Tag: GMC Tournament

by Mike Pavlichko

Faigin’s one-hit gem, Mangano’s double in 7th send Monroe past South Plainfield in GMCT semifinals

When the last swing-and-a-miss on Monroe starting pitcher Ben Faigin’s 13th strikeout Saturday ended the GMC Tournament’s first semifinial of the day, he threw his glove up in the air, partying like it was 2017, or maybe 2015.

2015 was the last time the Falcons won the GMC Tournament , and 2017 was the last time they made it to the title game.

Now, they’re back in it, and will play next Saturday at 2 pm in the GMC’s Jim Muldowney Tournament final at Rutgers’ Bainton Field in Piscataway against the winner of today’s second semifinal between two-seed Middlesex and third-seed Old Bridge.

And the win was not just thanks to Faigin, but also to his catcher James Mangano, who besides calling and backstopping a fantastic game for his senior, Rutgers-bound starter, delivered a two-out double in the top of the seventh inning to drive in center fielder Tyler Bacon, who’d reached on a one-out single.

A pitchers’ duel all the way, Faigin and South Plainfield’s Aiden McCarthy were cruising, even though McCarthy nearly gave Monroe a lead in the top of the first. Mangano led off with a second-pitch single, and McCarthy walked – maybe pitched around? – Fagin, hitting .522 enteritng the game. But he got a strikeout, pop out and fly out to end the inning, the biggest threat by either team until the seventh.

And after Monroe took the 1-0 lead, South Plainfield still had a chance in its final at bat, with Faigin only having 15 pitches to work with before hitting the 110 limit. With two out, Anhtony CIcenia walked, bringing up freshman second baseman Gabe Garcia.

He worked a 3-2 count, and during that, Cicenia stole second on a pitch that went to the backstop, but came quickly back to Mangano. Cicenia beat the throw, overslid the base, but it was ruiled he got back in time to avoid another tag.

But Faigin bore down and got the strikeout, sending Monroe to the GMC title game.

Click below to hear postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Justin Sontupe with Monroe’s Ben Faigin, Justin Mangano, and head coach Sean Fiels, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

It’s Group 1 vs. Group 4, Middlesex battling Old Bridge, in Saturday’s second GMCT semifinal

Sure, you could call it David vs. Goliath, but is it really?

One is a Group 1 school, the Middlesex Blue Jays out of the GMC White Division. The GMC Tournament’s second seed, they are 20-2 and the defending state Group 1 champions.

The other is among the larger Group 4 schools (Group 5 in football) and won the tournament in 2011, 2019 and 2024, and was a sectional finalist last year, too. This year, they’re the three seed.

Still, you might not know which is which.

But they will battle for a trip to the GMC Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament final in the second game of a semifinal doubleheader at East Brunswick Magnet School Saturday afternoon, and Central Jersey Sports Radio will have live coverage at 2:30 pm, following the opener between South Plainfield and Monroe, which starts at noon.

Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe will call all the play-by-play; click here to listen or watch here on our YouTube channel.

Here’s a closer look at the first semifinal game of the day:

(2) Middlesex (20-2) vs. (3) Old Bridge (16-8)
at East Brunswick Magnet School
2:30 pm on Central Jersey Sports Radio
Audio Stream: (LISTEN LIVE)
Video Stream: (WATCH LIVE)

PROBABLE PITCHERS:
Middlesex: Dom Long (7-0, 1.71 ERA)
Old Bridge: Brady Meyer (3-2, 3.50 ERA)

PREVIEW STORIES:

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

Middlesex: The Blue Jays have done little wrong this year, and even when they have, more often than not they still find a way to come out on top. Their first round game on Monday was a 12-2 blowout of 15th-seed South River, but they faced a little more of a challenge on Wednesday in the quarterfinals, coming up with a 3-0 win over St. Thomas Aquinas, thanks in large part to a big two-RBI pinch-hit from pinch-hitter extraordinaire Dalton Michael.

Old Bridge: The Knights got here by the slimmest of margins. Monday, in the opening round, they beat 14th-seed Sayreville 1-0, then came back two days later and got a walk-off win, 1-0 over sixth-seed Woodbridge, on an eighth-inning knock by Erich Schickschneit. The Red Division gauntlet has done them well.

TOP HITTERS:

Middlesex: While the Blue Jays are hitting a highly-respectable .314 on the season, eight players with at least 40 at bats are hitting over .300, ranging from .373 to .302, an astounding display of balance. Dalton Michael is the only one under 40 at bats on the year, and he’s even hitting .345, with two big RBIs in a three-run inning that propelled them into the semifinals. Marcus Lavornia is hitting .373 with 13 runs batted in, and Sean Hughes has knocked in a team-best 24 runs. They’ve scored 53 more runs than Old Bridge this season, 156 total.

Old Bridge: Sophomore Matt Chin paces the offense at .417 with 19 RBIs and 2 homers, leading the team in all 13 categories, along with 13 walks, also a team high. Chris Crosta also has two of the team’s eight home runs, and is hitting .321, while Jared Volpe is hitting .333 and has a team-high 23 singles. The Knights are hitting .276 as a team.

LAST FINALS BERTH:

Middlesex: The Blue Jays have only made one final in their history, despite a significantly successful track record in the state tournament. That came in 2012, when they were the third-seed, and beat upset top-seed Sayreville, 10-4, with Mike O’Donnell – now the school’s Athletic Director and the GMC baseball co-chair – as head coach.

Old Bridge: The Knights have won three GMC Tournament championships since the 1994 merger of Madison Central and Cedar Ridge, although it took them 14 years to get there. They lost to St. Joseph-Metuchen in 2008, but won the next three, including 2011, 2019, and their most recent in 2024, a year they also won the Central Jersey Group 4 title. They were the third-seed that year, and knocked off top-seed South Plainfield, 6-1 in the final.

PAST COVERAGE:

Middlesex

Old Bridge

by Mike Pavlichko

Battle-tested GMC Red foes South Plainfield, Monroe set to go in first GMCT semifinal Saturday

It’s almost like the standings don’t matter.

Sure, we hear that all the time, but the GMC Red Division is a gauntlet, and just about any team could come out of there and win the GMC Tournament. That’s the general consensus.

And at least one of these teams will have a crack at it, as fifth-seed South Plainfield and ninth-seed Monroe will do battle Saturday in the first of two semifinals in the Jim Muldowney GMC Tournament at East Brunswick Magnet School.

Central Jersey Sports Radio will have live coverage, followed by Middlesex and Old Bridge in the second game at 2:30 pm.

Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe will call all the play-by-play; click here to listen or watch here on our YouTube channel.

Here’s a closer look at the first semifinal game of the day:

(5) South Plainfield (13-10) vs. (9) Monroe (11-12)
at East Brunswick Magnet School
12 noon on Central Jersey Sports Radio
Audio Stream: (LISTEN LIVE)
Video Stream: (WATCH LIVE)

PROBABLE PITCHERS:
South Plainfield: Aiden McCarthy (6-1, 2.67 ERA)
Monroe: Ben Faigin (5-1, 1.55 ERA)

PREVIEW STORIES:

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

South Plainfield: The Tigers have had a series of streaks this season. They won two, lost three, won three, lost two, won two, and so on. But the only streak that mattes now is the two straight they’ve won coming into Saturday’s game, both in the GMC Tournament. In Monday’s first round, they Ninth-seed Monroe seeks its highest point of rollercoaster season, trip to title game in GMC Tourney semifinals, picking up a 2-1 victory. In the quarterfinals on Wednesday, they won another squeaker, 7-6 over Metuchen, getting out of a first-and-third two-out jam in the bottom of the seventh with a 1-6-3-4-5 pickoff of the potential tying baserunner on third.

Monroe: The Falcons have been on a bit of a rollercoaster, too, and came into the GMC Tournament having lost eight of their last nine games. But they’ve been hot in the county event, scoring nine runs in both games, and allowing only three runs total. First, they knocked off eight-seed Colonia 9-2 on Monday in the first round, then bounced top-seed Edison 9-1 in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

TOP HITTERS:

South Plainfield: The Tigers’ all-time hits leader, Dom Massaro – with 150 over four seasons – almost can’t get out. He’s hitting a whopping .571 this season with 25 runs batted in, and leads the team in those categories, as well as hits (48), doubles (17) and stolen bases (19). But others like Andrew Bena and Aiden McCarthy – who’ll be on the mound Saturday, can hit as well. McCarthy is batting .315 with 22 RBIs and two home runs. (Massaro has a pair, as well.)

Monroe: The Falcons’ starting pitcher is tearing the cover off the ball as well, hitting .522 with 16 runs batted in and two homers. That’s Ben Faigin, while his battery mate, senior catcher Justin Mangano, is hitting .387 with nine runs batted in. Their llineip is a little more top heavy than the Tigers. Faigin also leads the team in stolen bases with 20, and they’ve swiped 49 this year, more than any of the other three teams vying for a trip to the finals this weekend.

LAST FINALS BERTH:

South Plainfield: The Tigers were in the finals two years ago as the top-seed, but lost to third-seed Old Bridge, 6-5. We could see that matchup again, with the Knights taking on Middlesex in the second semifinal Saturday afternoon. South Plainfield has been to six finals, but won their only one in 2018 as the 14th-seed, topping 12-seed Perth Amboy 2-1 in 12 innings. They’ve also had finals appearances in 2014, 2011, 1991, and 1990, and are 5-1 in GMC title games.

Monroe: The Falcons last made the GMC Finals in 2017, when they were the sixth-seed and lost to top-seed St. Joseph-Metuchen, 1-0. Two years prior they won their first trophy as the second, seed, blanking eight-seed Sayreville, 1-0, in eight innings. At 1-3 in finals, they also reached the title game in 2013 and 1994

PAST COVERAGE:

South Plainfield

Monroe

by justinsontupe

Third-seed Old Bridge clicking at the right time heading into Middlesex tussle in Saturday’s GMC Tournament semis

Old Bridge has picked the right time of year to play its best baseball.

Eight straight wins, and eleven 12. Offensive explosions. Pitchers’ duels. Run-rule blowouts. Extra innings nailbiters.

For the past three weeks, everything has come up purple – and in all shapes and sizes, too.

For Matt Donaghue and the Knights, that has become the norm. When May comes, Old Bridge wins. Last year, they were Central Jersey Group 4 finalists. Two years ago, they were GMC Tournament champions. In 2023, Central Jersey Group 4 winners – and then all the way to the state finals in Hamilton.

Some years they have been led by elite pitching and other years it’s been an unstoppable offense.

This year, it has been a little bit of both.

While the offense – led by Matt Chin, Michael Chiarella, Jared Volpe, and Chris Crosta – has been consistently strong, the pitching has keyed the GMC tournament run. Brady Meyer threw a complete game four-hitter in a 1-0 opening round win over Sayreville, and then Blake Dunleavy went the distance two nights later in a 1-0 extra inning win over Woodbridge in eight. 

This side of Middlesex, which is 20-2 and seeded second in the GMC Tournament, no one in the county is playing better baseball at the moment than Old Bridge. 

And fittingly, with a spot in the GMC final on the line, it is the Blue Jays who await Old Bridge in Saturday’s second GMC semifinal at East Brunswick Magnet School. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 pm following the opener between five-seed South Plainfield and nine-seed Monroe in the other semifinal.

Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe will have the call on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with coverage beginning at 11:40 am. You can listen to the game here, or watch it all on our YouTube Channel, by clicking here.

Click here to listen to Old Bridge head coach Matt Donaghue with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Justin Sontupe:

by Mike Pavlichko

It’s been a minute: Second-seed Middlesex, defending state Group 1 champs, looking for first GMC Tourney finals berth in 14 years

As a smaller school, albeit one chock full of talent for the better part of two decades now across three different coaches, the GMC Tournament has always been a challenge, often playing against many larger schools with deeper benches.

The Blue Jays have had great success in the state tournament, of course, among similar size schools. Just since COVID, they’ve won two state Group 1 championships: in 2021, the first year after the pandemic shutdown, and last season under first-year head coach Blaze Iannetti.

And you can trace that success – his teams are 43-7 since he took over last year – back to his predecessor, Justin Nastasi, and Mike O’Donnell before him. (O’Donnell is now the athletic director, and GMC baseball co-chair.)

There’s a high bar in Middlesex, and for a second year in a row, they are back in the GMC Tournament semifinals, looking to break through and get back to the championship game after falling one game short last year, falling to Edison in the semis, 3-0.

Saturday, the second-seeded, GMC White Division champion Blue Jays (20-2) will play third-seed Old Bridge (16-8) in the Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament semifinals at East Brunswick Magnet School. First pitch is set for 2:30, with pregame following our first game of the day, between five-seed South Plainfield and nine-seed Monroe at noon.

Coverage begins at 11:40 am with Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe. You can listen to the game here, or watch on our YouTube Channel here.

In a sports world where fundamentals sometimes lack, there’s no worry about that with Middlesex. Sure, they might have a rough day in the field once in a while, maybe misplay a ball, or maybe a hitter is in a slump. But they don’t make the mental mistakes, they don’t throw to the wrong base, or run themselves out of an inning very often – and if that, it might just be a product of being overly aggressive, by design.

With so much back from last year’s Group 1 championship team, it starts with pitching, and the one-two combo of junior Dom Long and senior Chris Kozak, the second of whom cracked the 200 strikeout mark earlier this month, and the first of whom will get the ball Saturday against the Knights.

Long is 7-0 (Kozak is 5-0), and has a 1.71 ERA. He likes to work quickly, and get into a groove early. He’s all business.

The team has fun, of course, but they know the goal, and have high standards.

At the plate, the team is hitting .313, and nearly every starter is over the .300 mark, reflecting incredible balanced top-to-bottom, and a bottom third of the order than can turn the lineup over, even if it means playing small ball.

Click here to listen to Middlesex head coach Blaze Iannetti talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by justinsontupe

Ninth-seed Monroe seeks its highest point of rollercoaster season, trip to title game in GMC Tourney semifinals

Are the ninth-seeded Monroe Falcons, at 11-12 and a win away from a trip to the county title game a Cinderella?

It’s tough to say.

The lows have been low: losses in eight of nine entering the Jim Muldowney GMC Championship Tournament. But the highs have been very high: a 5-1 start and a mid-April upset win over perennial state power Red Bank Catholic. To date, it’s the only victory by a GMC team over a club currently ranked in the state Top 20 all season long.

“I told the guys we’ve just got to stay consistent,” said Monroe head coach Sean Field. “We’re built for the playoffs. The games that we’ve lost, we’ve been right in them right till the very end. Once the playoffs come, we’ve got to start playing our best baseball, and that’s what we’ve been doing.”

The Falcons took down 8th-seeded Colonia, 9-2, in the tournament’s first round on Monday. Ben Faigin, who is penciled in as Monroe’s semifinal starter, struck out 13 batters in a complete game effort.

Monroe followed that by taking care of top-seeded Edison, 9-1, in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Faigin launched a two-run home run and Andre Love struck out 11 Eagles in a complete game of his own.

Senior catcher Justin Mangano has been the catalyst at the top of the lineup. He has 6 hits and 3 RBIs over the two GMC tournament games.

In what has been a season of ups and downs, the Falcons find themselves in position to do something the school hasn’t done since 2017: play in a GMC final. South Plainfield (13-10) – which has already beaten Monroe twice this season – stands in the way at East Brunswick Magnet School on Saturday afternoon.

First pitch is set for 12:00 and coverage begins on Central Jersey Sports Radio at 11:40 with Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe on the call.  That’s the first of a doubleheader, with the second game featuring second-seed Middlesex and third-seed Old Bridge. Both games can be heard live by clicking this link, and can also be seen here, with a video stream on our YouTube channel.

Click below to hear Monroe head coach Sean Field with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Justin Sontupe:

by Mike Pavlichko

Gutty South Plainfield has seen veterans influence younger Tigers, seeking second trip to GMC finals in three years

Working class, blue collar, gritty.

That’s a good way to describe South Plainfield, the town, but also a perfect description of South Plainfield baseball.

Each year, the veterans instill that sense – with a little bit of underdog mentality – in the younger payers, sophomores, maybe freshmen, and even the first-time junior or senior starter.

Each year begins with question marks, and head coach Scott Gleichenhaus had many coming into this season, but in 2026 – as in other years – the Tigers have answered the bell.

And now, fifth-seed South Plainfield finds itself a win away from the Jim Muldowney GMC Tournament Championship Game – which will be moving to Rutgers this year, it was just announced Thursday by the league, in a story Central Jersey Sports Radio broke Thursday evening.

To get there, the Tigers will have to beat ninth-seed Monroe (11-12) for a third time this season, when the two play in the tournament semifinals at East Brunswick Magnet School Saturday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for noon as part of a doubleheader that will feature second-seed Middlesex and third-seed Old Bridge at 2:30 pm.

Central Jersey Sports Radio will have both an audio and video stream of the game, with coverage starting at 11:40 am with Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe. You can listen to the game here, and the video – with our audio commentary – can be seen here, on our YouTube channel.

Senior Aiden McCarthy has been one of the veterans tutoring the newcomers on what it means to be a Tiger, but he has also been leading by example. He’ll get the start Saturday afternoon, coming in with a 6-1 record and a 2.67 ERA. But he can hit, too, batting .315 with 22 runs batted in.

South Plainfield also has been strong defensively, an area where Gleichenhaus wasn’t sure how it would turn out after the graduations on shortstop Dan Kapsch and second baseman Nick Irizzary. Anthony Cicenia and Gabe Garcia have taken over those positions, and been more than able. Coupled with veteran speedster Dom Massaro, the school’s all-time hits leader (and 2025 Central Jersey Sports Radio Special Teams Returner of the Year in football) in centerfield, the Tigers are strong up the middle.

Click below to hear South Plainfield head coach Scott Gleichenhaus with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

GMCT Quarterfinal Roundup: Monroe ousts top-seed Edison, Old Bridge wins pitchers duel, Middlesex tops Aquinas, South Plainfield holds off Metuchen

The Jim Muldowney GMC Championship Tournament semifinals are set for Saturday after a wild quarterfinal round on Wednesday.

The biggest story line of the night was top-seed Edison getting eliminated by nine-seed Monroe, which now appears to be the tournament’s Cinderella, having beaten two higher-seeded teams to make it to Saturday’s semis at East Brunswick Magnet School.

Scroll through for full recaps of all games, including links to separate game stories on Edison-Monroe and Middlesex-St. Thomas Aquinas, including postgame interviews and a look ahead to Saturday’s matchups, which can be heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe on the call:

(9) Monroe 9, (1) Edison 0: Coming into the season, the Eagles had three starting pitchers headed to Division 1 schools, a nice luxury to have. And while Mounmouth-bound Connor Murphy has been outstanding, Robert Roma and Dom Innocenti – both of whom will play at Wagner – have been beset by injuries of late. Innocenti hasn’t taken the mound since a 14-0 loss to Woodbridge on April 23, and Roma – though his team won all four games – had only thrown five times for the Eagles, never going more than three innings in each of his last four appearances.

But he had trouble early on Wednesday, facing just four batters and giving up a single, two doubles and a walk, and two runs before being pulled by head coach Vinnie Abene. And Monroe did more damage with three int he second, one in the fourth, and three in the third.

The Falcons pounded out eleven hits, with Alex Marcus picking up four RBIs, while Justin Mangano went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI.

Click here to read Nick Hart’s game story, with postgame reaction from starter Andre Love, catcher Justin Mangano and head coach Sean Field, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

(5) South Plainfield 7, (4) Metuchen 6: The Tigers (13-10) saw a 3-0 lead slip away early, and nearly saw a 7-3 lead go by the boards, but hung on in the end to pull off the upset at Metuchen (16-6).

Dom Massaro went 3-for-5, scoring twice, as did Aiden McCarthy and Andrew Bena, and South Plainfield also capitalized on five Bulldog errors. Bena went 5 2/3 innings and got the win, allowing six runs on eight hits, striking out five, while Jayden Jiminez closed it out.

Massaro led off the game with a double, and after a walk to McCarthy, Bena drove in a run with a double. A sac bunt and a strikeout followed, but a single by Anthony Cicenia to center drove in two to make it 3-0.

But Metuchen clawed right back. James Fenton hit a one-out two-run homer in the bottom of the inning to cut it to 3-2, and Matt Jelleme had an RBI single in the second to even things up.

The two played the next three innings scoreless before South Plainfield burst out with four runs in the top of the sixth. Alex Pigna reached on an error, and Dom Massaro replaced him, reaching on a fielder’s choice to second. McCarthy then followed with a single to right to give the Tigers a 4-3 lead.

But South Plainfield wanted more, and they got it. Bena hit a ball to second and reached on an error, bringing in McCarthy to make it 5-3. Chris Loniewski reached on an error by the shortstop. After Ed Budzinski struck out, Cicenia hit a ball to third, and yet another error allowed him to reach, scored Bena, and gave the Tigers a 6-3 lead. The seventh run came in on a line drive single to left by Gabriel Garcia.

Now, it was Metuchen’s turn to keep things interesting. After a fly ball out, Sean Dereka walked, Ryan Alessi singled, and Mason Messina was plunked by Bena. Joseph Tamburello popped out to short center, leaving the bases loaded with two outs. Jelleme got hit to cut it to 7-4, then James Fenton drove in two with a single to left to make it 7-6, before Cooper Crawford grounded into a fielder’s choice, with Cicenia tossing to second for the force.

South Plainfield had two on with two out in the top of the seventh, but failed to get an insurance run. Then, Metuchen got back to business. After a ground out, Lucas Malamug and Sean Dereka hit back-to-back singles. A line out to right by Alessi made the second out.

Then, with an 0-2 count on the next hitter, Jiminez – who came on in relief with two out in the sixth – stepped off the rubber. Dereka on first took off, and Jiminez threw to the shortstop covering. Now in a rundown, the Tigers saw Malamug off third base, and they threw to the third-baseman Pigna, who tagged Malamug for the final out.

Click here for postgame reaction from South Plainfield head coach Scott Gleichenhaus with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko.

(2) Middlesex 3, (7) St. Thomas Aquinas 0: The Blue Jays are back in the semifinals for a second straight year, thanks in large part to yet another outstanding performance from Chris Kozak, who scattered three hits in a complete-game shutout, taking only 89 pitches to do it.

Scoreless through three, Middlesex broke through in the third with Sean Hughes scoring on a wild pitch, and pinch-hitter extraordinaire Dalton Michael driving in two with a single to left field; all three runs came with two outs, and it was all Middlesex needed.

Click here to read Alec Crouthamel’s game story, with postgame reaction from seniors Chris Kozak, Marcus Lavornia and head coach Blaze Iannetti, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen.

(3) Old Bridge 1, (6) Woodbridge 0: For the second straight game, the Knights (16-8) won a 1-0 game, but this time it was in extra innings, on a walkoff single by Erich Schickschneit. Hits were at a premium, as Old Bridge outhit the Barrons 6-3. And they almost broke the game open in the bottom of the first.

After a one, two, three top of the inning, Chris Crosta led off the home half getting hit by a pitch. Matt Chin struck out, Jared Volpe singled, Rocco Pluchino struck out, and Schickschneit was intentionally walked to load the bases. But Michael Chiarella struck out to end the inning.

All the while, the starting pitchers were dealing. Woodbridge’s Michael Gurovich pitched into the eighth, allowing just three more hits the rest of the game, striking out ten. Blake Dunleavy allowed just three hits and struck out four.

Tied at the end of seven, the game went to extras. Dunleavey threw a solid eighth, getting three groundouts. In the bottom of the inning for Old Bridge, Jared Volpe singled to center with one out. Diego Colon struck out, and Schnickschneit came up. Jared Volpe stole second – his second steal of the game – and on a 1-1 pitch, Schickschneit got the game-winning hit.

It’ll be a second trip to the GMC Tournament semifinals in three years for Old Bridge, which won it all back in 2024.

Click here for postgame reaction from Old Bridge head coach Matt Donaghue with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE:

Jim Muldowney GMC Championship Tournament Semifinals
Saturday, May 16, at East Brunswick Magnet School

  • 12 pm: (5) South Plainfield (13-10) vs. (9) Monroe (10-12)
  • 2:30 pm: (3) Old Bridge (16-8) vs. (2) Middlesex (20-2)

You can hear both games live on Central Jersey Sports Radio with Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe on the call by clicking here.

Jim Muldowney GMC Championship Tournament Final
Saturday, May 23, at East Brunswick Magnet School (2 pm – LIVE on CJSR)

by Nick Hart

Nine-seed Monroe upsets top-seed Edison in dominant road victory, advances to GMC semifinals

It was a cloudy and windy afternoon as the number one seed, Edison, hosted nine-seeded Monroe in the quarterfinals of the Jim Muldowney GMC Tournament, and although the sun didn’t shine, the Falcons (10-12) sure did on the field. 

Monroe wasted no time jumping on the Eagles (15-6) as the first three hitters of the game recorded a hit. First, it was Justin Mangano who started things off with a single, then it was Ben Faigin – Monday’s winning pitcher in an upset of Colonia – who doubled, and both were driven in by an Alex Marcus double to take an early lead. 

In the bottom half of the first, Edison looked like it was ready to answer right back, with two base runners of its own reaching via a pair of walks. With two on and one out it looked as though the Eagles had the Falcons starter, Andre Love, in some early trouble. But Love found his way out of the jam by striking out the next to batters to keep his team’s lead intact. 

After a leadoff single, start the top of the second by Austin Loudin, the next two batters were set down, but the lineup had flipped back up to the top. Mangano singled once again, bringing up Faigin, who launched a three-run homer to left-center field that sent his team and the Monroe faithful into a frenzy. 

On the other side of the inning, love continued to settle in, setting down Edison in order, picking up another pair of strikeouts. 

The Eagles found some success in the third, but were only able to push across one run on an RBI double from Ray Tavarez. 

With a five-run advantage, the sentiment in the Falcons’ dugout seemed to be that no matter the lead, no number would suffice. Monroe proceeded to tack on an additional run in the top of the fourth and three more in the top of the fifth with RBIs from Marcus in both frames, Mangano in the fifth, as well as a run driven in by Tyler Bacon.

In the bottom half of those innings, Edison could not string together much success against Love on the mound. The Eagles went down in order in the fourth, and sent four to the plate in the fifth, thanks to a two-out triple from Robert Roma, which resulted in no runs.

Love found the same success in the bottom of the sixth, retiring Edison, one, two, three, with another pair of strikeouts. Approaching his pitch limit in the bottom of the seventh, Love needed to be efficient in order to complete the game, and that is just what he was. With the first to batters of the inning retired on groundouts, Love punctuated his standout performance with a strikeout, his 11th of the ballgame. 

To have a stat line of seven innings pitched, three hits, one run and 11 strikeouts is impressive in its own right, but to do so against the top team in the GMC tournament adds just another level to Love’s outing.

The top of the Falcons’ order also had a stellar performance, with each of the top three hitters in the lineup reaching base three or more times. 

Next up for Monroe is a matchup against the five seed, South Plainfield in the semi-finals of the Jim Muldowney GMC Tournament after the Tigers defeated Monroe 7-6 in their quarterfinal matchup.  That game will be played at noon, and you can hear it live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe on the call. 

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Nick Hart with Monroe pitcher Andre Love, catcher Justin Mangano and head coach Sean Field, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Middlesex pitcher Chris Kozak (12) throws a pitch.
by Alec Crouthamel

Two-seed Middlesex shuts down seven-seed St. Thomas Aquinas 3-0, advances to GMC semifinals for second straight year

If you’ve seen Middlesex win one baseball game, you’ve likely seen a hundred of them.

The Blue Jays (20-2, 13-1) have a formula, and execute it well. A gem from one of their “bulldog” aces. Innings where they feed off of each other’s at-bats and stack up runs. Some clutch pinch hitting. And of course, timely defensive plays.

Second-seeded Middlesex got all of that in its 3-0 win over seventh-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas in the Jim Muldowney GMC Championship Tournament quarterfinals, moving onto the semifinals for the second straight year.

While the Blue Jays didn’t pile on as many station-to-station innings as they’re used to, a three-run fourth inning was all they needed with senior pitcher Chris Kozak on the bump.

He went the distance, throwing a complete-game shutout in 89 pitches, allowing just three hits with three strikeouts and two walks.

But the win didn’t come without some adversity. With their backs against the wall, the Trojans (10-13, 6-8) managed to load the bases with a single, walk, and single with one out in the top of the sixth inning, and the go-ahead run at the plate in starting pitcher Nikash Patel. For the second straight at-bat, Patel came out ambush-style and mashed the first pitch, but it sailed foul over the fence, just barely early on the breaking ball.

Two pitches later, Patel took another opportunity at a ball he liked. He grounded it hard towards senior shortstop Marcus Lavornia. Lavornia took a dive to his right, came up with the ball in his glove, and flipped it to second baseman Anthony Melchiorre.

With the echoing “Get rid of it!” from his coaching staff in the home dugout, Melchiorre fired a laser to first baseman Luke Jones, just barely beating Patel to the spot.

Inning over. No runs scored.

Kozak retired the side in order in 11 pitches the very next inning to end it.

The matchup began as a pitcher’s duel with neither side able to gain an offensive edge. The first 12 batters of the game were retired in order through the first two innings, and each team recorded their first hits of the game in the third inning, but nobody scored.

The opening stretch offered some impressive outfield defense as well, with the wind blowing out to left field on a cool, breezy afternoon at Mountainview Park. That included some catches on the run by Blue Jays centerfielder Dominic Long, and a diving grab by St. Thomas Aquinas left fielder Louie Scaff to end the first inning.

After Kozak worked a nifty pickoff move to retire courtesy runner Junior Perez in the top of the fourth, Middlesex’s offense got going in the bottom half.

Jones started it off with a one-out single, advancing to second on a passed ball. Designated hitter Sean Hughes flew out to left field to record the second out, but the Blue Jays worked some two-out magic.

Long drew a six-pitch walk to put runners on first and second, prompting a pitching change, as the Trojans replaced Patel with freshman third baseman Justin Monterosso. He walked Middlesex third baseman Diego Marcano on four pitches to load the bases to start his outing. Then, with Kozak at the plate, Jones scored on a spiked wild pitch that bounced high in the air to score the game’s first run.

Kozak helped his own cause by re-loading the bases with a five-pitch walk. Second-year skipper Blaze Iannetti then went to pinch-hitting extraordinaire Dalton Michael in a crucial spot.

Michael came out first-pitch swinging, and he lined a fastball into the left-center gap to score Long and Marcano.

St. Thomas Aquinas made another pitching change, inserting junior Chris Gutauskas, who induced an inning-ending groundout to get out of the jam.

The three-run frame was all the Blue Jays needed to come away victorious.

The Trojans did put up a fight in the sixth, but Kozak regained his composure with an easy-looking seventh inning. He threw over 15 pitches in just two innings, trusting his defense and inducing soft contact. He earned the win in his shutout performance.

Patel was given the loss in 3.2 innings, allowing two hits and two earned runs, with three strikeouts and two walks. Gutauskas retired all seven batters he faced in relief.

Middlesex advances to the championship tournament semifinals for the second straight year after doing so last year as the ten-seed.

The Blue Jays will face off against third-seeded Old Bridge — who outlasted six-seeded Woodbridge 1-0 in eight innings Wednesday — on Saturday at East Brunswick Magnet High School. Middlesex is looking for its first GMC Championship appearance since it won the title back in 2012.

Click below for postgame reaction from Middlesex head coach Blaze Iannetti and seniors Chris Kozak and Marcus Lavornia, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen: