Tag: Bridgewater-Raritan

by Mike Pavlichko

Rosado’s 3-run blast, Lanum’s solid start power No. 1 Bridgewater-Raritan past Hillsborough

And the hits, literally, just keep on coming for the Bridgewater-Raritan baseball team.

The Panthers – No. 1 in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten – got a three-run homer from JR Roasdao and four innings of five-hit, one-run ball from starter Jack Lanum to defeat Hillsborough on the road Thursday afternoon, sweeping the two-game, home-and-home season series from the rival Raiders.

The win is the third-straight for Bridgewater, since an 11-7 loss to West Morris spoiled their 8-0 start. The Panthers are now 11-1, 7-0 in the Skyland Conference’s Delaware Division, and clinched at least a share of the division title with the win. Hillsborough drops to 5-8, 4-2 in the Delaware.

The Panthers got on the board in the top of the first, small-balling three runs across. Devin Goldberg led off the game with an infield hit, and Matt Lehberger singled. After a double steal, Matt Fattore walked, but Goldberg scored on the wild pitch fourth ball, and Lehberger moved to third. Lerhberger scored on a ground-out by Matt Cichocki, and Fattore came in to score and make it 3-0 when he tried to steal third and the throw went into the outfield.

Hillsborough would get a run back in the second. Jason Willliams hit a one out double, then advanced to third on a passed ball. He scored on a JJ Lotierzzo grounder to second to make it 3-1 Bridgewater.

The game would hum along until the fifth, with ‘Boro starter Krish Patel still on the mound. Devin Goldberg led off with a fly ball to right field that was dropped. But after the two-base error, he was picked off second when Patel’s throw to second caught him in a rundown.

After Lehberger flied to left for the second out, the Panthers did some damage. Fattore got plunked, Cichocki walked, and then JP Rosado cranked a three-run homer over the left field wall to make it 6-1, chasing Patel from the game.

As Michael Taylor shut down the Raiders in relief for two innings, Bridgewater-Raritan added a run in the sixth on a sac fly to center that scored Frankie Verano, and an RBI double by Cichocki that drove in Lehberger, who’d reached second on a grounder to third when the throw sailed over the first baseman.

Corey Rible came on to close it out, pitching a 1-2-3 seventh for the Panthers, as the bullpen finished with three-innings of two-hit shutout ball.

Click below for postgame reaction from Bridgewater-Raritan head coach Max Newill, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Bridgewater-Raritan stays at No. 1, while Immaculata climbs; Watchung Hills, Aquinas debut in Week 3 Bellamy & Son Paving Top 10

On the one hand, there was not a lot of upheaval. On the other hand, some more familiar faces are out, and some new faces are in the Bellamy & Son Paving High School Baseball Top Ten for Week Three.

Watchung Hills and St. Thomas Aquinas make their debuts in the rankings this week. It’s the Warriors’ first time in the top ten since Week 2 in the rankings’ inaugural 2022 season, while the Trojans are making their first-ever appearance.

Bridgewater-Raritan (9-1) remains at 9-1 after a 3-1 week, with their lone loss coming out of league play, a 11-7 defeat at the hands of West Morris. They shutout Hunterdon Central 60- on Tuesday, beat North Hunterdon 2-1 on Thursday to sweep the season series with arguable the No. 2 team now in the Skyland Conference, and rebounded off Friday’s loss with a 10-3 win over Egg Harbor on Saturday.

The next two teams, both from the GMC, hold steady with 3-0 weeks. Old Bridge (9-2) remains second with a sweep of East Brunswick, 40- and 8-2, this week, while the Knights beat Red Bank Catholic 6-3 Sunday afternoon in the Autism Awareness Challenge at North Brunswick Community Park. Monroe (7-3) holds in third, beating South Brunswick 8-0 on Tuesday, South Plainfield 3-2 Thursday, and Jackson Memorial 5-3 Friday in the AAC.

Moving up three places from seventh to No. 4 this week is Immaculata. The Spartans are the only undefeated team left in the Skyland Conference, and went 3-0 again this week, edging Pingry Monday 2-1, Rutgers Prep on Tuesday 3-1, and Hunterdon Central on the road Saturday 6-4. The Spartans visit new top ten member Watchung Hills Tuesday at 4 pm, in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports radio by clicking here.

Holding in fifth is Spotswood. The Chargers are 9-0-1, off to their best start in program history, and went 3-0-1 this week. They won at Somerville 7-3 Monday – in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio, then tied Marlboro at home 8-8 in a seven-inning game called due to darkness. Friday, they beat Paulsboro 10-6 in the Thank You Classic at Bellmawr, where head coach Glenny Fredricks picked up his 300th career win, then on Sunday, they topped South Brunswick 8-7 in the Autism Awareness Challenge, also heard on CJSR.

Woodbridge (9-1) remains in sixth, as the Barrons rebounded from a Tuesday home loss to Middlesex by a 4-3 score to beat North Brunswick 4-0 on Thursday, and East Brunswick 7-2 on Saturday.

South Plainfield (6-3) went 3-2 this past week, and moves up to seventh. The Tigers blew out North Brunswick on the road Monday, 37-6, then won 9-2 at Watchung Hills on Wednesday. They fell at Monroe 3-2 on Thursday, but came back to beat North Brunswick again 5-3 on Friday, before losing to Millburn 3-0 in the Autism Awareness Challenge on Saturday.

Edison (8-2) holds in 8th after a 4-1 week. They swept a Monday/Tuesday pair from JP Stevens, 11-0 and 13-0, then blanked Middlesex 4-0 on Thursday, in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio, as senior Jaxon Appelman came within an out of a no-hitter. After a Friday 7-6 loss at Perth Amboy, Edison rebounded Sunday with a 14-6 win over Barnegat in the Autism Awareness Challenge.

Watchung Hills (5-4-1) joins the rankings at No. 9. The Warriors had a 3-1 week, beating Franklin Tuesday 5-4, losing to South Plainfield 9-2 on Wednesday, then winning two in a row: Thursday at Montgomery 14-1, and Saturday 4-2 over Hillsborough. The Warriors host Immaculata Tuesday at 4pm on Central Jersey Sports Radio, a game you can hear by clicking here.

Also new this week is St. Thomas Aquinas at No. 10. The Trojans are 7-1, right behind Spotswood in the GMC Blue Division, and were 4-0 this past week. They swept a home/away two-game set with Metuchen, 6-0 and 7-1, then beat South River 12-0 on Saturday, before topping Voorhees 11-1 late Sunday at the Autism Awareness Challenge in North Brunswick.

Dropping out this week are No. 4 North Brunswick (3-7) and No. 8 Rutgers Prep (2-5). The Raiders went 1-4 in the past week, while the Argonauts were 0-3 in the week gone by.

Below are the full Week 3 Bellamy & Son Paving Baseball Rankings:

by Mike Pavlichko

And then there were six: A look at the undefeated teams left in the CJSR coverage area

We’re officially two weeks into the high school baseball season – though some haven’t quite managed two weeks’ worth with all the rain we’ve gotten – and there are a half-dozen teams who remain unbeaten.

Some have received a lot of attention, like Bridgewater-Raritan, No. 1 this week, taking the top spot in the Week 2 Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten. Others, like South Amboy (4-0) or Piscataway Magnet (2-0) have not.

So, here’s a look at all six teams without a blemish on their records so far.

Bridgewater-Raritan (6-0, #1 ranking)

The Panthers had high expectations coming into the season, and so far have delivered with aplomb. They had a big season-opening win over Rancocas Valley, and beat state-ranked North Hunterdon 7-1 back on Saturday, a win that – coupled with Old Bridge’s second loss of the season – elevated them to No. 1 this week in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten.

The Panthers are hitting .304 as a team, and have three home runs already. And they’re getting it from a mix of veterans – one each from Devin Goldberg and JR Rosado – as well as others like Matthew Lehberger, a junior who hit his first varsity homer against Hillsborough on April 9th.

The team ERA is 1.97, with Owen Crimmins, Corey Rible and others looking sharp.

The Panthers have a big test Tuesday afternoon when they travel out to Flemington to take on Hunterdon Central, a 4:00 start.

Spotswood (7-0, #5 ranking)

The Chargers won their seventh straight Monday afternoon, beating Somerville 7-3 on the road in the teams’ first meeting since 2007. That’s a nice feat, but it’s getting to be old hat around “The Swamp.” After all, Spotswood won its first nine games last season en route to a 21-8 season, and a trip to the Central Jersey Group 2 final.

Seton Hall commit Carter Cumiskey has been lights out. He’s 3-0, only allowing his first earned run of the season Monday afternoon, giving him a 0.39 ERA (in 17 and 2/3 innings pitched) with a 3-0 record. He struck out ten Pioneers in the win, and – oh yeah – also hit a solo home run that led Somerville to intentionally walk him his next two at bats.

Meanwhile, Glenny Fredricks – now in his 20th season with the Chargers – is sitting at 299 career wins after Monday’s victory.

Everyone in the lineup is hitting, and Spotswood continues to do the little things well, the definition of a Fredricks-coached team. The Blue Division-leading Chargers have scored more runs than anyone in the league (75) and are outscoring their opponents 75-16 through seven games, a +59 run differential that’s also the best in the GMC.

The Chargers are back in action at home Thursday at 4 pm against Marlboro, where Fredricks will go for win No. 300 in his coaching career.

Woodbridge (7-0, #6 ranking)

Like Bridgewater and Spotswood, the Barrons returned a veteran group and also had high expectations for this season. So far, it’s all gone according to plan for Woodbridge. At +53, they’re second in the GMC in run differential, giving up just eight runs all year, the lowest of any team that has played at least three games. (Edison, right behind them in the GMC White, has only given up nine in six games; the Eagles are 5-1.)

Woodbridge has swept home-and-homes from Colonia, Sayreville, and JP Stevens, while beating Middlesex in their first meeting of the year on the road Monday, 4-3.

Senior Eddy Nunez – who burst on the scene as a freshman in the “COVID comeback” season – has thrown 19 innings, more than anyone on the staff, and struck out 27 (1.4 per inning) on the season. His ERA is a slim 1.47, while senior Shawn Kish has also been solid. So has Drew Lukachyk, who didn’t pitch much last year due to arm issues, but has returned to form this season.

Lukachyk is hitting .409 this year as well, and that’s not even the best average on a team that’s hitting an excellent .357 overall. Sophomore Xavier Diaz is hitting .471 and Kish – also a senior – is batting .429.

The Barrons host Middlesex Tuesday afternoon at 4, then entertain North Brunswick Thursday.

Immaculata (7-0, #7 ranking)

What a turn for Kevin Cust’s ballclub, whose best year since the COVID shutdown in 2020 was a 14-13 record two seasons ago, sandwiched between 9-win, sub-.500 seasons. This year, the Spartans are back in top form.

While they didn’t win their first seven that year, in 2018 Immaculata started 1-1, but then won 17 straight to go 18-1 in their first 19. That year, they beat Montgomery for the Somerset County title, then fell in the Non-Public South B final to Gloucester Catholic.

This year’s team opened up with three out-of-state foes – all wins – and now has won four straight since beginning Skyland Conference play, with all coming against Somerset County Teams in Montgomery on the road, then Watchung Hills, Franklin and Pingry at home. In their first seven, they’ve tossed three shutouts, and allowed two or fewer runs in five of those games.

The Spartans are tearing the cover off the ball, hitting .369 as a team, and led by junior Colin Kassai, who’s hitting .600 on the year – 12 for 20 – while senior Troy Rabosky is hitting .571 on 12 for 21.

Pitching-wise, they’ve given up 13 runs all year, and by scoring 66, have the largest run differential in the CJSR coverage area, let alone the Skyland Conference, at +63 on the season. Senior Josh Thompson has thrown 17 innings so far, with a paltry 0.41 ERA.

Immaculata plays Rutgers Prep Tuesday at 4, then travels to Flemington for a big test Saturday morning at 11:00 against Hunterdon Central.

South Amboy (4-0)

With all their wins coming in the GMC Gold Division, the Governors have swept their home-and-homes with Carteret and New Brunswick. While the Zebras are just 1-3, Carteret is 4-2, with their only losses coming to South Amboy, and the Ramblers are right behind them in the division.

While the pitching has been hit or miss, their offense has been more hit than miss. The Guvs are batting .329, with three regulars at .300 or better, including Weslyn Morel-Sanchez (.429), Benjamin Hernandez (.444) and Benjamin Smith (.545), who already has eight runs batten in on the season, plus the team’s only home run.

After a 19-7 win over New Brunswick on Monday – the Governors outscored the Zebras 30-10 in that home-and-home series – South Amboy visits the pristine field at East Brunswick Magnet for a 4 pm first pitch on Wednesday.

Piscataway Magnet (2-0)

Sure, it’s earlier for the Raiders than anyone else, having played two games – both GMC Silver Division opponents – but why not give the Raiders some pub?

It took them over a week to play their first game of the season, a 17-0 whitewash of Wardlaw-Hartridge. Then it was another six days before they got back on the field Monday to win at Perth Amboy Magnet, 8-7 in eight innings. The Raiders got two in the top of the eighth to break a 6-6 tie, then held PA Magnet to a run in the bottom of the inning to pick up the win.

Albeit through two games, Piscataway Magnet is off to a good start, hitting .382 as a team with four extra base hits (3 doubles and a triple). Freshman Kyla Malchiodi leads the way, hitting .750 (4 for 8) through two games with a team-leading nine runs batted in.

Senior Matt Baez got the win in the opener, tossing a complete game of five scoreless, one-hit innings, striking out 15 while walking only two in a ten-run rule win.

Their biggest test yet will come Tuesday when they visit GMC Silver Division leader Highland Park (3-1, 3-0 in the division) at 4 pm.

by Mike Pavlichko

A new No. 1 in Week 2 Bellamy & Son Paving HS Baseball Top Ten as Bridgewater claims top spot

With a perfect 6-0 record, Bridgewater-Raritan has taken over the top spot in the Bellamy & Son Paving High School Baseball Top Ten in Week Two. Meanwhile, three teams dropped out, including last year’s GMC Tournament champions, St. Joseph-Metuchen.

Bridgewater-Raritan went 4-0 this past week, beginning with a 14-3 win at Roxbury, then took three straight home games, 6-0 over Hillsborough on Tuesday, 8-4 over 2023 SCT runner-up Ridge Thursday, and over state-ranked North Hunterdon Saturday, 7-1. The Panthers are back in action Tuesday at 5-1 Hunterdon Central.

Old Bridge (6-2) drops down to second this week after splitting a pair with North Brunswick. The Knights began the week with a second straight shutout win over St. Joseph, 5-0 Monday (as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio), then lost to North Brunswick Tuesday 6-2, getting revenge Friday with a 6-3 victory. They closed things out with a 7-2 win over East Brunswick.

Holding in third is Monroe (4-2), which went 2-2 this past week. After a loss at North Brunswick, 10-7, on Monday, the Falcons swept East Brunswick 10-4 and 11-1 in a Tuesday-Thursday home-and-home, then lost Saturday in a non-conference game at Hamilton West, 11-2.

North Brunswick (2-3) holds in fourth, going 2-2 this past week. They won their first two, 10-7 against Monroe Monday, then 6-2 at Old Bridge Tuesday, before losing their “home game” played at Old Bridge – due to poor field conditions in North Brunswick – 6-3. They followed it with a 4-2 loss at St. Joe’s on Saturday, the Falcons’ first win of the season.

Spotswood (6-0) is in fifth, one of four undefeated teams in the rankings. There Chargers finished off a home-and-home sweep of North Plainfield Tuesday with a 10-1 win, then took two from Piscataway, scoring 36 runs against the Chiefs in an 18-4 road win Thursday, and an 18-2 home win Saturday. Spotswood will play Somerville (2-2) Monday afternoon at Torpey Athletic Complex in Bridgewater, in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio at 4 pm, with Mike Pavlichko on the pregame at 3:40. (Click here to listen.)

The third unbeaten team in the rankings is Woodbridge (6-0), which checks in at No. 6. The Barrons – like Spotswood – also piled on the runs this week. They won 9-1 at Sayreville Tuesday, then took a home-and-home from JP Stevens Thursday and Saturday, with a 20-0 road win followed by a 13-0 home victory.

At No. 7 is Immaculata (6-0), the fourth unbeaten team on the list, making its debut this season. After three wins against out-of-state opponents in their opening week, they went 3-0 back home in Somerset County, winning 3-0 at Montgomery Tuesday, 8-5 the next day at home against Watchung Hills, and again Thursday at home against Franklin, 13-5.

In eighth is Rutgers Prep (2-2), which split a pair this week. They won at Watchung Hills, 6-2, on Tuesday, then came back and lost to Gill St. Bernard’s Saturday, 8-7, after having Friday’s home game against Montgomery – which was scheduled to air on CJSR – cancelled due to field conditions.

The last two teams both make their season debuts in the rankings.

Edison (4-1) is in ninth. The Eagles went 2-1 this week after a 2-0 start, falling at Colonia 2-0 on Tuesday, before taking a Thursday-Saturday home-and-home from Sayreville, winning on the road 3-1, then winning at home, 7-6.

And in tenth is South Plainfield (3-1). The Tigers had a 2-1 week, dropping a Monday Red Division game at East Brunswick, 3-2, before taking a home-and-home from South Brunswick. They beat the Vikings Thursday on the road, 4-3, then came back with an 8-6 home win over South Brunswick.

by Mike Pavlichko

First-week results lead to volatility in Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, but Old Bridge and Bridgewater-Raritan remain No. 1 and No. 2, Monroe and Pingry make debuts

The top two teams in the Week One Bellamy & Son Paving Baseball Top Ten didn’t change, but everyone else moved around, and two new teams joined the rankings this week.

Old Bridge (4-1) and Bridgewater-Raritan (2-0) remain No. 1 and No. this week, after getting their seasons off on the right foot.

The Knights handled two Shore Conference opponents, beating Manalapan on the season’s opening day, 2-1, then dropping Marlboro on Thursday, 7-6. After losing Friday to Don Bosco prep, 14-1, they rebounded with a 4-0 shutout win over St. Joseph-Metuchen in Linden. They’ll welcome in the Falcons for the back end of that home-and-home GMC Red Division set Monday night at 6:30, in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio by clicking here.

The Panthers knocked off a solid Rancocas Valley team on Monday, 5-3, then came back four days later with an 8-1 win at Scotch Plains-Fanwood.

Entering the poll at No. 3 this week is Monroe, which beat the two teams that occupied third- and fourth-place last week. They beat fourth-ranked St. Joe’s Friday, 8-1, then came back and topped third-ranked North Brunswick at home, 2-0, on Saturday.

North Brunswick (0-1) dropped to fourth with the loss to Monroe, while St. Joseph (0-2) dropped a spot to fifth, with following up the Monroe loss with a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Old Bridge.

Spotswood (3-0) rises a spot to sixth, sweeping a Thursday/Friday home-and-home with Metuchen, 10-1 and 4-1, then winning 8-4 at North Plainfield on Saturday.

Woodbridge (3-0) also climbed a spot from sixth to seventh. The Barrons swept a home-and-home with Colonia, via a 9-2 road win and a 2-0 home win, then beat Sayreville 4-2 Saturday, in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Making its debut this season in 8th place is Pingry. The Big Blue are 2-0 with wins over two of Somerset County’s three other non-publics; 2-0 at Rutgers Prep on Thursday, and 6-4 at Gill St. Bernard’s on Saturday.

Rutgers Prep (1-1) checks in at No. 9, with the loss to Pingry in its opener, but then a 4-2 win at Passaic Tech on Saturday.

And Ridge (0-2) sits in tenth, after falling to a pair of out-of-area teams: 6-2 at North Hunterdon Thursday, and 5-4 at West Morris on Saturday.

Dropping out were Sayreville (1-1) – which beat Middlesex Friday in its opener but lost 4-2 at Woodbridge Saturday – and Bernards, which hasn’t taken the field yet, as rain and field conditions wiped out their opening week of games.

Below is the complete Week 1 Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten:

by Mike Pavlichko

No. 2 Bridgewater-Raritan survives early rain, late scare, to top Rancocas Valley in opener

Not many baseball teams in New Jersey were able to get their games in on Opening Day Monday, but somehow, some way, Bridgewater-Raritan managed to do it.

And the No. 2 Panthers made it count, facing a tough out-of-conference matchup in their opener against a Rancocas Valley team that – like them – reached a state playoff sectional final last season.

Bridgewater scattered five runs in the first three innings – literally led off by Devin Goldberg, who smacked a home run on the first pitch the Panthers saw all year to give his team a 1-0 lead – then survived a late scare when the Red Devils got the tying run to the plate in the top of the seventh.

JR Rosado added an RBI single in the first to make it 2-0 after one

Then, in the third, Matt Fattore made it 3-0 with a first-pitch RBI double, Joey Letko drove him in with a single, and and JR Rosado scored Letko when he reached on an throwing error by the Red Devils’ shortstop to make it 5-0 after two.

Rancocas Valley added a run in the fifth, although the damage could have been worse. Jack Lanum – working middle relief in his debut varsity appearance – picked up two key strikeouts – the last of which came looking with the bases loaded – to end the inning.

And more drama would follow.

In the seventh, Rancocas closed the deficit to 5-3 with two out in Corey Rible’s second inning of work for the Panthers. But he got out of the jam with a backwards K to end the ballgame.

Click below for postgame reaction from Bridgewater-Raritan head coach Max Newill on the Panthers’ Opening Day win over Rancocas Valley, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

The Panthers (1-0) are coming off a 23-7 season in which they reached the North 2, Group 4 title game, falling 9-2 at home to Bayonne. Bridgewater is scheduled to be back in action Tuesday morning at 11 am, weather permitting. A number of games were wiped out on Opening Day Monday, and the weather doesn’t look any better until perhaps late Thursday, or even Friday morning, based on the latest forecasts.

by Mike Pavlichko

Panthers primed for another big year as Bridgewater-Raritan brings back big bats

Coming off a season in which the Bridgewater-Raritan baseball team won reached the 20-win mark for the first time since 2015, it’s not just hopes that are high off Garretson Road.

Expectations are high.

Last year’s 23-7 club – which set a school record for wins – reached the North 2, Group 4 finals, falling short in the title game to Bayonne. In the Somerset County Tournament they were knocked off in the semifinals by pseudo-Cinderella Rutgers Prep, which turned out to be a much better team than its record at the time of seeding would project.

As head coach Max Newill puts it, “Last year’s team gave this year’s team a target to shoot at.”

They’ll start the season No. 2 in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten rankings.

Newill’s ’24 club has a lot of experience, and specifically varsity experience. There’s Devin Goldberg, Matt Fattore and JR Rosado, as well as Frankie Verano, out part of last year due to injury.

Goldberg hit .400 last year with 27 runs batted in and a home run. Fattore hit .395, and will also pitch, healthy again after having tendinitis issues last year. And Verano hit close to .500 on the season.

Besides Fattore, Newill will look to Owen Crimmins and Kellen Komline, who were starting pitchers as a sophomore and freshman, respectively.

Click below to hear Bridgewater-Raritan head coach Max Newill talk about the Panthers’ 2024 season:

by Mike Pavlichko

Old Bridge, Brigdewater-Raritan take top two spots in Bellamy & Son Paving Preseason High School Baseball rankings

The new season in high school baseball finds Old Bridge right where it left off in the old season: at No. 1 in the Bellamy & Son Paving Baseball Top Ten.

The Knights are coming off a 21-9 season in which they won the Central Jersey Group 4 championship by beating division foe North Brunswick in the title game, and went all the way to the state Group 4 final, falling 4-0 to Ridgewood. Old Bridge returns all but 13 of its over 200 innings pitched last season, led by seniors Frank Papeo and Justin “J.T.” Meyer.

Bridgewater-Raritan begins the year four places higher – at No. 2 – coming off a 23-7 campaign that saw them reach the North 2, Group 4 title game, losing at home to Bayonne. The Panthers – the highest-ranked Somerset County team – bring back pitchers Cory Rible and Matthew Fattore, both seniors, while Fattore, Devin Goldberg and Frankie Verano are among the top hitters back.

North Brunswick starts the season in third, the GMC Tournament runner-up from a year ago. And while ace Zack Konstantinovsky graduated and is now at Rutgers, seniors Alejandro Jabar and Kyle Anderson are solid arms back; both had ERAs a shade over two last season. And the lineup will build around heavy hitting Yomar (prounounced “JOE-mar”) Carreras, who batted .411 last season with 18 RBIs and two homers.

St. Joseph of Metuchen begins the season in third. Sure, they beat the Raiders in last year’s GMC Tournament title game, finishing 21-10, but they also lose a much larger portion of their lineup, a group that was together for the better part of three years since high school baseball resumed in New Jersey after COVID-19 cancelled the 2020 season. Juniors Joseph Barca and Matthew Friedman will be the early anchors in the rotation, but only senior Joseph Zammitti returns from the nine in the starting lineup for the Falcons in their Non-Public South A finals to Red Bank Catholic.

In fifth is Rutgers Prep, the defending Somerset County Tournament Champion. At 14-15 last season, they also made the Non-Public North B title game, losing to St. Mary-Rutherford. But among several graduates and transfers, they lose a pair of two-year starters who would have only been juniors: outstanding pitcher and Maryland commit Zach Fronio, who went home to North Hunterdon, and big hitter Andrew Parisi, who transferred closer to home to Ranney. But Max Treonze is back, and the Argonauts will look to some other arms that sat on the shelf last year recovering from injuries.

Checking in at No. 6 is Ridge, which was 25-4 last season, Somerset County Tournament runner-up. Their postseason came to a premature end due to a pitch count violation in the states. The Red Devils lose their three top pitchers to graduation in Connor Byrne, Brendan Callanan and Luke Somelofske, and while junior Aiden Stieglitz is back off a stellar sophomore campaign, head coach Tom Blackwell will have to find a lineup that can get the timely hits last year’s squad got more often than not.

In seventh is Spotswood, which went 21-8 a year ago. The Chargers were GMC Blue Division champs and reached the Central Jersey Group 2 finals, falling to Rumson-Fair Haven. Excellent pitcher Casey Cumiskey is off to Seton Hall, but his younger brother Carter – who will join him in South Orange in two years – will be back, after pitching to a 1.91 ERA in 44 innings last year, striking out 72, almost two per inning. Junior Breckyn DeAngelis – also one of the team’s better hitters – will see additional time on the mound, too, this year.

At No. 8 is Woodbridge, coming off a 20-6 season, their second straight 20-win campaign. (North Brunswick and St. Joe’s are the only other GMC schools to do that the last two seasons.) The Barrons didn’t lose a single pitcher to graduation, and the only senior starter gone is first baseman Ty Kobylakiewicz. Otherwise, the vast majority of a lineup that hit over .320 returns.

In ninth is Sayreville, which finished 15-10 last year, and won the GMC White Division, a half game ahead of the Barrons. Sayreville has a new head coach in Tim Ballard, who comes over from JFK to replace Mike Novak, who spent 20 years coaching the Bombers, including Ballard himself, who pitched for Sayreville, then went to Monmouth University. The Bombers should be good on the mound, but will be looking to fill some key spots in the lineup.

And Bernards comes in tenth, following a 15-10 season. They were the Skyland Conference Valley Division Co-Champions with Pingry last season. There’s no major turnover in the lineup, and two excellent pitchers return, including Evan Hoeckele, a senior who threw 41 innings last year to the tune of a 0.85 ERA, while fellow senior Charlie Gonella had a 1.54 ERA with the same workload.

Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving High School Baseball Preseason Top Ten:

by Mike Pavlichko

Montgomery three-point barrage buries Bridgewater-Raritan in Cougar Classic finale

Montgomery used another career night from senior co-captain Steve Donahue en route to a 88-46 win over visiting Bridgewater-Raritan Friday afternoon in the finale of the 2023 Cougar Classic.

Donahue – who will play his college ball at Franklin and Marshall – only played the first three quarters, with his team up 68-31 at that point. But he finished with a career high 27 points – matching his effort in a win at Morris Knolls on December 27th – and a new career best six from downtown.

Monty improved to 6-0, going 2-0 in this year’s round robin event, and is the last remaining Skyland Conference team with an unblemished record. And they’re already more than halfway to last year’s win total of eleven, in an 11-14 season for head coach Kris Grundy’s club.

They beat the Panthers with solid defense on one end of the floor, making the BR look flustered, and with a half-court offense that was humming like a well-oiled machine. 

They also found good looks for a ton of treys – 14 total in the game – and when they drove to the basket, drew contact and got to the foul line, for more buckets, building up to a 43-17 halftime lead.

Ethan Lin and Miggy Aguilar each finished with 10, with Aguilar scoring eight in the first quarter alone, erasing an early 5-0 Bridgewater lead to go up 22-12 after one quarter.

The 88 points scored by the Cougars was not only a season high, but the most they’ve scored against a Somerset County opponent since Kris Grundy became the head coach in 2005-06.

Bridgewater-Raritan dropped to 4-3 on the season. Ramses Binns finished with 11 and Matt Lyne with 10 to lead the Panthers, with Lyne hitting twice from beyond the arc in the game.

Click below for postgame reaction with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Little change in Week 1 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten as Aquinas stays atop, Hillsborough moves up after big win

The top four teams all remained the same, while Hillsborough climbed into the Top 5 after a huge win over Gill St. Bernard’s, in the Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten for Week One.

St. Thomas Aquinas (2-0) held in first after a pair of wins over JP Stevens and St. Joseph by the Sea (NY) to open the season.

Colonia (1-0) stayed at No. 2 after a win to open the season Saturday at JP Stevens, 65-35, while St. Joseph-Metuchen (2-0) held at No. 3 with a pair of wins at Piscataway, 92-82, and over Msgr. Farrell (NY), 56-43 on Saturday at the Friends of South Amboy games. The Patriots and Falcons meet in a big GMC clash Tuesday evening at Colonia.

Rutgers Prep (2-0) held at No. 4 this week, after opening wins over Franklin on Thursday, 53-49, and Saturday against Paramus Catholic, 98-45.

Hillsborough (1-1) is in fifth this week after a huge win over Gill St. Bernard’s, 49-48, its first over the Knights in nearly ten years. The Raiders lost to Delbarton Saturday, 64-56.

Gill St. Bernard’s (0-1) dropped to sixth after the loss to Hillsborough.

Checking in at No. 7 is Woodbridge (2-0), which had season-opening wins Thursday against Perth Amboy, 47-35, and Saturday at Edison, 69-40.

In eighth is Franklin (1-1), which came close to knocking off Rutgers Prep in is season opener Thursday, falling by four, 53-49, but them came back Saturday to beat Plainfield, 54-40. The Warriors travel to Gill St. Bernard’s Tuesday evening for a big Skyland Delaware Division game that can be heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio; click here to listen.

At No. 9 is Immaculata (1-1), up one spot. They beat Parsippany Hills on the road Thursday in their opener, but lost to a solid Delaware Valley team Saturday, 55-44. Tuesday night, they host Rutgers Prep.

And joining the rankings this week for the first time is Bridgewater-Raritan (2-0), which beat previous No. 9 Bound Brook, 53-45 on Opening Night Thursday as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio, knocking the Crusaders (1-1) out of the rankings. The Panthers then beat JFK Saturday, 71-46.

Below are the full Week One Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball rankings: