Somerset County Tournament, with 11-seed Bernards and 12th-seed Pingry both coming up with wins.

They’ll both move on the the second round, scheduled for Monday, with eight games on tap, and winners heading to Thursday’s quarterfinals, with all games at higher seeds.

(11) Bernards 13, (14) Bound Brook 3: In a ten-run rule walk-off, the Mountaineers (12-6) scored in every inning, including two in each of the first two innings, five in the third, one in the fourth, and three in the bottom of the fifth to end it when James Renz singled to left field, bringing in Casey Hocekele. Sean Arcelay had a 3-for-4 afternoon with a double, one RBI, two stolen bases and three runs scored in a complete effort; seven different players drove in runs, with James Ferrante and Sonny Liranzo each knocked in in a pair.

On the mound, starter Landon Farmer went four innings, giving up three runs, only one of them earned. He also fanned six, then Tucker Gallagher pitched a scoreless fifth.

Bound Brook falls to 2-11.

Next up, Bernards will visit sixth-seed Hillsborough (7-9) Monday afternoon in the second round at 4 pm. It’ll be their first meeting since 2023, a meeting the Mountaineers won 5-0.

(12) Pingry 8, (13) Manville 1: The Big Blue (8-9) never trailed, scoring one in the second and three in the fourth before the Mustangs (7-9) could get on the board. Freshman Connor Lahey drove in two runs and scored once on a 3-for-3 day, while Langston McDonald also went 3-for-3 on the afternoon, and scored twice.

Zach Zaslow improved to 3-0 with the win, going the distance and scattering four hits over seven innings, giving up one unearned run, while striking out seven.

On Monday, Pingry will head to 5th-seed Bridgewater-Raritan (6-14). The two have not met since at least prior to 2008, the last year for which records are available online.

Here’s the Monday Somerset County Tournament second round schedule, with a look ahead to projected quarterfinal matchups on Thursday, all at higher seeds:

  • (9) Gill St. Bernard’s at (8) Montgomery, winner at (1) Immaculata
  • (12) Pingry at (5) Bridgewater-Raritan, winner at (4) Rutgers Prep
  • (11) Bernards at (6) Hillsborough (4 pm), winner at (3) Ridge
  • (10) Franklin at (7) Somerville, winner at (2) Watchung Hills
by Mike Pavlichko

Red Champ Edison gets top seed in GMC Championship Tournament, Middlesex gets No. 2; Perth Amboy heads Invitational bracket

The Red Division champion Edison baseball team has been awarded the top-seed in the GMC’s Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament.

White Division champion Middlesex was also nominated for the top seed, but Edison took the top spot on a 5-1 vote by the committee Friday morning during the seeding meeting at East Brunswick Magnet High School.

Meanwhile, Perth Amboy – the last place team in the GMC White Division – was awarded the No. 21 seed, the top-seed in the GMC Ray Cipperly Invitational Tournament.

The top four seeds in the Championship bracket were rounded out by Old Bridge third and Metuchen fourth. Those became more important this year, as the GMC decided not to play the quarterfinal round at North Brunswick Community Park – a neutral site – instead having higher seeds host.

The top 12 teams all begin play inn the first round, including South Plainfield at the five-seed, followed by Woodbridge, St. Thomas Aquinas and Colonia finishing out the top eight, while nine through 12 went to Monroe, South Brunswick, East Brunswick and St. Joseph-Metuchen.

That leaves four play-in round games for Saturday, which the GMC has decided all will be played at 10 am. With rain in the forecast, the GMC wants as much opportunity as possible to play all games tomorrow so that no one has the play later, and have less pitching available for future rounds.

Those games include:

  • (17) Piscataway Magnet at (16) JFK, winner at (1) Edison
  • (20) North Plainfield at (13) Spotswood, winner at (4) Metuchen
  • (19) Carteret at (14) Sayreville, winner at (3) Old Bridge
  • (18) JP Stevens at (15) South River, winner at (2) Middlesex

Here’s the full bracket for the GMC Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament:

Here’s the full bracket for the GMC Ray Cipperly Invitational Tournament:

by Mike Pavlichko

It’s county tournament time! A look at who could get the GMC’s top seed, plus the schedule for the upcoming Somerset County and GMC Championship and Invitational Tournaments

Planning to take in some county tournament high school baseball over the next couple of weeks? We’ve got you covered as you make your plans to traverse Middlesex and Somerset Counties to see one of the three tournaments featuring teams from the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area.

Of course, there’s the Somerset County Tournament, which gets started first, this Friday. That morning, the Greater Middlesex Conference will seed its tournaments: the Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament and the Ray Cipperly Invitational. Of all the conference teams, the first 20 go into the championship bracket, with the remainder in the invitational.

The SCT has been seeded already, with Immaculata getting the No. 1 seed, and the rest of the top four – with all getting byes to the quarterfinals – going to Watchung Hills, Ridge, and Rutgers Prep.

When the GMC is seeded Friday, there are a few interesting story lines. Chief among them: who will get the top seed?

A Red Division team has been awarded the No. 1 seed in each of the last eight tournaments, with only one “repeat” – St. Joseph-Metuchen in 2022 and 2017.

Division champion Edison has been very good this year playing in the “top” GMC division, considering the league’s new focus on the promotion/relegation model, where division winners from the Blue and White (and sometimes Gold) move up the next year, and last place teams from the Red, White and Blue move down.

The Eagles are the GMC Red Division champs, but GMC White champion Middlesex will at the very least be in the conversation for a top seed, and very well could get it when all is said and done.

Here’s a look at how they compare:

Edison’s Resume:

  • 14-5 overall, 11-3 in the GMC Red, 14-4 in overall conference play
  • Red Division Champions (by 2 games over Old Bridge)
  • Division Sweeps: Old Bridge (2nd place), South Plainfield (3rd), East Brunswick (7th), St. Joseph-Metuchen (8th)
  • Division Splits: Woodbridge (4th), St. Thomas Aquinas (5th), Monroe (6th)
  • Crossover Wins: North Brunswick (6th, Blue), JP Stevens (2nd, Blue), Spotswood (5th, White)
  • Crossover Losses: Metuchen (2nd, White)
  • Non-conference Games: Lost 10-4 to Columbia (Maplewood/South Orange) in Autism Awareness Challenge (10-7, from SEC))

Middlesex’s Resume:

  • 17-2 overall, 13-1 in the GMC White, 15-1 in overall conference play
  • White Division Champions (by 3 games over Metuchen)
  • Division Sweeps: Metuchen (2nd), Colonia (3rd), Spotswood (5th), Sayreville, JFK (tied for 6th), Perth Amboy (8th)
  • Division Splits: South Brunswick (4th)
  • Crossover Wins: East Brunswick (7th, Red), St. Joseph-Metuchen (8th, Red)
  • Crossover Losses: None
  • Non-Conference Games: Beat Voorhees 11-2 in the Autism Awareness Challenge (3-13, from Skyland Conference); Won at Wood-Ridge 15-1 (14-7, from NJIC); Lost at Westfield 2-0 (9-9, from UCC)

Comparison:

  • Middlesex has three more wins, and three fewer losses, with a .895 win percentage, while Edison has a .737 win percentage.
  • Edison has three Division losses to Woodbridge, St. Thomas Aquinas and Monroe, all middle-of-the-pack GMC Red Division teams (four through six in the standings), while Middlesex has just one loss to fourth-place South Brunswick
  • Edison has no out-of-conference wins, while Middlesex has two, with the win over Wood-Ridge coming over a 15-win ball club. Neither OOC loss (Edison to Columbia or Middlesex to Westfield) should be a factor.
  • Edison can’t “play up,” being in the top GMC Division, and went 3-1 in crossovers. That lone loss came to Metuchen, a good apples-to-apples comparison with Middlesex, which swept two games from the Bulldogs in White Division play, with a 6-2 win and a 2-1 victory. The Eagles lost to the Bulldogs 6-5.
  • While the Red Division has taken the No. 1 seed in the last eight tournaments, one “knock” on squads from other divisions has been that they “don’t play up.” But Middlesex did, and won both against GMC Red Division teams. They were 8-7 winners over St. Joseph-Metuchen at home on Monday, and beat East Brunswick on the road, 10-8, Wednesday afternoon.

The other interesting story line is Piscataway Magnet. Coming into the week, they were one of three teams in the entire state of New Jersey to be undefeated. All three – including Doane Academy and Northern Burlington in the BCSL – have taken a loss since then, but the Raiders of the GMC are still 18-1 (their first loss came in a crossover, playing “up” to the Blue, falling 6-4 to North Plainfield).

The general consensus is they have a good shot to make the Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament. To do that, they’d have to be one of the top 20 teams seeded Friday morning by the committee. With two tournaments, there’s no longer a guarantee that the four division winners get seeded in the main bracket, but the question is, what does Piscataway Magnet want?

Not that it matters. The committee will seed the teams from what it deems to be the best on down.

But it’s an interesting debate. They would likely have a better chance at winning the Invitational, but when a team gets hot – and they’ve been on fire all year – anything can happen.

This year, like many in recent years, could be a wide open tournament. And no Number One seed has won the GMC Championship tournament since before COVID. Old Bridge won it as the top-seed in 2019, and St. Joseph did the same in 2017.

But in 2021, top-seed Monroe took an early bow in the first round at the hands of JFK. Top-seed St. Joe’s lost in the 2022 finals, North Brunswick did the same in 2023, and South Plainfield did in 2024, while Woodbridge was knocked out in the first round by South River last season.

How good has Piscataway Magnet been? The six runs they gave up in the loss to North Plainfield is the most they’ve given up all year, and it only happened twice before, in an 8-6 season-opening win over Dunellen, and a 17-6 victory over East Brunswick Magnet in the Autism Awareness Challenge.

They’ve also pitched five shutouts on the year, and have allowed two or fewer runs in 13 of 19 games, while hitting .249 as a team and scoring 11.2 runs per game.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULES:

Somerset County Tournament

  • First Round: Friday, May 8 at higher seeds
  • Second Round: Monday, May 11 at higher seeds
  • Quarterfinals: Thursday, May 14 at higher seeds
  • Semifinals: Monday, May 18 at TD Bank Park, 1 and 4 pm (LIVE on CJSR)
  • Finals: Wednesday, May 20 at TD Bank Park, 6 pm (LIVE on CJSR)

GMC Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament

  • Play-In Round: Saturday, May 9 at higher seeds
  • First Round: Monday, May 11 at higher seeds
  • Quarterfinals: Wednesday, May 13 at higher seeds
  • Semifinals: Saturday, May 16 at East Brunswick Magnet, 12 and 2:30 pm (LIVE on CJSR)
  • Finals: Saturday, May 23 at East Brunswick Magnet, 2 pm (LIVE on CJSR)

GMC Ray Cipperly Invitational Tournament

  • First Round: Tuesday, May 12 at higher seeds
  • Quarterfinals: Thursday, May 14 at higher seeds
  • Semifinals: Monday, May 18 at higher seeds
  • Finals: Friday, May 22 at Edison HS (LIVE on CJSR)

by Mike Pavlichko

Here’s how all four top-seeds could win the Somerset County Tournament, plus one dark horse

The Somerset County Tournament will get underway Saturday with two first round games.

And while it would certainly be a long haul – with a ton of upsets – for one of those teams to win the whole thing, certainly any of the top four seeds could win it.

Top-seed Immaculata, No. 2 Watchung Hills, third-seed Ridge and No. 4 Rutgers Prep all will get first and second round byes, going right to next Thursday’s quarterfinals.

Today, the day after the Spartans got the No. 1 seed in a vote of the league’s coaches – even after a 10-0 loss at Watchung Hills – we take a look at how each of the top four could win the tournament, and one “dark horse.”

Immaculata visits Hillsborough in a Skyland Conference Delaware Division game on March 31, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

No. 1 seed Immaculata (12-4): Overall body of work, the Spartans have been tremendous all year long. Tuesday’s loss to the Warriors was their first of the year in Skyland Conference play. And probably nine times out of ten, neither team would win by that score when they play each other.

Immaculata’s three prior losses came to Winter Park (FL) on a Spring Break trip, and to Delsea and Delbarton in non-conference play. In the Delaware Division, they had swept two games each from Hillsborough, Bridgewater-Raritan, Ridge and Hunterdon Central.

Wake Forest-bound Ryan Auten is the ace, 3-0 with a 0.92 ERA, and a huge strikeout-to-walk ratio; he’s fanned 60 batters on the year, and walked just seven in 30.1 innings. Cole Raymond took his first loss of the year Tuesday, allowing six runs, all earned, but that was a rarity. In five prior starts, he didn’t give up a single run in three of them, one in another, and three in yet another.

The Spartans are hitting .303 as a team with four home runs, not necessarily the most prolific offense of the bunch, but Auten and Raymond give ‘Lata a chance to win any day of the week.

The Spartans’ Path if everything goes to chalk: In the quarterfinals, Immaculata would draw 8th-seed Montgomery (8-10). Their last meeting came in 2024, when both were in the Raritan Division; they split, with the Spartans taking a 3-0 decision April 9th, then falling 5-1 on April 25th. Four-seed Rutgers Prep (11-3) would be their semifinal opponent. They also last met as Raritan Division members in 2024, with ‘Lata picking up a two-game sweep, 3-1 and 19-8. In the semis, they’d get No. 2 seed Watchung Hills (11-4), with that regular season series to be determined; they meet again at Diamond Nation in Flemington on Thursday.

Watchung Hills celebrates after a two-run home run by pitcher Robbie Centamore (8) against Immaculata on May 5th, 2026 (Photo: Alec Crouthamel).

No. 2 seed Watchung Hills (11-4): We saw the Hustlin’ Warriors pull out a 7-6 win against Bridgewater-Raritan at home on April 9th, completing a two-game sweep of the Panthers, and were impressed. They’re also hot, having won seven of their last eight games, their only loss coming to defending state Group 2 champion Governor Livingston last week. Of course, it’ll be another week-plus until they open up SCT play, and have a second meeting with the Spartans on Thursday after Tuesday’s 10-0 win.

While they may have beaten them head-to-head, in the overall body of work, Watchung Hills’ two conference losses came to Ridge, which themselves got swept two games by Immaculata. While the bats exploded Tuesday, lost in the outburst was senior Rob Centamore’s outstanding two-hit performance. He has been dominant all year, going at least five innings in five starts, never allowing more than three runs in a game. The two-hit shutout was his magnum opus so far.

Offensively, this team can hit, batting .340 as a team with eight homers, and Centamore is instrumental there, too. He’s gone yard three times and is hitting .391, while five regulars are hitting .367 or better.

The Warriors’ Path if everything goes to chalk: In the quarterfinals, the Warriors would draw seventh-seed Somerville (8-10), a team they beat handily twice last season, 9-0 and 12-2, in the midst of an 11-12 season. What’s scary is that this year’s Hills’ squad is even better, and playing in a tougher division. No. 3 seed Ridge (11-6) would be their semifinal opponent, and they won both games this year. The Red Devils took the opener on April 14 by a 12-10 score, then got ten-run ruled in six, 13-3, two days later. In the finals, it would be No. 1 seed Immaculata; they’ve already got one win in the bag against the Spartans, and meet again in Flemington this Thursday.

Ridge’s Dimitri Romer pitches against Immaculata at Diamond Nation in Flemington on April 22, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

No. 3 seed Ridge (11-6): After an 8-7 win over Pingry on April 20th, the Red Devils were 11-1, but they have lost five straight since. Most have been close. They got swept 3-0 and 6-0 by Immaculata, then took a 6-2 loss at North Hunterdon, lost 4-3 at Bridgewater-Raritan, and fell 9-5 to Hillsborough at home on Tuesday night. They’ll have to regroup with games against Somerville, at Seton Hall Prep, and Mendham before next Thursday’s quarterfinals.

Pitching was going to be the question mark heading into the season, and it’s not quite been at the level as it was last season when they had an ace like Aidan Stieglitz. For much of the year, the Ridge offense has led the charge, scoring 108 runs in their first 12 – when they went 11-1 – for an average of nine runs a game. And the pitching has kept them in most games. But they’ve only scored ten in their last five, all losses, averaging two runs a game.

If the bats can get back in a groove, Ridge should be back to where they were the first dozen games of this year.

The Red Devils’ Path if everything goes to chalk: First, they would get No. 6 Hillsborough (7-9) in the quarterfinals. The Raiders are the defending Central Jersey Group 4 champs, but are a much younger and inexperienced squad after taking some big graduation losses. Then, the semis would bring No. 2 Watchung Hills (11-4), which they beat twice this year, scoring 25 runs in a 12-10 and 13-3 win. Then they would get top-seed Immaculata (12-4) in the title game, and while Ridge got swept in that series, they were 3-0 and 6-0 games, and certainly winnable.

Rutgers Prep’s Maddox Chu hits against North Hunterdon in a Skyland Conference Raritan Division game in Annandale on May 5, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

No. 4 seed Rutgers Prep (11-3): The Argonauts are in second place in the Raritan Division, with two division losses: one to Franklin, and the other yesterday, 1-0 at North Hunterdon., quite the pitchers’ duel, with just six hits between the two.

Rutgers Prep is hitting .358, the best among the top-four seeds in the Somerset County Tournament, with 14 home runs, and they’ve scored the most runs of anyone in the Skyland Conference, with 125, while allowing just 63, second-lowest among the top four teams in the SCT. (Immaculata has allowed just 53 in 16 games.)

Peter Wheeler and Li Perez are a potent one-two punch on the mound, which is needed in a tournament where the semifinals and finals are on a Monday and Wednesday, two days apart. Both seniors, Perez is 3-1 and hasn’t allowed a single earned run in 21 innings pitched. Wheeler allowed three hits and one earned run yesterday against North Hunterdon, and is 4-1 overall with a 1.09 ERA.

The Argonauts’ Path if everything goes to chalk: First up would be five-seed Bridgewater-Raritan (6-11) in the quarterfinals, perhaps the toughest draw of the top four seeds in that round. The Panthers were playing just over .500 ball in the middle of the season, winning five of nine from April 15th through the first of this month, but after winning their opener, they lost five straight, and have lost three games in a row since. Rutgers Prep beat them in the middle of that three-game stretch, 12-8, back on Monday, exploding for a seven-run sixth to pull ahead for good after trailing 8-4 through five. Then, it would be top-seed Immaculata (12-4), a team they haven’t played since 2004, in the semifinals. And should they make the final – and all higher seeds won – they would get No. 2 seed Ridge (11-6). The Red Devils won their lone matchup this year, 4-0, but that was a 1-0 game until Ridge got three insurance runs in the sixth. Li Perez was the hard luck loser in that game, throwing 47 pitches in three innings, allowing no hits and just one unearned run.

Bridgewater-Raritan hosts Mendham in a pre-season scrimmage on March 28, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

The Dark Horse – No. 5 seed Bridgewater-Raritan (11-6): It’s not really going out on a limb to say the fifth-seed has a shot at winning the tournament, but they might be the most likely to do it outside of the top four, despite being five games below .500 on the year.

Against the top-four seeds? They beat second-seed Ridge 4-3 on April 28th, and rematch Thursday. They were swept by third-seed Watchung Hills, but after losing the opener 9-1, kept in close in the second game, falling 7-6 in the bottom of the seventh on a wacky play. And Monday against Rutgers Prep – which would be their quarterfinal opponents, the four-seed – they lost 12-8, a victim of a seven-run sixth-inning.

Of course, finishing outside the top-four means the Panthers have to play in the second round, and would get the winner of 12-seed Pingry (7-8) and 13-seed Manville (6-8). Being a large school, those aren’t frequent opponents for Bridgewater. They haven’t played either dating back to at lest 2008, the last season for which records are publicly available online.