Category: Baseball

May 27, 2026 by Alec Crouthamel

Fifth-seeded Bridgewater-Raritan stays hot, rolls over 12-seed Plainfield 11-0 in North 2, Group 4 first round

There’s an all-too-familiar adage in postseason sports: When the brackets come out, throw the win-loss records out the window.

Bridgewater-Raritan is the latest example.

The Panthers (12-16) earned the fifth seed in the North Jersey Section 2, Group 4 bracket after a tough start to the year, dealing with a rugged Skyland Delaware division, giving their young group a bit of trial by fire against some of the top teams in the area.

Now? Bridgewater-Raritan is playing its best baseball at the right time, as the Panthers – winners of six of their last eight – knocked off 12th-seeded Plainfield 11-0 in five innings to advance to the North 2 Group 4 quarterfinals for the fifth straight year.

With another run in the sectional tournament a week after making it to the Somerset County Tournament semifinals – where they almost knocked off top-seeded Immaculata – the group is finding its stride and could be a dangerous dark-horse as the tournament moves along.

Junior pitcher Jack Braswell got the ball on Wednesday and set the tone immediately. He struck out the first two Plainfield batters on the way to a 1-2-3 inning to open the game, then Bridgewater-Raritan’s red-hot bats got their chance in the bottom half.

The Panthers plated three runs in the first, with the first four batters reaching base before an out was recorded. Junior second baseman Nick Spirra put a line drive into right field with the bases loaded to score two. Then, with two outs and the bases re-loaded, right fielder Josh Moore got plunked to bring in another.

The two teams traded scoreless frames — as Braswell retired all nine Cardinals the first time through the order — until the bottom of the third inning, where Bridgewater-Raritan got its big inning.

It looked like another quiet inning through two batters, with a strikeout and lineout, but the Panthers put together some two-out magic to break the game wide open. They loaded the bases in three batters — including another hit-by-pitch for Moore — before leadoff left fielder Andrew Schmieder put another line drive into right field to score two runs.

Senior Kellan Komline brought in another with an infield RBI single. Schmieder stole home to score on the ensuing at-bat, before senior catcher Michael Lobosco powered a double into centerfield to score Komline. Spirra brought in another with an RBI single back into centerfield.

All of a sudden, Bridgewater-Raritan built a commanding 9-0 lead after three.

Braswell worked another shutout inning — though he did lose his perfect game bid thanks to a two-out single by Plainfield left fielder Franyer Genao — to send the lineup back to the plate.

The Panthers got the job done again with two more runs in the bottom of the fourth to put the game in run-rule territory. Junior Stephen Pikulin reached on a one-out infield single, and Moore got hit by a pitch for the third time to put runners on first and second.

Sophomore shortstop Cody Rible singled to left field to score Pikulin and give Bridgewater-Raritan double digits on the day. Skipper Max Newill started to empty his bench from there, and sophomore Matt DeLucia registered his second RBI of the season with a sacrifice fly to make it 11-0.

Braswell retired the side in order for the fourth time to secure the dominant victory. He earned the win on the mound with five shutout innings, striking out eight while only allowing one hit.

Now, after a full regular season, the Panthers have taken their lumps and found their footing to become a threat in the section. They’ll have another challenge at hand on Friday, heading on the road to Edison to face fourth-seeded JP Stevens in the quarterfinals. The Hawks (18-8) finished in a three-way tie atop the GMC Blue division at 11-3, and defeated 13th-seeded Ferris 11-2 for their first playoff win since 2019.

A challenge, to be sure, but Bridgewater-Raritan has shown in the last month it’s ready for anything the bracket can throw at it.

Click below to hear Bridgewater-Raritan head coach Max Newill talk about the Panthers’ 11-0 win over Plainfield in the North 2 Group 4 first round with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel:

May 27, 2026May 27, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

NJSIAA State Tournament kicks into high gear Wednesday as public open play with 32 CJSR-area teams in action; here’s the full Wednesday schedule, plus Thursday’s non-public quarterfinal matchups:

With a full slate of baseball games on tap Wednesday across New Jersey as the NJSIAA state tournament gets underway for public schools – although a shower could pass through the area, with highs expected around 80 – there are 32 teams from the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area in action.

Here’s a look at the full schedule for today for all sections with area teams participating, as well as Thursday’s non-public sectional quarterfinals. All games are at 4 pm unless otherwise noted.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 27 – PUBLIC FIRST ROUND

Central Jersey Group 4

(16) East Brunswick at (1) Old Bridge, 5 pm
(9) South Brunswick at (8) Freehold Twp.
(12) Montgomery at (5) Monroe
(13) Sayreville at (4) Hightstown
(14) Princeton at (3) Hunterdon Central
(11) Marlboro at (6) Manalapan, 3:45 pm
(10) Hillsborough at (7) Jackson Twp. (PP’D to 2 pm Thursday)
(15) Franklin at (2) Edison

Central Jersey Group 2

(16) Holmdel at (1) Rumson-Fair Haven
(9) Spotswood at (8) Allentown
(12) Raritan at (5) Delran
(13) Ocean Twp. at (4) Wall
(14) Bordentown at (3) Johnson
(11) Robbinsville at (6) South River
(10) Manasquan at (7) Point Pleasant Boro
(15) Cinnaminson at (2) Governor Livingston

Central Jersey Group 1

(16) Highland Park at (1) Middlesex
(8) New Egypt at (8) South Hunterdon
(12) Manville at (5) Shore)
(13) Somerset Tech at (4) Metuchen
(14) South Amboy at (3) Point Pleasant Beach
(11) Florence at (6) Dunellen
(10) Delaware Valley at (7) Keyport
(15) Henry Hudson at (2) Piscataway Magnet

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4

(16) Barringer at (1) Ridge
(9) Columbia at (8) Phillipsburg
(12) Plainfield at (5) Bridgewater-Raritan
(13) Ferris at (4) JP Stevens, 4:30 pm
(14) Elizabeth at (3) Watchung Hills
(11) Union at (6) Westfield
(10) Woodbridge at (7) Scotch Plains-Fanwood
(15) Piscataway at (2) Bayonne, 4:30 pm

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3

(16) Orange at (1) Chatham
(9) Middletown North at (8) Colonia, 3 pm
(12) Matawan at (5) North Plainfield
(13) JFK at (4) South Plainfield
(14) Rahway at (3) Cranford
(11) Summit at (6) Carteret
(10) Somerville at (7) Millburn
(2) North Hunterdon 6, (15) Payne Tech 0 (Tuesday)

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2

(16) Hillside at (1) Caldwell
(9) Parsippany Hills at (8) Hackettstown
(12) Passaic Valley at (5) Rutherford
(13) Shabazz at (4) Madison
(14) Voorhees at (3) West Morris
(11) Bernards at (6) Lyndhurst
(10) Becton at (7) Mendham
(15) Parsippany at (2) West Essex

THURSDAY, MAY 28 – NON-PUBLIC QUARTERFINALS

Non-Public South A

(8) Montclair-Kimberley at (1) St. Mary-Rutherford
(5) Morristown-Beard at (4) Newark Academy
(6) Morris Catholic at (3) St. Thomas Aquinas
(10) Pope John at (2) Rutgers Prep

Non-Public North B

(8) Paul VI at (1) Immaculata (at Diamond Nation, Flemington)
(5) Christian Brothers at (4) Union Catholic
(6) St. John Vianney at (3) Red Bank Catholic
(10) Pingry at (2) St. Augustine

May 26, 2026May 27, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

State Playoff Preview: Top-seed Ridge and several other contenders open North 2 sectional action Wednesday

Hard to believe, but it’s already state tournament time in high school baseball.

The county tournaments are (mostly) done – with the GMC still to be decided this coming Saturday after rain throughout Memorial Day weekend – and everyone non-public schools began play on Tuesday afternoon.

Today, we continue a look at each and every matchup involving Central Jersey Sports Radio teams with the 13 qualifiers in three North Jersey, Section 2 sections: Groups 2, 3 and 4. You can catch our Non-Public preview, which dropped Sunday, here. And our preview of the 19 teams in the Central Jersey sections dropped Monday.

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 4:

(16) Barringer (5-13) at (1) Ridge (15-9), 4 pm Wednesday: Barringer has lost nine of its last ten games – it’s only win in that stretch being a 1-0 win over Belleville in the first round of the Greater Newark Tournament – while the Red Devils are a Somerset County Tournament semifinalist who went 4-5 in the Skyland Conference Delaware Division, with four of those losses coming to the SCT champion Watchung Hills, and two more to runner-up Immaculata, both of whom are now state-ranked. This one really shouldn’t be close, but that’s why they play the games, of course. Guys like Jake Dolan (.435, 32 RBI) and Kieran Callanan (.406, 16 RBI) are killing it at the plate, but the pitching staff needs to cut down on the runs allowed. These teams have no recent history, having not played at least in the last 15 years.

(12) Plainfield (14-4) at (5) Bridgewater-Raritan (11-16), 4 pm Wednesday: Don’t let the Panthers’ record fool you. They’re in a very tough division, and even now at five games below .500 were good enough to reach the Somerset County Tournament semifinals. Plainfield, meanwhile, started the year 7-0, and has won five of six coming in. They’re hitting .325 as a team, better than BR’s .288, and have a team ERA that’s a little more than a point lower, but the Panthers play a more challenging schedule, which is why they’re seeded as high as five. Bridgewater has the parts to make a run here with still a fairly young squad. These teams also have not met in the last 15 years.

(13) Ferris (8-18) at (4) JP Stevens (17-8), 4:30 pm Wednesday: The Hawks are having a fantastic year, their first time with ten more more wins since 2021. They’ve won six of eight coming into the states, and twice beat a pretty good Carteret team this year with a similar record (17-6). They also swept North Plainfield (now 17-8) to start the year. And they’re led in hitting by two sophomores: Chase Sullivan (.415, 14 RBI) and Collin Casey (.407, 18 RBI), and have gotten some solid pitching from senior ace Soham Prajapati (7-3, 0.92 ERA), who has 89 strikeouts on the year. Ferris, meanwhile, has had an up and down year, only winning back-to-back games once, and that came last week, with wins over Hoboken and McNair. They’re hitting .291 on the year; Stevens is at .344 on the season, with a team ERA of 3.01. Ferris is giving up nearly seven earned runs a game. This is also their first meeting in the last 15 years.

(14) Elizabeth at (3) Watchung Hills, 4 pm Wednesday: This will be the first meeting between the schools since the middle of the last decade, with the Warriors earning wins in 2014 and 2013. But that won’t matter this year. Watchung Hills has two great starting pitchers, including Rob Centamore (6-0, 1.26 ERA), who got the win in the SCT semifinals last Monday over Ridge with a career-high 13 strikeouts, and Lucas Sheehan (6-2, 4.50 ERA), who became the first sophomore to earn a win in the SCT final on Friday when Hills beat top-seed Immaculata, 1-0, for the crown. Jacob Jaconski is the big hitter in the lineup, hitting .458 with 12 RBI, while Rob Centamore delivers the power, with three home runs and 18 RBI. The Minutemen have won two straight heading in, but lost eight in a row before that. The Warriors get the pitching and hitting edge in this one.

(10) Woodbridge (15-10) at (7) Scotch Plains-Fanwood (14-11), 4 pm Wednesday: Here’s another one where the records could be misleading, with Woodbridge playing in the GMC Red Division, the league’s top grouping. And the Barrons went 7-7 with that schedule, rebounding from a 1-5 start to the season to go a solid 14-5 the rest of the way. Gavin Slicner has been an absolute beast for Mike Monaco’s gritty squad, hitting .506 while driving in 29 runs and hitting eight home runs, while stealing 23 bases; the kid does it all. And of the five pitchers who have thrown over 15 innings this year, only one has an ERA over three, and that’s Kevin Arroyo at a highly-respectable 3.11 with a record of 5-2. The Barrons have the hitting and pitching to get this done, and a win would be an upset by seed only. The Raiders won the most recent meeting between the teams, 3-2, two years ago.

(15) Piscataway (11-10) at (2) Bayonne (18-8), 4:30 pm Wednesday: The Chiefs have won five straight heading int the states, most recently a 3-0 decision over Dunellen Friday to win the Ray Cipperly GMC Invitational Tournament. Sumedh Shingala got the start there and could get the ball again here in the first round. Senior Dominick Summonte (.436, 15 RBI) and junior Jason Mann (.432, 20 walks) are the top hitters for the Chiefs going up against a Bees ballclub that won ten of its first eleven games. They’re both hitting in the .280s, but the Bayonne pitchers have been stingy this year, with a team 1.96 earned run average. Whoever gets the ball should present a challenge for Piscataway, going up against a team with a legit shot to win the section.

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 3:

(9) Middletown North (14-10) at (8) Colonia (14-9), 3 pm Wednesday: The Patriots beat the Lions last year in the sectional quarterfinals, 5-0, behind a 16-strikeout no-hitter from senior Cory Pascarella. But starter Colin Kroner missed a good chunk of May, including the first round of the GMC Tournament, and the Patriots were eliminated in their opening game. He came back this past Saturday – after nearly three weeks on the shelf – to pitch the final inning of a 6-3 win over Dayton, giving up no hits, walking one and striking out one. How much he’ll be available in the stretch run is probably an inside secret at this point, but if not – or if not yet – they’ll have to piece it together, at least for the first round. And that’ll be a challenge against an offensively-blessed team in Middletown North.

(12) Matawan (9-12-1) at (5) North Plainfield (17-8), 4 pm Wednesday: These teams haven’t played at all in the last decade-and-a-half, so no recent history to go off of here. The Canucks have had a great season under first-year head coach Ben Donaghy, whose 17 wins are the most they’ve had in at least a couple of decades. While they’ve lost three of their last five – a combo of crossovers, the GMC tournament, and some non-conference games, they did win nine straight from mid-April through early May, and are led offensively by seniors Jake Zotollo (.438, 21 RBI, 2 HR) and Victor Ceda (.400, 20 RBI), while senior Bennie Sokolowski (7-0, 0.47 ERA) and junior Ian Lameira (5-1, 2.17 ERA) are the kind of one-two punch this kind of tournament is made for, with every other game a week apart. The Huskies, meanwhile, have given up more runs, and are hitting about 40 points lower that North Plainfield, and are coming off the rare tie, 4-4, last Wednesday at Pemberton in a state tournament tuneup.

(13) JFK (7-18) at (4) South Plainfield (14-11) , 4 pm Wednesday: The Tigers won an earlier matchup this season, back on May 7th, as Dom Massaro led an offensive onslaught, going 4-for-4 and hitting for the cycle with three RBIs in a 14-4 win. South Plainfield is coming off a 7-1 win over Middlesex today (Tuesday) and has a very balanced lineup. Hitting .296 as a team, Massaro is smoking the ball, hitting an unheard of .552 on the year, with 25 RBI and two home runs. For the defending champs – who have a chance to win it every year – we’ll see if the Tigers go with “The Bull,” ace Aiden McCarthy, or hold him to the semis and put big Andrew Bena or Jayden Jiminez in to start. Kennedy, meanwhile, was 5-4 smack dab in the middle of April, but has tumbled since, losing 14 of its last 16 games. Senior Grant Lorentzen (.470, 18 RBI) makes the offense go, and is their ace pitcher (4-4 record, but a 1.76 ERA) and this year achieved the rare milestones of reaching 200 career strikeouts as a pitcher and 100 career hits as a batter – in addition to becoming a 1,000-point scorer in basketball.

(11) Summit (8-15-1) at (6) Carteret (17-6), 4 pm Wednesday: This one could be interesting. Besides having no recent history (last 15 years), the Ramblers bounced back nicely from a late-season two-game skid – falling to Colonia and Edison by a combined 22-1 – with an 11-2 thumping of Rahway back on Friday. Carteret is hitting .318 on the year, led by Gatik Nhardwaj (.424, 14 RBI, 1 HR) and Erick Martinez (.407, 15 RBI), both seniors. Somehow, they’ve used just five pitchers all year. Summit, meanwhile, is a tough one to figure. Though they are seven games below .500, if you take out their 1-11 record in the Union County Conference’s Watchung Division, they are 7-4-1 otherwise. Problem is, they’re giving up about two unearned runs per game, and that won’t win you many.

(10) Somerville (9-16) at (7) Millburn (12-14) , 4 pm Wednesday: The only time these two teams have played in the last 15 years was last season, in the sectional quarterfinals, with the Millers taking a 1-0 win on a three-hitter from then-sophomore Leo Dalton. This year, he’s come back down to earth a bit, with his ERA up from 1.77 to 3.76, with a 2-2 record. As for the Pioneers, they’ve had a rough go the last few weeks, losing six straight after a three-game early-May win streak that included a two-game sweep of Montgomery. Senior Jordan Snow leads the way for The ‘Ville offensively, hitting .370 with ten runs batted in. Both teams are hitting around the same, with similar team ERAs around four, but Somerville has scored just 108 runs in 25 games, while Millburn has scored 148 in 26.

NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 2:

(11) Bernards (13-10) at (6) Lyndhurst (15-12), 4 pm Wednesday: The most recent meeting between the teams came in 2021, with the Mountaineers taking a 10-4 decision in the North 2, Group 2 first round. A first round Somerset County Tournament win over Bound Brook had given Bernards a six-game win streak, their longest of the year, but they got shutout 3-0 in the second round by Hillsborough, then lost 7-0 to Phillipsburg, and have lost four of five overall heading into this one. The Mountaineers are a light-hitting club at .245, and are led by Sean Arcelay, a junior hitting .327 with seven runs batted in. James Ferrante (.309) leads the team with three home runs. Lyndhurst, meanwhile, has won two straight, and his hitting a solid .318 as a team, led by seniors Tyler Herman (.442, 29 RBI) and Max Gonzalez (.423, 21 RBI, 2 HR), the Golden Bears’ slugging catcher. Herman also is the ace on the mound, at 5-3, with a 1.58 ERA. Expect him in the opener.

May 26, 2026May 27, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Pingry is lone winner among three CJSR-area non-publics to open playoffs Tuesday; St. Joseph-Metuchen and Gill St. Bernard’s are eliminated

Of the three non-public schools from the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area to begin play in the NJSIAA state tournament Tuesday afternoon, only Pinrgy came out a winner.

The Big Blue advanced in Non-Public South A first round action, while St. Joseph-Metuchen lost in the same section, and Gill St. Bernard’s was ousted in Non-Public North B.

Read through for a rundown of Tuesday’s light action – with many non-public teams getting first round byes – along with all scores, and look ahead for the upcoming schedule in the non-public brackets.

NON-PUBLIC SOUTH A

(10) Pingry 5, (7) Notre Dame 2: On paper, this looked like a winnable game for Pingry – we essentially said so in our preview Sunday – and the Big Blue certainly delivered. Tied at 1-1 after three innings, Pingry scored four times in the final three frames, and survived a threat in the bottom of the seventh.

In the top of the first, a one-out ground out by Aaron Wu scored Riley Wong, who’d led off the game by reaching on an error. But The Irish got it back in the bottom of the third when Tommy Swietek grounded into a fielder’s choice to plate a run and tie the game at one.

Pingry took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth on a sac fly by Shane Varenckas, scoring Zach Zaslow. Then, they went ahead 3-1 in the sixth on a Langston McDonald double to centerfield, bringing home Wu from first.

Then, they got some insurance in the top of the seventh, when three straight batters reached via error. Varneckas hit a ground ball to first that got booted. Pinch hitter Vivaan Gandhi reached on an error by the shortstop, and Wong reached on an error by the third baseman. After Andrew Crowley struck out, Wu hit a ground ball to shortstop that resulted in another error and brought in Wong and Ghandi to make it 5-1.

Notre Dame would threaten in the home half, getting a single, ground out and single before Swietek drove in another run with a single, but reliever Michael Cardona got a fly out and pop out for the final two outs of the game to seal the deal.

Starter Zach Zaslow got the win, scattering eight hits over five innings, striking out three and walking just one.

Next up, the Big Blue visit second-seed St. Augustine (19-7) at 4 pm Thursday in the sectional quarterfinals.

Click below to hear Pingry head coach Anthony Feltre talk about the win with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

(6) St. John Vianney 10, (11) St. Joseph-Metuchen 7: The Lancers built up a 4-0 lead over the first three innings before the Falcons got two in the top of the fourth on an RBI single by Walter Christian and a passed ball that allowed John Boyke to score. But St. John Vianney got five back in the bottom of the inning to take a 9-2 lead.

St. Joe’s would chip away, though. They got one in the fifth on a sac fly by Luke Baranauskas, but give it right back in the bottom on a home run and trailed 10-3 heading into the sixth. Nick Yacykewych then hit a two-out, two-run homer in the top of the sixth to get it back to 10-5, then scored two more to cut it to 10-7 in the seventh, on a Boyke two-RBI double. But that was as close as they get.

St. Joseph finishes its season at 6-17.

Other results…

(8) Paul 6 4, (9) Donovan Catholic 1
(5) Christian Brothers 8, (12) Camden Catholic 1

NON-PUBLIC NORTH B

(10) Pope John 4, (7) Gill St. Bernard’s 1: The Lions scored twice in the top of the seventh inning to keep the Knights at bay in pulling off the upset. Pope John got a run in the first and another in the fourth to take a 2-0 lead before Gill scored in the bottom of the inning on a Niko West leadoff home run to left. But that was all they would get, as Pope John’s Patrick Black went 6 2/3, allowing just five hits, striking out eleven. And they added two insurance runs in the top of the seventh on a single and a sac fly.

Joey Fava started for Gill St. Bernard’s and allowed just three hits and two unearned runs through five innings of work, striking out six. West pitched the final two innings, allowing one unearned run on three hits, as the Knights’ season ends at 9-12.

Other scores…

(8) Montclair-Kimberley 5, (9) Hawthorne Christian/Eastern Christian Co-Op 1

UPCOMING NON-PUBLIC SCHEDULE:

Thursday, May 27

Non-Public South A:
(8) Montclair-Kimberley at (1) St. Mary-Rutherford
(5) Morristown-Beard at (4) Newark Academy
(6) Morris Catholic at (3) St. Thomas Aquinas
(10) Pope John at (2) Rutgers Prep, 4 pm

Non-Public North B:
(8) Paul VI at (1) Immaculata (at Diamond Nation, Flemington)
(5) Christian Brothers at (4) Union Catholic
(6) St. John Vianney at (3) Red Bank Catholic
(10) Pingry at (2) St. Augustine, 4 pm

May 26, 2026May 25, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

State Tournament Schedule: Here’s how the final few weeks of the high school baseball season in New Jersey will play out

Sure, the Greater Middlesex Conference hasn’t crowned its postseason tournament champion yet, beset by rain all Memorial Day weekend, but it’s time for the NJSIAA State Tournament.

The third season begins today across New Jersey with non-public first round games, while public schools start tomorrow, on Wednesday.

Here’s the schedule for the next three weeks, all the way through the state championship games, which will be held at Rutgers University’s Bainton Field in Piscataway this year.

Non-Public Sectionals (all games at higher seeds):

Tuesday, May 26: First Round
Thursday, May 28: Quarterfinals
Tuesday, June 2: Semifinals
Thursday, June 4: Finals

Public Sectionals (all games at higher seeds):

Wednesday, May 27: First Round
Friday, May 29: Quarterfinals
Wednesday, June 3: Semifinals
Friday, May 5: Finals

State Tournament:

Monday, June 8: Public State Semifinals (hosted by the higher power point team, all at 4 pm)
Wednesday, June 10: Non-Public State Finals (at Bainton Field, Rutgers)
Sunday, June 14: Non-Public State Finals (at Bainton Field, Rutgers)

May 25, 2026May 27, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

State Playoff Preview: Top-seeds Old Bridge, Middlesex among 19 area teams opening state tourney play in Central Jersey sections

Hard to believe, but it’s already state tournament time in high school baseball.

The county tournaments are (mostly) done – with the GMC still to be decided this coming Saturday after rain throughout Memorial Day weekend – and everyone is set to begin sectional play in the NJSIAA tournament.

Today, we continue a look at each and every matchup involving Central Jersey Sports Radio teams with the 19 qualifiers in three Central Jersey sections, Groups 1, 2 and 4. You can catch our Non-Public preview, which dropped Sunday, here. Previews for North Jersey, Section 2, Groups 2, 3 and 4 will drop on Tuesday.

CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 4:

(16) East Brunswick (7-15) at (1) Old Bridge (18-8), 5 pm Wednesday: Throw out the records; no game is an easy one when it’s a pair of GMC Red Division teams going at it, as they are in this one. While the Bears were just 5-9 in the division this year, these two teams split a pair, with Old Bridge winning the opener of their two-game set, 11-10 on April 14th, but the Bears coming back for a 10-4 win on April 27th. But since then, Old Bridge – which was just 6-7 after that loss, has reeled off 12 wins in its last 13 games, and ten straight since a 9-0 loss to Immaculata on May 2. And East Brunswick has been going the opposite direction during that span. Prior to an 8-5 win at Hamilton West Friday, the Bears had lost eight in a row. The Knights have made deep runs here the last few years, falling to Hillsborough in the title game last year, to Monroe in the semis in 2024, and winning the title in 2023, going all the way to the state Group 4 final, eventually falling to Ridgewood. It’ll be interesting to watch who gets the start here, and – if they win – in Friday’s quarterfinals, with the GMC title game against Monroe looming Saturday afternoon.

(9) South Brunswick (12-11) at (8) Freehold Twp (13-12), 4 pm Wednesday: The Vikings are having a solid bounceback year under first-year but veteran head coach Lou Urbano, and will play the Patriots in the first round for the second time in three years; they beat Freehold Twp. 1-0 in 2024. Senior Collin Perna has been solid all year, 7-3 with a 1.69 ERA and 65 strikeouts on the season, while he also leads the team on offense, hitting .485 with 14 RBIs and a home run. Junior Jack Whitlock also is tearing rhe cover off the ball, hitting .451. The Patriots are a lighter-hitting team, batting just .238 as a group, but they’ve only scored 15 fewer runs (130 to 115) than the Vikings. There are no common opponents between the two this season.

(12) Montgomery (9-17) at (5) Monroe (13-13), 4 pm Wednesday: This will be the first meeting between the teams since 2017, and with only two since 2011, the teams split them. So there’s not much recent history to look at here. The Falcons started hot (4-0), then had a few rough patches during the season, but with three wins in the GMC Championship Tournament, they’ve won five of their last six – and still have the final this Friday. Much like Old Bridge, it’ll be interesting to see who Monroe throws here, and who they save for Saturday, if anyone. Top starter Ben Faigin – a Rutgers commit – also is the leading Falcon hitter, at .507 with 17 RBIs and two of the team’s three home runs. The Cougars come in on a six-game skid, with their last win coming via an 11-4 score over Gill St. Bernard’s in the SCT’s second round on May 11. As the lower seed and underdog, they are more likely to go with their best pitcher in this one, most likely senior Jake Hayes, who’s 4-3 with a 3.08 ERA.

(13) Sayreville (11-14) at (4) Hightstown (16-7), 4 pm Wednesday: These two have only played once int he last 15 years: two seasons ago, when the Bombers beat Hightstown, 4-3, in the opening round of the playoffs. Sayreville has lost two straight coming in, dropping an 8-4 decision at Woodbridge back on Wednesday, and taking a 9-8 loss at Old Bridge Friday on the Knights’ senior night, while the Rams have dropped two of their last three. Sayreville will have to deal with a potent lineup hitting .337 on the year, almost 100 points higher than the Bombers, who are led by junior Will Lukie hitting .333, the only player with more than ten at bats hitting over the .300 mark. Meanwhile, Hightstown junior Brian Drews is hitting .421 with 20 RBI, while senior Dylan Stables is hitting .405 with a team-best 28 runs batted in. The question is, will the Rams throw their best arm – senior Anthony Benitez at 6-2, with a 0.68 ERA – or hold him for the quarterfinals to line him up for a possible finals appearance?

(10) Hillsborough (11-10) at (7) Jackson (10-15), POSTPONED to 2 pm Thursday: The Jaguars are the higher seed here, but are five games under .500. In fact, they were just 6-15 two weeks ago, winning three straight before the cutoff to make a run in the standings in Central 4, and have won four straight overall. The Raiders, meanwhile, have won five of their last six, and two straight following a quarterfinal exit in the Somerset County Tournament at the hands of Ridge. This being the first year of the merged Jackson Twp. High School, the two have never met as currently constituted, but Hillsborough lost to Jackson Memorial in the CJ4 quarters in 2015. The Raiders are led offensively by Elijah Dawes (.393, 17 RBI) and Gavin Glazewski (.315, 12 RBI). Matt Mosko has a few options to start this one as Hillsborough looks to defend its sectional title from a year ago. The last team to repeat was Hunterdon Central, winning three straight from 2016 through 2018. Jackson has three players hitting close to .400 on the year, but they’ve allowed more runs than ‘Boro, which plays in a tremendously difficult division – the Skyland Delaware – where runs are a plenty, so much so that last-place Bridgewater-Raritan has scored more runs than anyone else in the group.

(15) Franklin (7-11) at (2) Edison (19-7), 4 pm Wednesday: The only meeting between these two in the last 15 years came last season, a 4-2 Edison win in the CJ4 quarterfinals, with Dom Innocenti getting the win in relief of Connor Muprhy. And while Murphy has been outstanding all year long, Innocenti has not pitched since April 23rd, and Roma – who had not thrown more than 44 pitches or three innings in a game since the season opener on March 31 – got shelled for three hits (a single and two doubles), allowing two earned runs in facing just four batters in what turned out to be a 9-1 loss in the GMC Tournament quarterfinals to Monroe, which will play for the championship this weekend. Can Roma – who has been banged up – go again? Or will the Eagles have to rely on Murphy in Game One and piece it together with the rest of the staff in the quarterfinals – or vice versa, considering Edison should be a heavy favorite? Though hitting a respectable .288, our of Edison’s seven losses, three have been shutouts, and they only scored one run in a fourth. So, regardless who pitches the opener, the bats will need to take care of their end of the bargain, too. The Warriors, meanwhile, have lost four of their last five, the only win in that stretch an 11-6 victory last Saturday over Pingry. They have a team ERA a shade over five, but also are a better-hitting team than Edison, at .325, led by freshman Mason Bonds (.426, 17 RBI, 1 HR) and junior Dyland Roche (.423, 8 RBI, 1 HR).

CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 2:

(9) Spotswood (14-12) at (8) Allentown (18-8), 4 pm Wednesday: It’s been an up-and-down season for the Chargers, who started the season 0-4, then had a four-game win streak in mid-April. But they head into the state tournament as winners of five of their last six games, the only defeat coming in the first round of the Jim Muldowney GMC Tournament, a 3-0 loss to Metuchen. Here, they get Allentown, which has won 12 of its last 14 since a three-game losing streak in the middle of April. The Chargers are led offensively by senior Gavin romeo, hitting .324 with 14 runs batted in, but overall, Spotswood his hitting just .233, while the Redbirds are hitting .312 and have a solid pitching staff with a 2.52 earned run average, and four on the staff who’ve thrown at least 20 innings with an ERA under three. This is quite the challenge for Spotswood in an 8/9 game.

(11) Robbinsville (17-7) at (6) South River (17-9), 4 pm Wednesday: These two haven’t met in at least the last 15 years, so there’s no recent history between the clubs. The Rams stumbled a little after a first round loss to Middlesex, 12-2, in the GMC Tournament, dropping their next three straight to South Brunswick, Spotswood and Sayreville, before beating Monmouth last Thursday in a tune-up, 8-4. But overall, they’ve been good, and it’s a new season. Mike Lepore, Jr., has two solid starters he can go with here – and in the quarters, if they get there – in Julien Borusovic (5-4, 2.21 ERA) and Hunter Krainski (5-2, 2.55 ERA). And the two are among the team’s best hitters, too, with Burusevic hitting .397 with 24 RBIs and Krainski .403 with 26 RBIs and 2 HR. The Ravens are hitting about .50 points better as a team, .333, led by senior Tyler Bunnell (.456, 21 RBI), who is committed to Pitt, and also the all-time leading scorer in boys’ basketball history at Robbinsville.

CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 1:

(16) Highland Park (5-16) at (1) Middlesex (20-4), 4 pm Wednesday: While we don’t pick games, this one should go to the Blue Jays, who have been tremendous all year, and are the defending Group 1 state champions, with a ton of players back, most importantly their two ace starters, Dominic Long and Chris Kozak. Whoever second-year head coach Blaze Iannetti goes with, just take your pick: They are a combined 12-2, with Long pitching to a 1.87 ERA and Kozak to a 1.13 ERA. Inf act, of the six pitchers who have seen action this year, none has an ERA over 2.94 (sophomore Devin Jackson, in 16 2/3 innings pitched over six appearances). They’re hitting .303 as a team, and do all the small things right. The Owls, meanwhile, have lost eleven of their last dozen games, and six straight overall, which include three shutouts, and a pair of 5-1 losses.

(12) Manville (0-13) at (5) Shore (17-8), 4 pm Wednesday: The Blue Devils are always one of those really tough, battle-tested Shore Conference teams, but they have bookended their season so far with losses. They started 0-4 and have lost three straight heading into the states, which makes them 17-1 in the stretch in between. Shore has won the last three in the series, but those were in 2018, 2021 and 2022 and have little bearing here. The Mustangs also have lost three straight coming in, to Morris Tech, at Lenape Valley and at JP Stevens. Seniors Brandon Shimp and Josh D’Ambrosio each pace the offense, hitting .338, but the lineup is a bit top-heavy, batting .260 overall, though Shore isn’t much higher, at .288 on the season. Manville, however, has scored more runs, and in fewer games. Shore has a slight edge in the pitching department overall, though Manville has two – Shimp and fellow senior Evan Canica – who’ve thrown well over 40 innings, and have ERAs of 1.04 and 1.84, respectively. If the bats can take care of business, the Mustangs might be primed to pull an upset.

(13) Somerset Tech (11-9) at (4) Metuchen (18-7), 4 pm Wednesday: This may very well be their first meeting ever, but at least since 2011; Tech only joined the GMC in the last few years. The Bulldogs are the second-place team in the White Division, but come in off a loss to Gold Division champion Piscataway Magnet, which is having a program season for the ages at 23-3. And Metuchen hung in with South Plainfield in a 7-6 loss in the GMC Tournament quarterfinals; the Bulldogs have wins in 14 of their last 17 games after starting the year 4-4. With three solid pitchers in Matt Jelleme and Lucas Malamung (seniors) and sophomore James Fenton, Metuchen has the arms for a run, and his hitting .313 as a team as well, led by Jelleme at .429, with 14 RBIs and one home run, while Fenton has hit four, and is batting .383 with 23 RBI. Tech is hitting .300 as a team, and would likely throw their best, junior Nate White (2-1, 1.89 ERA).

(14) South Amboy (9-10) at (3) Point Pleasant Beach (14-6), 4 pm Wednesday: The Garnet Gulls – a finalist last year after wining three straight from 2022 to 2024 – have won the last two meetings with the Governors, the most recent coming last year, a 12-2 decision in the CJ1 quarterfinals. After starting 2-0, and winning five straight in mid-April, Amboy has only gone 2-8 in its last ten games, including two straight overall, an 11-5 loss at eventual GMC Invitational champ Piscataway in the quarterfinals, and 10-0 at Colonia in a regular season game two Fridays ago; the Guvs haven’t played since that May 15th contest. With a team ERA of nearly six, can the bats compensate? They have some big hitters, including Robert Senape (.459, 21 RBI), Micah Nemeth (.455, 23 RBI) – both juniors – and senior Joseph Foreman (.424, 19 RBI). The Gulls have only used five pitchers all year, but they have two starters – Tommy Conroy and Thomas Slobiski – with ERAs under two.

(11) Florence (5-14) at (6) Dunellen (18-7), 4 pm Wednesday: The Destroyers are coming off a 3-0 loss to Piscataway in last Friday’s Ray Cipperly GMC Invitational Final, but had won five of six heading into that matchup, including a four-hour marathon in the semis, 22-17 over Perth Amboy. And in those five games, they scored 64 runs. But their last two losses have been via shutout. But here’s a stat for you: they’re averaging six walks a game while also hitting .341 on the season, led by Juan Luis Rodriguez, hitting .429 with 18 RBI and a triple, while senior Michael Dow is batting .400 with 20 runs batted in and a triple. The Flashes, meanwhile, have won three of their last four, and were just 2-13 ten days before the cutoff. Dunellen has the tools to get this one done.

(15) Henry Hudson (8-10) at (2) Piscataway Magnet (23-3), 4 pm Wednesday: These two teams have played three times since COVID, with the Admirals taking a 2022 decision, but the Raiders winning in 2023 and a matchup earlier this season, 9-1, on April 11th. Magnet started the year 18-0 before a 6-4 loss to North Plainfield, and just won the NJTAC Tournament for tech schools in Groups 1 and 2 on Friday, beating Morris Tech 23-3. The Raiders are hitting .343 as a team, led by Colton Lyerly (.429, 23 RBI, 2 triples) and Kyle Malchiodi (.417m 32 RBI, 2 HR). Those two are also their two top starters, and whoever gets the nod here is probably irrelevant; the Raiders should win this one.

May 25, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Watchung Hills’ win in SCT propels Hustlin’ Warriors to top spot in Bellamy & Son Paving Baseball Top Ten

With a new champions of Somerset County baseball comes a new team atop the Bellamy & Son Paving rankings for Week 8: Watchung Hills.

The Warriors displaced No. 1 Immaculata after a 1-0 win over the Spartans in eight innings in the Somerset County Tournament final Friday night, getting the game-winning hit from Stef DeGeronimo, and a three-hit, complete game shutout from starting pitcher Lucas Sheehan, the first sophomore to earn a win in the SCT title game since Casey Cahill of Immaculata did it in 1998.

With that win, and Monday’s semifinal victory over Bridgewater-Raritan, Watchung Hills (15-7) moves up two spots this week to No. 1. They will play a regular-season game at Millburn Tuesday afternoon before opening the state playoffs as a No. 3 seed in North 2, Group 4 first round action at home Wednesday against 14-seed Elizabeth.

Holding in second is Old Bridge (18-8), which only played one game last week, beating Sayreville 9-8 at Fred Cole Field Friday on senior night. The top-seed in Central Jersey Group 4, the Knights will open the playoffs against 16-seed East Brunswick on Wednesday. Should they win, they’ll play a sectional quarterfinal game at home Friday before Saturday’s rescheduled Jim Muldowney GMC Tournament Championship Game against Monroe. You can hear that game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio – or watch it live on our YouTube channel – with first pitch scheduled for noon.

Immaculata (20-5) falls to third, going 2-1 in the past week. Between their 7-6 win over Bridgewater-Raritan in the SCT semifinals Monday and their loss in Friday’s championship, they beat West Morris in a regular season game, 1-0, on Friday afternoon. The Spartans are the No. 1 seed in the state tournament’s Non-Public South A section, and will open play on Thursday in the quarterfinals against either nine-seed Donovan Catholic or eight-seed Paul VI.

Ridge (15-9) once again checks in at No. 4. After their 4-2 loss to eventual SCT champion Watchung Hills in the semifinals on Monday, the Red Devils rebounded with a 7-0 win over Madison on Saturday. They’ll open state tournament play on Wednesday as the No. 1 seed in North 2, Group 4, hosting 16-seed Barringer.

Holding at five is Middlesex (20-4), which lost its only game this week, a Tuesday non-conference loss to North Hunterdon, 4-2. They have one more regular season game to play – Tuesday at South Plainfield – before opening state tournament action as the top-seed in Central Jersey Group 1 on Wednesday afternoon against 16-seed Highland Park.

Up one spot to No. 6 is Monroe (13-13), which split a pair of games last week, falling 16-4 to Robbinsville on Monday before coming back to beat South Brunswick, 6-4, on Wednesday. The Falcons will open the state playoffs as the five-seed in Central Jersey Group 4, hosting 12-seed Montgomery in the opening round Wednesday. Should they win, they will get a sectional quarterfinal game on Friday before playing Old Bridge for the Jim Muldowney GMC Tournament Championship Saturday afternoon. You can hear that game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio – or watch it live on our YouTube channel – with first pitch scheduled for 12 pm.

Down one spot to seven is Edison (19-7), which went 2-1 last week after falling the week prior in the GMC Tournament semifinals to Monroe. The Eagles were 9-1 winners over Somerville Tuesday, and 9-0 victors over Carteret on Wednesday – both at home – before losing, 4-0, to Hunterdon Central on Thursday. Wednesday, they open play as the two-seed in Central Jersey Group 4, hosting 15th-seed Franklin.

Up one spot to eight is South Plainfield (13-13), which was idle last week. The Tigers will open state tournament play as the four-seed in North 2, Group 3 in Wednesday, hosting 13-seed and conference mate JFK.

Rutgers Prep (3-1) is down a spot to nine. They beat Dayton 8-7 Monday, then lost 16-10 in a slugfest to Princeton Day on Tuesday in the Prep B Semifinals. They rebounded with a 5-3 win over Pingry on Thursday and an 11-0 win over Phillipsburg on Friday.

And Colonia (14-9) holds at ten after a 2-2 week. They opened with a 5-0 loss to Woodbridge on Monday, then lost Wednesday, 9-2, at Scotch Plains-Fanwood. But they came back with a 4-1 win at Ferris on Thursday, and beat Dayton 6-3 on Saturday. Wednesday, they open play in the North 2, Group 3 section of the state playoffs as the eight-seed, entertaining nine-seed Middletown North.

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

May 24, 2026May 24, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

By The Numbers: A look back at the 2026 Somerset County Tournament Final, and a historic win for Lucas Sheehan

The 52nd annual Somerset County Tournament is in the books, and the trophy goes to second-seed Watchung Hills, which beat top-seed and defending champion Immaculata 1-0 to win its sixth title overall, tying the Warriors with Hillsborough for third-place all-time.

Here’s a closer look at some notes and nuggets following the 2026 SCT final.

Historic win for Sheehan: Watchung Hills head coach Joseph Tremarco had already used his No. 1 and most veteran pitcher, Robbie Centamore, in the Somerset County Tournament semifinals on Monday, in a 4-2 win over Ridge. Even with the finals delayed two days by thunderstorms in the forecast Wednesday – which came to fruition quickly, but with much wind and rain – the 109 pitches he threw kept him from being available Friday.

And during the week, at least in his comments to Central Jersey Sports Radio, Tremarco had not decided whether he’d got with junior Nick Minnetti (3-2, 3.82 ERA) or the younger Lucas Sheehan, a sophomore who was 5-2 at the time, but with an ERA of 5.96. But it’s more than about stats with veteran coaches like Tremarco. There’s also the feel, and the intangibles.

So, he went with Sheehan, and the decision worked to near-perfection.

Sheehan scattered three hits and went the distance in a complete-game, eight-inning effort, outdueling Wake Forest-bound Immaculata senior Ryan Auten, who allowed just six hits and one earned run, striking out 15 in 7 2/3 innings, only coming out at 111 pitches, as mandated by NJSIAA rule.

And with the win, Sheehan did something that hadn’t been done in nearly 30 years – earn a win as a sophomore in the Somerset County Tournament final.

Ironically, the last one to do it was Immaculata star Casey Cahill, who got the win in the 1998 final, a 3-2 win over Bridgewater-Raritan. He’d pick up another as a junior in 1999, in an 8-0 win over Hillsborough, and do it again in 2000, his senior year, in a 2-0 victory over Ridge. To this day, he remains the only pitcher to pick up wins in three Somerset County Tournament finals.

Nearly a win in every decade: With Watchung Hills winning its sixth Somerset County Tournament title, the Warriors have nearly won in every decade in which the tournament has been played, and in more decades – four – than any other team, along with Imaculata.

The inaugural game came in 1973, with Bridgewater-Raritan East edging Hillsborough, 1-0. Two years later, Watchung Hills took the 1975 title, beating Hillsborough 6-4.

In 1982 and 1983, the Warriors went back-to-back. First, they beat Bridgewater-Raritan West 15-0 – the first mercy-rule win in the SCT finals – then they came back and beat Hillsborough the following year, 2-0.

They also picked up a title in 1993, knocking off top-seed Immaculata 5-4, then had a 16-year drought until Watchung Hills beat Montgomery, 4-0 for the 2009 title.

The only decade they didn’t win a title in was the 2010s, though they made the finals twice in that span, losing in 2015 to Hillsborough and 2016 to Montgomery.

*Immaculata and Watchung Hills stand for the National Anthem before the 2026 Somerset County Tournament Final at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater on May 22, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)*

No school – not even Immaculata, with its 15 titles, an SCT record – has won in all six decades. The Spartans failed to even reach the finals from 1973 to 1979, making their first title game in 1981, but never winning one until 1991. Immaculata dominated the decade from 2000 to 2009, winning all but three titles in that span, with the only other winners being Watchung Hills, Hillsborough (won in the 1970s, 2000s, and 2010s) and Montgomery (won in the 2000s and 2010s).

Immaculata has won it in the last four decades, in the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and the current decade.

Top Seed vs. Two-Seed Upsets? Each of the last two seasons, the top-seed has lost to the second seed int he SCT final. Immaculata did it last year, edging top-seed Ridge 3-0, before Watchung Hills turned the tables this year as the second-seed, beating the No. 1-seeded Spartans.

It’s also the third time in the last five SCT finals (since COVID) that the lower-seeded team won the championship.

1-0 Wins and Shutouts: The Watchung Hills win was just the fifth 1-0 win in the SCT finals, and only the third in the last 52 years. The first two title games were 1-0 affairs, with Bridgewater-Raritan East beating Hillsborough, 1-0, in the inaugural tournament in 1973, and Somerville defeating North Plainfield, 1-0, in the 1974 final.

Other 1-0 wins in the SCT finals include:

2004: (3) Immaculata over (1) Hillsborough
2023: (12) Rutgers Prep over (2) Ridge

The victory also was the 17th shutout in SCT finals history. Four of the last five have been decided via shutout, with the only exception being a 10-7 win for top-seed Bridgewater-Raritan over third-seed Ridge in 2024, the year the Panthers swept the division, SCT, North 2 Group 4, and state Group 4 championships en route to a 30-3 season, one of the most dominant in Somerset County in recent memory.

SOMERSET COUNTY TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY:

1973 Bridgewater-Raritan East def. Hillsborough, 1-0
1974 Somerville def. North Plainfield, 1-0
1975 Watchung Hills def. Hillsborough, 6-4
1976 Ridge def. Watchung Hills, 4-3 (10 inn.)
1977 Hillsborough def. North Plainfield, 5-0
1978 Bridgewater-Raritan East def. Hillsborough, 9-2
1979 Hillsborough def. Ridge, 2-0
1980 Ridge, def. Franklin, 7-1
1981 Manville def. Immaculata, 4-1
1982 Watchung Hills def. Bridgewater-Raritan West, 15-0
1983 Watchung Hills def. Hillsborough, 2-0
1984 Ridge def. Immaculata, 2-0
1985 (2) Ridge def. (1) Immaculata, 5-0
1986 Bernards def. Somerville, 14-10
1987 Somerville def. Ridge, 2-1
1988 (6) Bridgewater-Raritan West def. (1) Ridge, 3-1
1989 (1) Ridge def. Bridgewater-Raritan West, 5-4
1990 (7) Bridgewater-Raritan East def. (4) Somerville, 9-1
1991 (1) Immaculata def. North Plainfield, 11-3
1992 (2) Somerville def. (1) Watchung Hills, 9-2
1993 (3) Watchung Hills def. (1) Immaculata, 5-4
1994 (3) Immaculata, def. (1) Watchung Hills, 5-2
1995 (1) Somerville def. (3) Ridge, 7-6
1996 (6) Bridgewater-Raritan def. (1) Immaculata, 7-5
1997 (2) Immaculata def. (1) Bridgewater-Raritan, 2-0
1998 (3) Immaculata def. (1) Bridgewater-Raritan, 3-2
1999 (1) Immaculata def. (6) Hillsborough, 8-0
2000 (1) Immaculata def. (2) Ridge, 2-0
2001 (2) Immaculata def. (5) Montgomery, 6-1
2002 (1) Immaculata def. (2) Ridge, 10-0
2003 (3) Montgomery def. (8) Pingry, 5-4
2004 (3) Immaculata def. (1) Hillsborough, 1-0
2005 (2) Hillsborough, def. (1) Immaculata 5-1
2006 (1) Immaculata def. (7) Pingry, 8-0
2007 (1) Immaculata def. (3) Hillsborough, 12-11 (10 inn.)
2008 (1) Immaculata def. (2) Hillsborough, 9-1
2009 (2) Watchung Hills def. (9) Montgomery 4-0
2010 (2) Montgomery def. (1) Immaculata, 13-3 (5 inn.)
2011 (8) Ridge def. (3) Hillsborough, 4-3 (8 inn.)
2012 (4) Hillsborough def. (7) Bridgewater-Raritan, 4-3 (12 inn.)
2013 (6) Bernards def, (5) Immaculata, 6-5
2014 (4) Hillsborough def. (2) Ridge, 4-3 (9 inn.)
2015 (6) Hillsborough def. (9) Watchung Hills, 3-1
2016 (1) Montgomery def. (6) Watchung Hills, 2-1
2017 (10) Rutgers Prep def. (1) Montgomery, 7-2
2018 (3) Immaculata def. (9) Montgomery, 6-5
2019 (2) Immaculata def. (5) Ridge, 6-5 (12 inn.)
2020 & 2021 NO TOURNAMENT
2022 (1) Ridge def. (6) Rutgers Prep, 6-0
2023 (12) Rutgers Prep def. (2) Ridge, 1-0
2024 (1) Bridgewater-Raritan def. (3) Ridge, 10-7
2025 (2) Immaculata def. (1) Ridge, 3-0
2026 (2) Watchung Hills def. (1) Immaculata, 1-0 (8 inn.)

May 24, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

State Playoff Preview: St. Joseph-Metuchen, Pingry, Gill to open NJSIAA play Tuesday

Hard to believe, but it’s already state tournament time in high school baseball.

Over the next three days, we’ll take a look at each and every matchup involving Central Jersey Sports Radio teams, starting with the non-public schools, which open play on Tuesday, save for those that have first round byes and are awaiting their first opponent, including Immaculata and Rutgers Prep. St. Thomas Aquinas has a bye, bit already has their opponent determined.

We’ll have a look at Central Jersey Groups 1, 2 and 4 on Monday, and North Jersey, Section 2, Groups 2, 3 and 4 on Tuesday.

NON-PUBLIC NORTH B:

(10) Pope John (4-18) at (7) Gill St. Bernard’s (9-11), 4 pm Tuesday: Though Pope John has taken the last three meetings – with wins in 2019, 2021, and 2024 – that most recent win over Gill is far enough back not to matter. The Lions play a very difficult schedule, including four losses to the two teams that squared off in the Morris County Tournament final, with Mount Olive (now No. 13 in the state) knocking off the statewide No. 1 – and they still are – Delbarton. Both teams are hitting about the same, hovering around the .270 mark, but Pope John has given up more runs, with a team ERA of 7.35, while the Knights are under five. Junior Gavin Bucceri leads the team in hitting, at .379, while senior Jack Markovich is hitting .297 with three home runs. The teams have one common opponent in Pingry; Gill swept them in mid-April, getting a 13-2 and a12-8 win, while Pope John beat the Big Blue a month later, 11-7. The winner will head to Somerset to take on second-seed Rutgers Prep (16-6) in the sectional quarterfinals.

Quarterfinals: (6) Morris Catholic (13-10) at (3) St. Thomas Aquinas (12-14), Thursday (TBA): Just about any team that comes out of the GMC Red Division is probably stronger than their record would indicate. After all, look who’s in the GMC Tournament final: the second and fifth-place teams. And both Old Bridge and Monroe are quite deserving. In fact, their strength of schedule almost certainly was a factor in how high the Trojans were seeded. This will be the first meeting between the teams going back at least to 2008, the last year for which records are publicly available online. They do, however, have one common opponent. St. Thomas lost at home to Montville last Saturday, 12-4, while Morris Catholic beat them two weeks earlier, 8-6. But the Crusaders also lost a preliminary round Morris County Tournament game to a near-.500 Morris Hills team, 9-1, while Aquinas made it to the GMC Quarterfinals, beating South Brunswick 3-2 to get there, then falling to second-seed Middlesex, 3-0. With an up-and-down lineup led by Louis Rizzolo, hitting .373 and a couple others over .300, the Trojans likely look to Rizzolo on the mound in the opener: he’s 6-0 with a 0.98 ERA. A first round bye here means a lot, with Rizzolo starting a quarterfinal game, that would also line him up for a potential title game start.

(2) Rutgers Prep (16-6): The Argonauts have a first-round bye, and will open play Thursday against either seven-seed Gill St. Bernard’s or 10-seed Pope John.

NON-PUBLIC SOUTH A:

(11) St. Joseph-Metuchen (6-16) at (6) St. John Vianney (15-9), 3:45 pm Tuesday: It’s been a challenging season for the defending GMC Tournament Champion Falcons, to say the least. While they graduated a bunch, there’s still talent – and many league coaches will attest to this – but there’s also inexperience. Of their five wins, two came in a back-to-back sweep of East Brunswick in early April, then later in the month they put together a three-game win streak, with victories over Toms River East in the Autism Awareness Challenge, Woodbridge and St. Thomas Aquinas. The followed that up with an eight-game skid – though five of those games were decided by either one or two runs – before beating Freehold Boro, 11-1, to come into the state tournament on a positive note. Also on the plus side, Luke Baranauskas has been back in the lineup for a few games now, after missing the bulk of April; he’s the team’s top regular, hitting .409, while Logan Ring is hitting .352 with 17 RBIs, and Luke Palermo is right behind him with 16 – and it’s no surprise those are key returnees from last season, though they’re still only juniors. Regardless, beating Vianney will be a tough task, especially on the road, with a pitching staff allowing over five earned runs a game. This will be their first meeting since at least 2008. The winner got to third-seed Red Bank Catholic (17-7) Thursday in the quarterfinals; the Caseys have a first-round bye.

(10) Pingry (10-4) at (7) Notre Dame (13-10), 4 pm Tuesday: This will be the first meeting between the teams since 2016, so there’s no recent history here, either. Common opponent advantage goes to the Irish, who beat Gill St. Bernard’s 6-1 in the Autism Awareness Challenge, while the Big Blue were swept by Gill, 13-2 and 12-8, the week prior. Pingry has lost four of five coming in, with defeats at the hands of Pope John, Franklin, Hillsborough and Rutgers Prep, but they are coming in off a 6-4 victory over Oratory Prep, which is 10-4 just like Pingry. The Big Blue is hitting close to .300 (.299), with junior Langston McDonald (.380, 12 RBI) leading the way, while sophomore Andrew Crowley has a team-high 18 runs batted in, while hitting .338 on the year. Nearly every Pingry team has a tendency to be pesky and give opponents fits, and expect little different here in what could be a toss-up. The winner will take a long drive on Thursday to play in the quarterfinals at second-seed St. Augustine (19-6, #12 in NJ), which has a first-round bye.

(1) Immaculata (20-5): The Spartans – coming off a 1-0 loss in eight innings to Watchung Hills in the Somerset County Tournament final Friday afternoon – have a first-round bye and will open play Thursday at Diamond Nation in Flemington against either eight-seed Donovan Catholic (6-15) or nine-seed Paul VI (9-13).

May 23, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – Somerset County Tournament Final: (2) Watchung Hills 1, (1) Immaculata 0 (8 inn.)

Second-seed Watchung Hills got a run in the top of the eighth and a complete game, three-hit shutout – all the way into extras – by sophomore Lucas Sheehan to beat top-seed and defending champion Immaculata, 1-0, in the 52nd Somerset County Tournament championship game.

It was the sixth title overall for the Hustlin’ Warriors, and first for head coach Joe Tremarco, now in his 11th season and 12th year as head coach.

Top-seed and defending Somerset County Tournament champion Immaculata rallied with three runs in the sixth to beat fifth-seed Bridgewater-Raritan, 7-6, in the SCT semifinals, sending the Spartans to the title game where they will try to become the first team to repeat since they did it in 2018 and 2019.

READ THE FULL GAME STORY HERE!

Click below to watch the full game as Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel call all the play-by-play live from TD Bank Park in Bridgewater on May 22, 2026.