Tag: baseball

June 5, 2021June 5, 2021 by Mike Pavlichko

Carvelli and Gialluisi look to bring home their first hardware for St. Joe’s

St. Joseph of Metuchen will play for its seventh GMC Tournament title this Sunday when the 2nd-seeded Falcons take on 5th-seed South Brunswick Sunday at East Brunswick Tech.

But it’ll be the first opportunity for sophomores Robbie Carvelli and Mark Gialluisi to put another piece in the trophy case.

Carvelli – the Falcons’ centerfielder – is 5-for-8 in the tournament so far, batting .625 over three games against Old Bridge, Spotswood, and Edison, knocking in four runs, not counting the run that came in on a 4-6-3 double play he grounded into in the third inning of the semifinals against the Eagles.

Gialluisi has been given the keys by head coach Mike Murray to deal with a pitching staff that has had three solid starters, at various stages of their high school careers.

There’s senior Colin Leyner, who hasn’t allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings in the tournament, in two appearances, including a token inning in a mercy rule win against the Chargers.

There’s sophomore Jimmy Mulvaney, who got the win against the Chargers.

And then there’s Junior Andrew Goldan, who will get the start for the 2nd-seeded Falcons Sunday against 5th-seed South Brunswick at Ray Cipperly Field in the GMC title game, which can be heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio, presented by Bellamy & Son Paving.

Click here to listen to Sunday’s game, with coverage beginning at 11:15 am and first pitch scheduled for 12 noon. Mike Pavlichko and Dom Savino will call all the action.

Goldan has just been lights out this season, after missing some time early due to tendinitis issues.

Against Edison in the semifinals, he held the Eagles in check, allowing just three hits – though one was a homer by shortstop Walker Zampella – and one run, striking out six in six innings of work in a 3-1 win.

Click below to hear Carvelli and Gialluisi talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

St. Joseph sophomore CF Robbie Carvelli

St. Joseph sophomore C Mark Gialluisi

June 5, 2021June 5, 2021 by Mike Pavlichko

Lauri’s having fun on South Brunswick’s run to GMC finals

It’s a theme repeated on high school baseball – and softball – fields throughout the country this Spring, right down to Rowland Park in South Brunswick.

That’s where the Vikings practiced Friday afternoon – just wrapping up before the skies opened up in Biblical proportions – as they get set for Sunday.

That’s when 5th-seeded South Brunswick will face 2nd-seed St. Joseph Metuchen in the GMC Tournament Finals, presented by Bellamy & Son Paving on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Game time is at noon, with coverage beginning at 11:15 am; click here to listen live.

And it was there at Rowland Park where left fielder Jared Lauri talked Friday about just getting out and playing ball.

And how much fun he was having.

Plus, “a lot of us didn’t take it for granted,” said Lauri, referring to how his team felt about getting in the 2021 season after 2020 got wiped away by the coronavirus pandemic.

All the better that the Vikings are in the county championship game.

Not that 2021 has been without difficulty. South Brunswick was upset in the opening round of the Central Jersey Group 4 playoffs by Old Bridge, a Red Division foe they had beaten twice in the regular season.

Click below to hear South Brunswick Jared Lauri talk about the Vikings’ 2021 season and look ahead to Sunday’s GMC Tournament final:

June 3, 2021June 3, 2021 by Mike Pavlichko

Old Bridge finally wins a close one, in a big spot

They’re not the 1962 Mets, but at some point Old Bridge head coach Matt Donaghue had to wonder if a break was going to go his team’s way.

After all, they had been going the other team’s way for a good part of their 7-17 season, until Wednesday night.

Ten of their 17 losses and come by 3 runs or less; four of them by two runs or one.

That’s when it finally all broke right for the 12th-seeded Knights, who knocked off 5th-seed South Brunswick in the opening round of the NJSIAA baseball state playoffs in Central Jersey Group 4.

Youth was served in this one, which also leaves Donaghue with a bright outlook for the future.

Sophomore Thomas Papeo went 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Justin Herbstman – a fellow soph who’s committed to Virginia Tech – got the win in relief, blanking the Vikings and striking out nine in 4 1/3 innings our of the ‘pen.

Next up for the Knights (8-17) is Princeton, the 13th-seed, which knocked off 4th-seed Edison Wednesday 6-4. That gives Old Bridge an unexpected home game Sunday at 2 pm, a late start due to it being an SAT testing day.

Click below to hear about how it happened, the team’s outlook heading into states, and more with head coach Matt Donaghue, pitcher Justin Herbstman and shortstop Thomas Papeo:

June 3, 2021June 3, 2021 by Mike Pavlichko

North Brunswick’s Blevins told hard-luck Raiders they were due for the tide to turn – and he was right

How would you like to throw a one-hitter, and lose the ball game?

That’s what happened to North Brunswick on Monday in the GMC semifinals. Zach Konstantinovisky hurled the kind of game that wouldn’t be called anything less than a gem. And yet, his 10th-seeded Raiders lost to 5th-seed South Brunswick 2-0 as part of the lowest scoring semfinals in conference history, which date to 1986.

But he’ll get another chance in the state tournament this weekend after North Brunswick – the 7th seed in Central Jersey Group 4 – escaped with a 1-0 walk-off win against 10th-seed Hightstown in the opening round of the NJSIAA playoffs Wednesday.

And how they did it was just as remarkable.

After the hard-luck loss on Monday, head coach Mark Blevins told his team he expected some good luck for a change.

You’ve heard of “I’d rather be lucky than good?” Well, North Brunswick didn’t need luck, and they were better than good.

Sean Anderson robbed one of Hightstown’s top hitters of a home run. Kyle Tarabokia hit Konstantinovsky – playing first base – with a perfect relay to nab a runner at the plate.

And Pat McCann delivered the game-winning hit in the bottom of the seventh: just a routine single.

You know: the kind with the bases loaded, two outs, and on a 2-2 pitch.

Now, the Raiders will travel to Flemington to take on 2nd-seed Hunterdon Central at 2:30 Saturday afternoon, a late start due to SAT day, according to Blevins.

Click below to hear North Brunswick coach Mark Blevins talk about the Raiders’ thrilling win over Hightstown, and preview Saturday’s matchup with the Red Devils:

June 3, 2021June 3, 2021 by Mike Pavlichko

Old Bridge is a big winner, North Brunswick walks off on Day 2 of NJSIAA state tourney

With the first round in the books in the NJSIAA baseball tournament, Old Bridge pulled off one of the upsets of the day.

The 12th-seeded Knights knocked out 5th-seed South Brunswick – one of the GMC Tournament finalists this weekend – with a 6-2 road win in the opening round of the Central Jersey Group 4 section.

Mike Villani had two hits and three RBIs in the win, while Thomas Papeo was 2-for-3 with a run batted in,

Starting pitcher Justin Herbstman went 4 1/3 innings, fanned nine Vikings, and didn’t surrender a single earned run. He allowed just four baserunners, one by virtue of a hit.

And because of another upset, Old Bridge will play a home game in the quarterfinals Saturday afternoon.

Fourth-seed Edison was knocked off by 13th-seed Princeton Wednesday 6-4, as the Little Tigers got to starter Sal DellaFave for three runs in the first, then chased him from the game in the fifth, scoring three more.

Now, Old Bridge – a double digit seed – will get to host a home game when the Little Tigers travel to Fred Cole Field.

Meanwhile, North Brunswick won a wild one.

The 7th-seeded Raiders got by 10th-seed Hightstown 1-0 on a walk-off, bases loaded single with two outs by Pat McCann.

And that wasn’t the extent of the key plays for North Brunswick, which saw outfielder Sean Anderson pull a Hightstown homer back into the yard with a leaping catch at the wall in the third, while the Raiders threw out a runner at home in the fifth to keep the game scoreless.

North Brunswick will travel Saturday for a second round game at 2nd-seed Hunterdon Central.

We’ll have a closer look at those two games later Thursday here on cjsportsradio.com.

With Timothy Christian being eliminated by St. Rose of Belmar Tuesday, only seven out of 23 GMC teams that qualified remain in the state tournament, with one of them – St. Joseph-Metuchen – yet to play, having a first round bye in Non-Public South A.

Here are Wednesday’s results, section by section, for games involving GMC teams, which are noted in CAPS:

Central Jersey, Group 4
(1) Manalapan def. (11) SAYREVILLE 11-1
(9) Marlboro def. (8) MONROE 11-4
(12) OLD BRIDGE def. (5) SOUTH BRUNSWICK 6-2
(13) Princeton def. (4) EDISON 6-4
(6) Freehold Twp. def. (11) EAST BRUNSWICK 2-0
(7) NORTH BRUNSWICK def. (10) Hightstown 1-0

Central Jersey, Group 2
(8) Robbinsville def. (9) EAST BRUNSWICK TECH 13-0
(5) SPOTSWOOD def. (12) Johnson 3-2
(3) SOUTH PLAINFIELD def. (14) Manasquan 4-2
(10) Holmdel def. (7) METUCHEN 5-1

Central Jersey, Group 1
(1) MIDDLESEX def. (16) PISCATAWAY TECH 16-1
(12) Florence def. (5) PERTH AMBOY TECH 15-4
(4) SOUTH AMBOY def. (13) Bound Brook 6-5
(14) Riverside def. (3) SOMERSET TECH 10-7

North Jersey-Section 2, Group 4
(8) Franklin def. (9) JP STEVENS 2-1
(3) Watchung Hills def. (14) PERTH AMBOY 5-0

North Jersey-Section 2, Group 3
(4) Ferris def. (13) COLONIA 2-1
(11) Chatham def. (6) WOODBRIDGE 5-0
(7) West Morris def. (10) JFK 10-4

Here’s the upcoming schedule of state tournament games involving GMC teams, noted in CAPS:

FRIDAY, JUNE 4

Non-Public, South A
(5) ST. JOSEPH-METUCHEN at (4) Red Bank Catholic
*both teams had a first-round bye

SATURDAY, JUNE 5

Central Jersey, Group 4
(13) Princeton at (12) OLD BRIDGE
(7) NORTH BRUNSWICK at (2) Hunterdon Central

Central Jersey, Group 2
(5) SPOTSWOOD at (4) Voorhees
(11) Raritan at (3) SOUTH PLAINFIELD

Central Jersey, Group 1
(8) South Hunterdon at (1) MIDDLESEX
(12) Florence at (4) SOUTH AMBOY

May 26, 2021May 27, 2021 by Mike Pavlichko

GMC Tournament semifinals are set; Edison will make first appearance in 13 years, while North and South Brunswick will duke it out

Saturday’s GMC Tournament semifinals are all set, complete with a little bit of history in the making, and a battle of the Brunswicks.

In the opening game at noon at East Brunswick Tech, 5th-seed South Brunswick (13-7) will take on 9th-seed North Brunswick (15-8-1). The Vikings dispatched of Middlesex 8-1 in the quarterfinals Tuesday night, while the Raiders were 8-2 winners over JFK.

POSTGAME AUDIO: Lauri’s 3-run HR, Sanchez’ 12 K effort power South Brunswick to GMCT semis

In the 2:30 game, 2nd-seed St. Joseph of Metuchen (16-8) will battle 6th-seed Edison. The Falcons were 14-3 winners in 5 innings over Spotswood Tuesday night, while the Eagles upset fellow White Division foe South Plainfield – the 3rd-seed – in a 7-2 victory.

POSTGAME AUDIO: Edison reaches first GMT semifinal since 2008 with upset win over South Plainfield

Both games can be heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio as Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe call all the action, presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. You can listen by clicking here. Pregame coverage begins at 11:45 am.

It will be Edison’s first trip to the GMC Tournament semifinals since 2008; they lost to Old Bridge in that round 2-1. Their last title came in 2001.

North Brunswick’s last trip was in 2010, when they were a 16-seed and just 4-11 going into the semis. They beat 20th-seed Carteret (which was just 9-12) to move on the finals for a second straight year, but the Raiders fell to South Brunswick, 9-2. Had they won, they would have become the lowest seeded team to win the GMC Tournament.

North Brunswick faced South Brunswick in the 2019 GMC Tournament’s first round, and lost 6-0.

The Vikings made it to the finals that year but lost to Old Bridge, 2-1.

St. Joseph lost to Old Bridge in the semifinals in 2019, also by a 2-1 score.

SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE (GMCT Semifinals at East Brunswick Tech)

12 noon – (5) South Brunswick vs. (9) North Brunswick
2:30 pm – (2) St. Joseph-Metuchen vs. (6) Edison

FINALS (at East Brunswick Tech)

Sunday, June 6 at East Brunswick Tech, 12 noon

March 25, 2021March 25, 2021 by Mike Pavlichko

Maguire recaps football, looks ahead to Spring, and weighs in on NJSIAA finances heading into 2021

by Mike Pavlichko

In a wide-ranging exclusive interview with Central Jersey Sports Radio, NJSIAA Executive Director Colleen Maguire says “every game played was a major success” this football season, a year that was unlike any other, played in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

She also looks ahead to the winter season for boys’ and girls’ basketball – which start in January – as well as wrestling, which won’t begin until March.

Maguire’s expertise is in the financial arena, and she says “we’re a bare bones operation” in characterizing the NJSIAA heading into 2021. She says she’s grateful for the one-time stipend from the state, which will help offset some of this year’s losses.

Hear NJSIAA Executive Director Colleen Maguire’s full interview below: