Tag: HS Baseball

by Mike Pavlichko

Bridgewater-Raritan still figuring things out as Panthers head up to Watchung Hills seeking series split

A look at the score from Tuesday’s 9-1 loss to Watchung Hills doesn’t quite tell the whole story of how that game went down.

It was a 2-1 game until Bridgewater-Raritan got dinked and dunked to the tune of four runs by the Warriors, and it ended up being a 9-1 final.

Maybe a more experienced team wins that game later in the season. Maybe without early-season pitch limits set by coaches so they don’t burn out arms in April, Kellan Komline goes a little longer.

They’re not excuses, but the reality of the situation. Then again, all you can do is get back on the horse, and try, try again.

That’s what the Panthers will do on Thursday afternoon when they travel up to Warren Township for the finale of the two-game home-and-home set against Watchung Hills. That’s a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with first pitch at 4 pm and pregame at 3:40, with Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel on the call. Click here to listen.

Komline is one of the biggest returning veterans. He’s 1-1 on the season, and has struck out 14, walking eight, while allowing five earned runs, seven total.

He and catcher and fellow senior Michael Lobosco are the only two full-time returning starters from last season. Lobosco hit .295 last year with eleven runs batted in. Komline threw 41 innings, with a 0.68 ERA, while hitting .272 at the plate, playing centerfield when he wasn’t on the mound.

And yet, this season’s top two hitters – yes, it’s early still – are freshmen. There’s Nick Spirra, who’s likely to start at second base Thursday, hitting .417 with a team-best five RBIs, while leadoff hitter Andrew Schmeider – a rightfielder with a “physicality you don’t see much in a freshman,” according to head coach Max Newill, it 4-for-8 on the year with three runs batted in, and already a team-high six walks.

That’s just what you want for a leadoff hitter. Now – with just five regulars hitting better than .200 – the Panthers hope that hitting truly is contagious, and will work its way down through the rest of the lineup.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with Bridgewter-Raritan head coach Max Newill about the first week of the season, and Thursday’s game against Watchung Hills:

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY: East Brunswick Magnet 17, New Brunswick 10

Despite jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, East Brunswick Magnet had to rally late, scoring 12 runs combined in the fifth and sixth innings to beat New Brunswick, 17-10, and sweep a two-game series from the Zebras in GMC Blue Division action.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Nick Hart call all the play-by-play live from Ray Cipperly Field at East Brunswick Magnet School in East Brunswick on April 7, 2026.

by Mike Pavlichko

Slugfest with with a little something for everyone ends in 17-10 victory for East Brunswick Magnet over New Brunswick, sweeping season series

On a bright, sunny, but turning blustery cold day in the shadows of the dying Brunswick Square Mall and its big blue water tower, East Brunswick Magnet completed a two-game series sweep of New Brunswick Tuesday, with a 17-10 home in in GMC Gold Division action heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

That was the main story, but this one? Well, it had all the components of the wildest game you’ve ever seen.

There were multiple dropped balls on a day with 15-to-20 mile per hour winds, and a stark sun still fairly low in the sky as is typical of early April. New Brunswick arrived just ten minutes before the scheduled first pitch, which officially was thrown at 4:23 pm. There was a 4-6-3 double play where the second baseman booted the ball, but right to the shortstop who was standing on the bag to get to first out. And ground balls died a quick death on the choppy early-season infield grass – which sprouts right up after Spring rain.

Oh, and there were a combined 27 runs scored between the two teams in a game which, had it gone on much longer, might have been called due to darkness. By the time Dariel Rodriguez struck out swinging to end the ballgame at 7:22 pm, the sun had already been below the tree line on the other side of Summerhill Road for a good five to ten minutes.

And yet, this one could have been over early.

East Brunswick Magnet, coming off a 17-4 win Monday in New Brunswick – where they led 13-0 heading to the bottom of the fifth before the Zebras forced a sixth-inning with a grand slam by Jose Abreu, only to fall 17-4 in six – picked up right where it left off less than 24 hours prior, scoring four runs off New Brunswick starter Jacob Henderson.

The Zebras – whose lineup is half freshman coming off a season where they beat the Tigers in the GMC Invitational title game – could have folded then. They could have sulked and packed it in, turning the page to Wednesday’s game against neighboring North Brunswick.

But they didn’t. They came back with three in the second to cut the deficit to one. Then, after Magnet added a run in the third, tied the game 5-5 with two runs in the fourth. And they seemed to blow it open with four runs in the top of the fifth to go ahead 9-5.

But that’s when East Brunswick Magnet had enough, and did all the damage they needed to. They sent eleven men to the plate in the fifth, and scored seven runs to take a 12-9 lead. Then did the same in the sixth scoring five runs to take a 17-9 lead.

Highlights for the Tigers? Starting pitcher Joshua Carreras – though the sophomore didn’t get the win – pitched four inning, allowing just three hits, five runs – but only two earned – and struck out seven. But he had an even better day at the plate, scoring twice, and hitting a bases-clearing three-RBI triple in the fifth to give his team the lead, for good.

There was also second-baseman Braeden Cullen, who had a double and an RBI in the first innings, scored three times, and had an RBI sac fly to center in the decisive fifth inning.

And all nine positions in the batting order scored; the only starter not to cross the plate was catcher Andrew Teleposky, and only because he had a courtesy runner. But he still reached base five times.

In the end, the win went to Jack Clements in relief, who pitched two and two-thirds innings, gave up one hit, one unearned run, and struck out seven; it was his first victory of the season. Misael Dura took the loss for New Brunswick, allowing seven runs in just an inning-and-a-third, but wasn’t helped by the defense behind him; only four of those runs were earned.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Nick Hart with East Brunswick Magnet head coach Sean Radu and sophomore pitcher Joshua Carreras, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Nick Hart

After nabbing first win, East Brunswick Magnet looks to build momentum and solidify lineup against New Brunswick

After a 20-6 record last season and a trip to the GMC’s Ray Cipperly Invitational Final, East Brunswick Magnet expected to start off 2026 on a tear. Not only did the Tigers have the taste of success on their tongues, but they also returned a majority of their roster, graduating just four seniors. 

Despite this, East Brunswick Magnet dropped its first two games of the season to red-hot Carteret (5-0), a one-run loss to open the season and a six-run defeat to follow. Charlie Misura pitched a complete game for the Tigers in the opening loss, giving up just four hits and one walk, as the bats fell just short of securing a victory. 

Fortunately for East Brunswick Magnet, the offense would come to life in Game Three of the young campaign, hanging 17 runs on New Brunswick Monday afternoon en route to a 17-4 road victory. Five different players recorded multiple hits for the Tigers, highlighted by a four-hit, three RBI day from Joshua Carreras. 

The rematch comes less than 24 hours after Monday’s final out, at 4 pm Tuesday at Racy Cipperly Field, in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Mike Pavlichko and Nick Hart have the call, with pregame starting at 3:45. Click here to listen.

The all-around offensive outpouring Monday was a welcome sight for the Tigers, who are still trying to solidify a starting lineup early this year.

Through three games this season, head coach Sean Radu has seen a slew of different combinations in the infield, as well as three different players recording a start in right field. 

With all the uncertainty surrounding the lineup and expectations for this season, one thing has become evident to coach Radu: new leaders must step up and lead the squad. 

Two of the bigger losses the Tigers suffered impacted both the lineup and the rotation, with Tommy O’Neill and Nomar Carreras graduating. 

O’Neill touted an impressive .370 batting average to go along with an equally impressive 1.40 ERA in his senior season. Carreras, on the other hand, hit .392 while pitching 36.1 innings, striking out 62 batters in the process. 

Click below to hear East Brunswick Magnet head coach Sean Radu talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Nick Hart about the 2026 season so far, and going for the series sweep Tuesday afternoon against New Brunswick:

by Mike Pavlichko

Young New Brunswick squad still learning the game as Zebras head to East Brunswick Magnet seeking first win, series split

Knowing you have a young team coming back that graduated a slew of seniors, it’s not always going to be smooth sailing.

But New Brunswick baseball head coach Nico Vargas is playing the long game, teaching the kids, instilling a sense of doing things the right way, with the assumption – often correct – that the wins will come.

It’s happened before.

The Zebras won four combined games in 2021 and 2022, then went 1-12 under Gino Maribella in 2023.

Enter Vargas, and New Brunswick added six more wins in Vargas’ first season, 2024, then went 15-3 last year en route to winning the Ray Cipperly GMC Invitational Tournament over East Brunswick Magnet.

The two rematched Monday, with the Tigers picking up a lopsided win, 17-4, and will play the second of the home-and-home Tuesday afternoon at 4 pm in East Brunswick, in a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Mike Pavlichko and Nick Hart have the call with pregame at 3:45; click here to listen.

It’s those four runs from Monday’s game that Vargas is focused on, for a number of reasons.

Trailing 13-0 after four-and-a-half innings of play, the Zebras could have packed it in. Instead, they loaded the bases for one of their veterans, Jose Abreu, and all he did was hit a grand slam to extend the game at least one more inning.

Nevermind that East Brunswick Magnet got those four back in the top of the sixth, and won it by blanking the Zebras in the bottom of the inning. At this point, accentuate the positive, and hope the old adage that “hitting is contagious” holds true Tuesday afternoon.

It’ll help they’ll have the outstanding Jacob Henderson on the mound. He held Piscataway last week through five innings, taking a 2-1 lead into the sixth. A bloop, a walk and a home run opened the floodgates, and the Zebras took a 5-2 decision, but still, it was something off which New Brunswick can build.

Click below to hear New Brunswick baseball coach Nico Vargas talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko about the 2026 season, and Tuesday’s matchup at East Brunswick Magnet:

by Mike Pavlichko

A new No. 1 baseball team in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, while a tumultuous week adds four new clubs to the mix

There were some great games, big wins, and some pleasant surprises through the first week of the high school baseball season in New Jersey. And while there’s a lot more baseball to be played, there are four new teams joining the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten in Week One, with a brand-new No. 1 team.

St. Joseph-Metuchen – last year’s GMC Tournament champion at 16-7 – has gotten off to a surprising 0-4 start. And while they’ll still likely be in the mix as we get closer to county tournament season, the winless start has made room for a new No. 1, with nine of the ten teams in this week’s rankings being unbeaten

The new No. 1 team is Immaculata (3-0), the defending Somerset County Tournament champs. The Spartans opened upo with a sweep of Hillsborough, wininng 3-0 on the road Tuesday, then 3-0 at Diamond Nation in Flemington Thursday before taking a 5-3 home decision over West Essex on Saturday.

The three teams right behind the Spartans all moved up a notch as well, and all are undefeated.

Ridge (3-0) is in second, picking up victories over three different teams to open 2026. They won 7-4 at West Morris Tuesday, then opened Skyland Conference play with an 11-1, five-inning win over Montgomery Thursday, followed by a 4-0 shutout win at Rutgers Prep Saturday.

In third is defending state Group 1 champion Middlesex (3-0). The Blue Jays avenged a season sweep at the hands of Spotswood last year with a 6-1 Opening Day win over the Chargers at home, then a 12-1 (full seven-inning game) win at “The Swamp” on Thursday. They topped Perth Amboy on Saturday at home, 4-2.

And in fourth is Edison (3-0). GMCT finalists from a year ago, they won their opener Tuesday at Old Bridge, then two straight at home: 2-1 over the Knights on Thursday, and 5-4 in eight innings on Saturday over South Plainfield, rallying with two runs in the seventh to send it to extras.

Moving up two spots to fifth is South Plainfield (2-1). Before the loss to Edison Saturday, they swept a season-opening home-and-home with then-No. 1 St. Joe’s, 11-1 in five in Metuchen on Tuesday, then 6-2 at home on Thursday.

Joining the rankings at No. 6 is Monroe (3-0). The Falcons swept East Brunswick in its first two games – with a 10-7 Opening Day road win on Tuesday, and a 5-2 win at home Thursday – then beat previously-No. 1 St. Joseph Saturday in Metuchen, 6-2.

Up one place to seventh is Colonia (2-0). The Patriots beat Metuchen on Tuesday, 2-1, and after the Bulldogs rescheduled their Thursday meeting for later in the season, beat in-town rival JFK 13-3 in five innings Saturday.

The last three teams all are new to the rankings, starting with South Brunswick (3-0) at No. 8. The Vikings swept Perth Amboy to open the season, 13-2 at home Tuesday, then 8-6 at home on Thursday. Saturday, they picked up a 1-0 win at Sayreville.

At nine is Carteret (4-0) out of the GMC Blue, which scored 40 runs in four games over the first week. After a 4-3 home win Monday over East Brunswick Magnet, the Ramblers beat the Tigers on the road Wednesday, 12-6, then won 13-8 at North Plainfield on Thursday, and 11-1 Saturday at home against Long Branch out of the Shore Conference.

And at ten is Bernards (2-0). The Mountaineers were 8-1 winners on Opening Day Monday against Summit, and beat Del Val at home 4-0 on Wednesday.

Dropping out were No. 1 St. Joseph-Metuchen (0-4), as well as No. 8 Hillsborough, No. 9 Old Bridge, and No. 10 Woodbridge, the last three all 1-3 on the season.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

No. 5 Edison forces extras, then walks it off on Lutz single in 8th to top No. 7 South Plainfield 5-4, in wild finish to battle of unbeatens

Early on, even though the home team scratched across a run in the first, it looked like No. 5 Edison and No. 7 South Plainfield would be tangled in a pitchers’ duel on a beautiful Saturday morning on the red turf along the Boulevard of Eagles.

Jayden Jiminez settled in for the Tigers, pitching to contact.  Edison’s Dom Innocenti struck out five of the first six batters he faced.

Eventually, South Plainfield got on the board, taking a 3-2 lead with two runs in the sixth, then adding an insurance run in the top of the seventh to give Tigers a 4-2 advantage.

But Edison scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to send it to extra innings.  And after a one-two-theee top of the eighth by Braydon Roma in relief, Isaiah Lutz drove in the game winner in the bottom of the frame with a single to center with the bases loaded and two out.

Darren Tirado got the offense started, as he led off the bottom of the first with a double to the gap in left, and after a strikeout of Robert Roma, starting pitcher Dom Innocenti – who was throwing heat early and struck out the side in the top of the first – singled to make it 1-0 Edison.

South finally broke through in the top of the fourth.  Aiden McCarthy led with a single, took second during the next at bat, and after Chris Loniewksi struck out,  Andrew Bena singled to right to tie the game at one.

Edison went back in front in the bottom of the fifth.  Connor Murphy led off with a double, a sac bunt moved him to third, and Damien Calendra singled him in to make it 2-1 Eagles.

But South Plainfield went ahead in the sixth. Dom Massaro got hit by a pitch to lead it off, stile second, and came around to score on a double by Aiden McCarthy. Chris Loniewski walked to put runners on first and second for Bena, who grounded to short. Ray Tavarez went to second for the first out, but Connor Murphy’s throw went past first, allowing McCarthy to score, making it 3-2 Tigers. Innocenti would get a pop up and stirkeout to end the inning.

The seventh would bring the Tigers a much-needed insurance run. With one out, Joe Stanzione reached on an infield hit up the middle. Pinch-hitter Mike Fiore walked, so did Massaro, and with the bases loaded, McCarthy knocked in a run to make it 4-2 with sacrifice fly to center. A strikeout ended the inning.

But in the bottom of the seventh, Edison would tie it, with a little bit of controversy. Murphy hit a hard ground ball to third, and reached on a throwing error. Lutz hit a double to drive him in and bring Edison within one. That’s when things got interesting.

Calandra was called on to bunt, and it was fielded by pitcher Jayden Jiminez. But the ball was to the first base side, and by the time he fielded it, he chose to make a tag instead of tossing to first, but the umpires ruled he missed the tag. Tigers’ head coach Scott Gleichenhaus came out to argue, saying not only did Jiminez make the tag, but that Calandra went out of the base path to avoid the tag. The umpires discussed, upheld the call, and Gleichenhaus continued to argue, but to no avail.

The play moved Murphy to third, and with Aidan Kaplan on in relief, Tirado grounded to third, scoring Murphy and tying the game at four. But South Plainfield held there. Robert Roma hit a sharp liner to short, which went off Calandra’s shoulder, and he was called out for interference, then with Innocenti at the plate, Roma was thrown out trying to steal second on the first pitch to end the inning.

Braydon Roma, now in his second inning of relief for Edison, got the Tigers in order in the top of the eighth, and the Eagles’ bats did their thing.

Damian Calandra gives Edison a 2-1 lead over South Plainfield in the fifth inning, driving in Connor Murphy from third on April 4, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

Innocenti led with an infield hit to short, where the throw may have pulled the first baseman off the bag, but he appeared to beat it out anyway. After Sam Kentos struck out, Ray Tavarez was intentionally walked after one pitch, and Kaplan retired Brayden Toma with a strikeout. But by now, Edison had second and third on a pair of wild pitches.

That brought Lutz to the plate, and he quickly roped a single to center, scoring Innocenti, and giving Edison a 5-4 win in eight innings.

Braydon Roma got the win in relief in his first appearance of the season for Edison (3-0), while Adian Kaplan took the loss in relief for the Tigers (2-1)

Cllick below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko with Edison senior Isaiah Lutz and head coach Vinnie Abene, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

No. 4 Middlesex uses solid outing from Long, late offensive outburst to pick up 12-1 win, sweep season-opening series from Spotswood

It was no secret how good the Middlesex baseball team could be this year, coming off a state Group 1 championship with a vast majority of the team coming back.

And in the first two games of the season, the fourth-ranked Blue Jays lived up to that expectation, finishing off a two-game sweep of Spotswood Thursday with a 12-1 road win – heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio to improve to 2-0 on the season.

The game was actually a tight pitchers’ duel for the first five innings. Middlesex took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, as Dylan Ianiero doubled to the warning track in left, then moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a second, which turned out to be ball four to starter Dom Long.

But at least through the fifth, that was it. The Jays threatened a couple of times, while Long no-hit the Chargers through the first five innings, retiring his all of the first 16 batters he faced.

Everything changed in the sixth inning. After a Chris Kozak pop up to short, Diego Marcano walked, and Anthony Melchiorre drove him in with a double to the wall in right. Leadoff hiter Lucas Blanco walked as well, and Dylan Ianiero knocked in Melchiorre with a single. Long walked to load the bases.

Sean Hughes came up and grounded one back to starter Leo Carone, who threw home to get the force. But catcher Dylan Melczer couldn’t handle the throw, it got by him, and two more runs came in to make it 5-0 Middlesex. And after a Marcus Lavornia walk, Devin Jackson knocked in two with an RBI single to make it 7-0.

Spotswood finally broke through in he bottom of the inning. With one out, Carone reached on an infield hit – a hard-hit ball behind the second base bag that Melchiorre fielded, but couldn’t get out of his glove in time to make a play at first – then nine-hitter Mike Palumbo doubled to move Carone to third. He later scored on a sac fly to center by leadoff man Gavin Romeo, but that was all they’d get.

With Carone out of the game for Spotswood, Middlesex added five more in the seventh, with the big highlight a two-run homer by Lucas Blanco, the first of his career.

Carone took the loss for Spotswood, going five innings, allowing eight hits and seven runs, four of them earned. He also struck out four. Long went six innings for Middlesex, allowing two hits and one earned run, striking out eight. Jackson finished off the seventh for the Jays.

Click below for postgame reaction from Middlesex head coach Blaze Iannetti and starting pitcher Dom Long, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Coming off emotional Opening Day, Middlesex looks to return the favor, sweep Spotswood

To so the Middlesex baseball program – or even the entire town – had a difficult, trying, emotional off-season would be a hideous understatement, and words probably can’t even do it justice.

The death of teammate James Matula in November in a car crash in upstate New York shocked the community, the school, and the baseball program to its core.

Not that you ever put it behind you, but it was surely good to get back on the baseball field in the preseason, but many of those emotions came rushing back Tuesday as the fourth-ranked Blue Jays opened their 2026 season without No. 1, James Matula.

His family was there for an Opening Day ceremony to once again pay tribute to the young man who would have been a senior on a loaded Middlesex team looking to defend its Central Jersey and state Group One championships.

They got through it all, getting on the board early, in a 6-1 home win over Spotswood. Thursday afternoon, they will visit the Chargers for a 3 pm game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with an eye on sweeping the season series, and turning the tables on a Spotswood team that was the only club to beat the Blue Jays twice last season.

You can hear the game live, with pregame at 2:45 and Mike Pavlichko on the call. Click here to listen.

Middlesex loses some key seniors, to be sure, mainly Dom Parenti and Owen Reynolds, but the vast majority of the lineup is back, including top returning hitter Dominc Long (.346, 16 RBI), who also will take the mound Thursday. Long, as a sophomore last season, led the team in innings pitched, and was 12-0 with a 1.37 ERA and 72 strikeouts.

He’s part of a 1-2 punch with Chris Kozak, who last season as a junior was 6-4, but with a 0.90 earned run average.

Click below to hear Middlesex head coach Blaze Iannetti talk about the season and Thursday’s game against Spotswood with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko: