The Middlesex baseball team is back in the state finals for the second time in five years – after winning it all in 2021 – after a 4-3 win over Schalick in the state Group 1 semifinals. Pinch-hitter Dalton Michael won it with a single to left field, driving in Marcus Lavornia for the walk-off.
Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko call all the action, as heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio from Mountainview Park in Middlesex on June 9, 2025:
GAME COVERAGE:
Hillsborough baseball head coach Matt Mosko, addressing his team after the Raiders’ 11-0 loss to Cherokee in the NJSIAA Group 4 semifinals, gave a poignant message to his players despite the defeat.
Remember this, because you will be remembered.
As the nine seed in the Central Jersey Group 4 sectional tournament, Hillsborough went on a run not seen in 13 years, winning the Raiders’ first sectional title since 2012. Their season came to an end on their home field Monday at the hands of the Chiefs, who are looking to break a drought of their own, looking for their first state title since 1985.
Cherokee got going in a hurry, using an eight-run second inning to take a lead it would never relinquish, and won in five innings, also thanks to a record-breaking outing from its star pitcher.
As is customary for postseason time, the game saw a battle of two top arms. Brayden Fox took the mound for Hillsborough, while the Chiefs gave the ball to top southpaw and Rutgers commit Henry Radbill.
Fox had a solid start, retiring the first two batters he saw with soft contact. Left fielder Alex Odud hit a double to the centerfield wall with two outs, but Fox kept his composure and struck out shortstop Jason Brown swinging to get out of the inning clean.
Radbill immediately set the tone for his outing from the start, striking out his first two batters and inducing a flyout to send the side down in order. His velocity was not overwhelming, but his pinpoint accuracy and placement left little to no room for the Raiders’ hitters to get good contact.
In the top of the second inning, Cherokee spelled trouble for Hillsborough immediately. Second baseman Brett Jackson drew a five-pitch walk, and catcher Mason Kelleher launched a home run to left-center field to strike first and take a 2-0 lead. Two more Chiefs reached base after, with first baseman Nate Linden and Radbill both legging out infield singles.
Fox struck out right fielder Steve Barbagiovanni to record the first out, but he did not get much relief from there with the lineup card flipping over.
Leadoff batter and centerfielder Cooper Burti singled to score Linden, and third baseman Brett Chiesa reached on a fielder’s choice at third base to keep the runners on first and second with two outs.
They did not stay there for long.
Odud hit his second double of the day, this time bringing in two runs, to push the lead to 5-0. Brown – the ninth batter of the inning – reached on an error after a trio of Raider fielders could not come up with a fly ball in shallow left field, scoring Odud. Then Jackson, in his second at-bat of the frame, hit a long home run to straightaway center field to make it an eight-spot in the second inning and force Fox out of the game.
Sam Malone came out of the bullpen and allowed a double from Kelleher before getting Linden to ground out to end the inning. Cherokee scored eight runs on seven hits in the second inning and cruised from there.
Much of the cruising was done by Radbill, who continued his strong outing even with the big offensive cushion. Fox reached on an error to start the bottom of the second, but Radbill retired the next three batters with a groundout, strikeout, and flyout.
Malone rebounded nicely in the third, facing the minimum after a leadoff single, double play, and strikeout, while Radbill went back to his usual intensity in the bottom half. Hillsborough right fielder Shane Khurana walked to lead off, but the next three batters went down by way of a strikeout.
The first, right fielder Jason Williams, went down on a full count, giving Radbill his fourth strikeout of the game and his 93rd of the year, breaking the school’s single-season record. He struck out four more Raiders in the outing, giving him eight for the day and 97 on the year. Radbill got behind multiple batters in the inning, but battled back each time and came out on top.
In the top of the fourth, the Chiefs did even more damage and set themselves up to head home early. After Chiesa grounded out to start, Odud and Brown both walked in back-to-back plate appearances, putting two runners on base with one out. Malone got Jackson to fly out to center, but that put him up against Kelleher with two outs.
Cherokee’s All-Olympic Conference catcher made Hillsborough pay once again, crushing a long three-run home run down the right-field line, and giving the Chiefs an 11-0 lead.
Aidan Cooper came in to relieve Malone after the home run and got a walk and a flyout to get out of the fourth. In the bottom half, Fox notched the Raiders’ first hit of the game with a one-out single, but never made it past first base after a strikeout and groundout.
Cooper retired the side in order in the top of the fifth for the first time in the game, giving Hillsborough one last chance to bat.
With the game in hand, Mosko gave some of his seniors a chance to bat. Catchers Garrett Herndon and Mark Ward both reached base with a walk and a fielder’s choice on back-to-back at-bats, and outfielder Rahil Shah grounded out to end the game.
Radbill finished yet another shutout outing – his third of the season – and moved to 8-0 with a five-inning victory, allowing just one hit and no runs with two walks and eight strikeouts. He moved to 8-0 on the year.
Fox took the loss for Hillsborough, allowing eight runs – five earned – in one and two-thirds innings, with seven hits, two strikeouts, and a walk. In relief, Malone pitched two innings, allowing three runs on three hits, with two walks and a strikeout. Cooper closed his season pitching a shutout inning and a third without a hit, with a walk and strikeout.
The Chiefs improve to 26-3 and advance to Saturday’s Group 4 championship against North 2 Group 4 champion Westfield, after the Blue Devils defeated Passaic Tech 4-1 on Monday.
The Raiders’ surprise run and season come to an end at 14-11, snapping a six-game winning streak since the Somerset County Tournament loss to Immaculata. In those six games, however, Hillsborough baseball’s 2025 team became one that will be remembered throughout the halls on Raider Boulevard.
Click below for postgame reaction from Hillsborough head coach Matt Mosko, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:
With apologies to the great Mel Allen: Well, how about that?
Down 3-1 through two-and-a-half innings to Schalick at home in the Group 1 semifinals, Middlesex scored three unanswered runs – two in the bottom of the third to tie it and one in the eighth to win it – as they advanced to Saturday’s NJSIAA State Group 1 final with a 4-3, eight-inning win at Mountainview Park, as heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio Monday afternoon.
The hero was Dalton Michael, who pinch hit for Sean Hughes with Marcus Lavornia on second, following a double. On a 2-2 pitch – Michael rocketed a single to left field. Lavornia made the turn and headed home. The throw from Evan Sepers in left sailed over the catcher, Lavornia stepped on home, and chaos ensued.
It was eerily similar to 2021, when Middlesex – also trailing by two – won in the state semis on a walk off grand slam by Bobby Ulmer, Jr. And that year, the Blue Jays would go on to win the Group 1 title on another walk off, in 13 innings against New Providence.
Middlesex (22-5) got on the board first, in the bottom of the first, when Dom Parenti led off with a solo home run, his second of the year, and just the third of the season for the Blue Jays.
But Schalick (25-3) got three in the top of the third off starter Chris Kozak, who had only faced one above the minimum, seven batters, through the first two innings. With two out and a man on first, Ricky Watt singled to put two on, Evan Sepers doubled to score one, and starting pitcher Jamari Whitley doubled to plate two, giving the Cougars a 3-1 lead.
But the Jays got two back in the bottom of the inning. Dylan Ianiero walked to lead off the inning, and after a strikeout, Owen Reynolds singled. After a fly out, Marcus Lavornia reached on a ground ball misplayed at second, then Sean Hughes scored Ianiero with a single to cut it to 3-2. The game was tied with Kozak at the plate, when Reynolds came home on a wild pitch.
Neither team got much going the rest of the way, and both starters came out with the game tied.
Middlesex had just two baserunners since the third as the Blue Jays headeed into the bottom of the eighth, after Dominic Long came in from centerfield to pitch for Kozak, and got two Ks sandwiched around a walk to strand two.
Owen Reynolds struck out, and Luke Jones flied out to left. But Marcus Lavornia doubled, and it would have brought up Hughes, who already had an RBI single, probably all they would have needed at that point. But head coach Blaze Ianneti put in junior Dalton Michael, a regular pinch-hitter.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Long (11-1) got the win in relief for Middlesex, while the loss went to Schalick reliever Lucas D’Agostino (4-2).
Next up, Middlesex will face Midland Park – the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1 champ, which blanked North 2 champion Brearley 4-0 at home Monday – in the state Group 1 championship game at Veterans’ Park in Hamilton. Game time is scheduled for 1 pm.
Click below for postgame reaction, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:
While the top two teams remained the same, Hillsborough made a big jump from the ten spot last week to No. 3 as the Raiders stunned previous No. 6 and second-seed Old Bridge with ten unanswered runs to win the Central Jersey Group 4 championship back on Thursday.
No. 1 still belongs to St. Joseph-Metuchen (16-7) – at least for now – even though the Falcons’ season ended with a 6-4 loss at top-seed Christian Brothers Academy in the Non-Public South A semifinals last Wednesday. And Immaculata (17-8) remains at No. 2, with their season ending the week prior with a loss to St. Joe’s in the sectional quarterfinals.
Hillsborough (14-10) moves up seven places from No. 10 after two wins in the state tournament, 10-0 over 12-seed Montgomery in Tuesday’s semifinals, and 13-6 in the CJ4 title game at Old Bridge Thursday. The Raiders have won six straight and are 8-3 since May first.
Down a spot to four is Ridge (20-7), after a 1-2 week. They lost a one-off against DePaul, 11-4, on Monday, before beating Elizabeth, 5-1, in the North 2, Group 4 semifinals Tuesday. But, they lost to Westfield, 9-6, in the sectional title game Thursday.
Up three places to No. 5 is South Plainfield (18-10). The Tigers topped Millburn at home, 8-1, in the North 2, Group 3 semis on Tuesday before hanging on to beat South Plainfield (18-10) – which dropped two spos to No. 7 – in the sectional final, 5-4. The Patriots were 1-1 last week, beating North Hunterdon 1-0 in the sectional semis to get to the title game against South Plainfield.
In between them at No. 6 is Middlesex (21-5). The Blue Jays outscored their opponents 17-1 in two state games last week, beating Shore in the Central Jersey Group 1 semifinals, 10-1, on Tuesday, before reclaiming the title from three-time defending champ Point Pleasant Beach, 7-1, on Friday.
Down two spots to No. 8 is Old Bridge (18-11), which beat Edison, 4-3, in the Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals Tuesday, before losing to Hillsborough 13-6 in the title game Friday.
Edison (17-11) drops to ninth after losing its only game last week, 4-3 to Old Bridge in the Central JErsey Group 4 semifinals.
And falling one spot to tenth was Woodbridge (18-8), which lost its only game, 8-4 on Tuesday to Millburn in the North 2, Group 4 semifinals.
Here’s the complete Week 10 Bellamy & Son Paving High School Baseball Top Ten:
The Hillsborough Raiders won the program’s third NJSIAA sectional championship in baseball – and first since 2012 – with a 13-6 win over Old Bridge at Fred Cole Field on June 5, 2025.
The Raiders came back from a 6-3 deficit after four innings, scoring ten unanswered runs – one in the fifth, four in the sixth, and five in the seventh – to get the victory, putting them into the state Group 4 semifinals on Monday, June 9th, at home against South Jersey Group 4 champions Cherokee.
Here’s Central Jersey Sports Radio’s photo gallery from the game:
The ninth-seeded Hillsborough Raiders overcame a 6-3 deficit, scoring ten runs over the final three innings to beat second-seed Old Bridge, 13-6, in the Central Jersey Group 4 Championship Game. The win was Hillsborough’s third sectional title, and first since 2012.
Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko call all the action, as heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio from Fred Cole Field in Old Bridge on June 5, 2025:
GAME COVERAGE:
Things got off to a great start for the Hillsborough baseball team at Fred Cole Field in Old Bridge Thursday. They got two runs in the first inning on an RBI single by Andrew Advani and a wild pitch, giving starting pitcher James Drinkwater some breathing room before he ever walked up onto the hill.
And Advani knocked in a third run with another single in the second to give the Raiders a three-run lead.
All of it would soon disappear, but then Hillsborough pulled some magic of its own, scoring nine runs over the last two innings to stun top-seed Old Bridge, and give the ninth-seeded Raiders a 13-6 win, and the Central Jersey Group 4 championship.
It was their first state sectional title since 2012 – and third in program history – and will give them a home game Monday in the state Group 4 semifinals against Cherokee (25-3), the South Jersey Group 4 champion and top-seed, which was a 5-4 home winner over Eastern Thursday.
The Raiders (14-10) gave up that 3-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth, when Old Bridge (18-11) sent ten men to the plate, after Drinkwater faced the minimum of nine hitters through the first three.
After the Knights loaded the bases on an infield hit, another single, and an E4, Akhil Penkala – Tuesday night’s hero with the walk-off RBI single against Edison in the semifinals – drove in the first run with a single. Erich Shickschneit flew out to center, but the throw to the plate to keep Chris Crosta from tagging sailed to the backstop, and he scored anyway., Noah Balbuena drove in two with a single to give Old Bridge a 4-3 lead, and after a strikeout, Jason Cota drove in a run with a single, and Jared Volpe did the same to make it 6-3 before John Smith popped up to end the inning.
In the top of the fifth, the Raiders cut the lead to two on a sac fly by Brian Quabeck. And Drinkwater came back out and pitched a solid, scoreless fifth, allowing a one-out singe to Justin Hascup, but stranding him.
Then, the offense went to work. The Raiders got four in the top of the sixth on just two hits and five walks. With the bases loaded, Brayden Fox knocked in two with a single to tie it, and the go-ahead run came in from third on a balk with Ale Reiling at the plate. Quabeck knocked in a fourth run with a single to make it 8-6 ‘Boro, sending ten batters to the plate.
And they weren’t done. Drinkwater was taken out to a standing “O” from the Hillsborough faithful after a leadoff walk, and Aidan Cooper got the next three batters to keep Old Bridge off the board.
Then in the top of the seventh, Hillsborough – now even more determined – left no doubt. They piled on five more runs, thanks to an RBI double by Fox, a two-RBI single by Quabeck, who drove in four on the day, and a two-RBI single by Elijah Dawes, who was cut down trying to reach second.
Old Bridge got a man on with a one-out walk in the seventh, but that was all they could muster, as Cooper closed it out with a fly out to right and a pop up to third-baseman Jason Williams, setting off a raucous celebration.
Click below for postgame reaction presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen, with a more detailed game story to follow later on cjsportsradio.com:
What are the odds two teams with prom on the same night would meet for a title game?
Pretty good, apparently, in North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 of the NJSIAA high school baseball playoffs, as top-seed Colonia will take on third-seed South Plainfield for a championship much earlier than originally anticipated, at 1:00 this afternoon, giving them enough time to get in their tuxes and get in their limos.
But first, baseball.
And again, it’s two teams we figured had a good shot to win this thing. Only one of them can an in all-GMC, Red vs. White Division matchup.
NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 3 CHAMPIONSHIP
Teams:
(1) Colonia Patriots (23-4, 9-3 GMC White Division, 2nd place)
(3) South Plainfield (17-10, 9-5 GMC Red Division, 2nd place)
Head Coaches:
Colonia: Mike Scialfo (7th season, 103-72)
South Plainfield: Scott Gleichenhaus (5th season, 87-39-2)
Date and Time: Thursday, June 5th, 1:00 pm
Location: Colonia, NJ
Follow for Updates: Alec Crouthamel on Twitter
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Colonia
First Round: def. (16) Lincoln, 16-0 (5 inn.)
Quarterfinals: def. (8) Middletown North, 5-0
Semifinals: def. (4) North Hunterdon, 1-0 (10 inn.) (RECAP)
South Plainfield
First Round: def. (14) Rahway, 15-0 (5 inn.)
Quarterfinals: def. (6) Cranford, 5-2
Semifinals: def. (2) Millburn, 8-1
STAT LEADERS:
Colonia:
Batting Average: Dylan Chiera (.427), Colin Kroner, Nicholas Milone (.333), Cory Pascarella (.325)
RBIs: Dylan Chiera, Colin Kroner (24), Joseph Massimino (23), Cory Pascarella (22)
Walks: Matt Fasulo (21), Dylan Chiera, Jake Gotti, Colin Kroner (18)
HR: Matt Fasulo, Colin Kroner, Joseph Massimino, Cory Pascarella, Jayce Rodriuguez (1)
Stolen Bases: Matt Fasulo (3)
Strikeouts (Pitching): Cory Pascarella (123), Colin Kroner (77)
ERA: Cory Pascarella (0.42), Colin Kroner (0.53)
South Plainfield:
Batting Average: Dom Massaro (.406), Nick Irizarry (.372), Aiden McCarthy (.318), Dan Kapsch (.315)
RBIs: Aiden McCarthy (24), Dan Kapsch (23), Dom Massaro (19)
Walks: Aiden McCarthy (25), Dan Kapsch (19), Lorenzo Fuscoletti (17)
HR: Dave Butrico, Dom Massaro (1)
Stolen Bases: Nick irizarry (34), Dom Massaro (28), Dan Kapsch (14)
Strikeouts (Pitching): Kevin Penny (38), Aiden McCarthy (32)
ERA: Jayden Jiminez (0.79), Aiden McCarthy (1.10)
THE LOWDOWN:
It was a stunner in some ways when Colonia lost in the first round of the Jim Muldowney GMC Championship Tournament, not because Middlesex was that much of an underdog, but all year long all anyone heard about was the Patriots’ two stud pitchers. Even if you combine their ERAs, they still don’t total a full run! But that was a pitchers’ duel with Chris Kozak, and someone has to win it (unless it’s a regular season game, and it gets dark, and there are no lights, of course).
This one should be another pitchers duel, and could be like the one Colonia had against North Hunterdon in the semifinals back on Tuesday. That one took ten innings and saw only four hits the entire game – two apiece – with Colonia walking it off on a single up the middle by Colin Kroner, who had come in to relieve Cory Pascarella in the eighth inning due to the pitch count rule. Kroner will get the ball today, having only thrown 36 pitches, so he has the full 110 available to him today.
The Patriots can hit, batting .308 on the year, a bit better than South Plainfield’s .308 average. But their lineup is a little top-heavy, with GMC Red Division Player of the Year Dom Massaro at .406, but only three others hitting over .300. The Patriots are a bit more balanced.
But this is where the scrappyness of the Tigers comes into play. Drive through South Plainfield, and it’s a blue collar town, and the Tigers play it that way on the field. They’ve stolen nearly 100 bases on the year (98, to be exact) and have drawn 148 walks. To put that in perspective, they have 201 hits, and although it’s about the same ratio for Colonia, they’ve stolen not nearly as many bases. Gleichenhaus’ club finds the balance between patient and aggressive. But they may need to lean a little more to the aggressive side, and attack Kroner early. Kevin Penny is likely to get the start for South Plainfield.
RECENT MEETINGS:
South Plainfield has won the last four in this series, win a 5-1 win last year in the North 2, Group 3 semifinals, a 5-2 victory in 2023, and a pair of wins in 2021. Colonia last beat the Tigers in 2019.
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY:
Colonia is looking for its first-ever sectional title. They lost 5-2 in the semis last year to South Plainfield, and last made the title game in 2018, falling 9-6 to Somerville, which finished 205 that season and went on to win the sate Group 3 championship with a win over Allentown.
South Plainfield took a disappointing loss last year to Randolph in the North 2, Group 3 final. They led 3-1 after five on a solo home run by Dom Massaro, but gave up three in the sixth and five in the top of the seventh to lose 8-3. They claim Central Jersey Group 3 titles in 1975 and 1998, and North 2, Group 3 over Cranford under Anthony Guida in 2015, when they won it all, beating Northern Burlington for the state Group 3 title.
ADDITIONAL PLAYOFF COVERAGE:
DON’T LOOK AHEAD….
One game at a time is the mantra for every coach with his players, regardless of the sport. Hopefully, Colonia’s Mike Scialfo has that imparted on his players.
That’s because if they were to win the title Thursday, they could end up playing Ramapo in the Group 3 semifinals. The Raiders (25-4) are in the North 1, Group 3 final Thursday against Morris Knolls.
And Ramapo is the team that has knocked the Colonia boys’ basketball squad out of the NJSIAA tournament in the group semifinal round the last four years in a row.
You heard that right. The Patriots have won North 2, Group 3 in boys’ basketball each of the last four years. But the road has ended with Ramapo each and every one. Colonia has several baseball players on the squad, including RJ Wortman, Dylan Chiera, Tyler Chiola, Thursday’s starter Kroner, and coach Jose Rodriguez’s son Jayce.
One team wears green and calls themselves the Red Devils. (There’s a good story behind that, so keep reading.) The other wears Blue and calls themselves the Blue Devils.
So, it’ll be Ridge and Westfield to duke it out Thursday afternoon in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 championship game in Basking Ridge, as the Red Devils seek their first title since they won it in 2021, the COVID comeback year.
Ridge has been one of the more successful teams on a continuous basis over the last several years, always making deep runs in the county and state tournaments. A true program, head coach Tom Blackwell loses key guys every year, just like everyone else, but always seems to pop right back into a championship conversation, having won both a North 2, Group 4 title and a Somerset County title since baseball returned from the pandemic.
NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 4 CHAMPIONSHIP
Teams:
(1) Ridge Red Devils (20-6, 7-3 Skyland Conference Delaware Division Co-Champions)
(3) Westfield (18-6, 6-4 Union County Conference Watchung Division, 3rd place)
Head Coaches:
Ridge: Tom Blackwell (20th season, 308-199)
Westfield: Jay Cook (4th season, 65-32-1)
Date and Time: Thursday, June 5th, 4:00 pm
Location: Basking Ridge, NJ
Follow for Updates: Nick Hart on Twitter
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Ridge
First Round: def. (16) Plainfield, 3-0
Quarterfinals: def. (9) Bridgewater-Raritan, 3-0
Semifinals: def. (4) Elizabeth, 5-1
Westfield
First Round: def. (14) Barringer, 5-0
Quarterfinals: def. (11) Ferris, 6-1
Semifinals: def. (2) Woodbridge, 8-4
STAT LEADERS:
Ridge:
Batting Average: Jake Dolan (.425), Dan Rafanello (.381), Sawyer Paul (.353)
RBIs: Quinn Dashefsky (23), Jake Dolan (22), Casey Kucerka (15)
Walks: Kieran Callanan (24), Jake Dolan (15), Casey Kucerka (14)
HR: Jake Dolan (3), Bode Ganny, Casey Kucerka, Aidan Stieglitz (1)
Stolen Bases: Jake Dolan (28), Kieran Callanan (14)
Strikeouts (Pitching): Aidan Stieglitz (99), Lucas Liston (35)
ERA: Aidan Stieglitz (0.79), Casey Kucerak (1.12)
Westfield:
Batting Average: Jake Alfano (.438), Leo Mangiamele (.333), Aidan Scheper (.290)
RBIs: Owen Callahan (18), Jake Watson (11), Aidan Scheper (10)
Walks: Tomas Cestero (12), Jake Watson (11)
HR: Leo Mangiamele, Jake Watson (2), Owen Callahan (1)
Stolen Bases: Leo Mangiamele (15), Jake Watson (14)
Strikeouts (Pitching): Jack Chavez (63), Tomas Cestero (38)
ERA: Jake Chavez (1.66), Christopher Iacopini (1.75)
THE LOWDOWN:
Ridge ace Aidan Stieglitz pitched in the semifinals, earning the win in a five-inning, four-hit performance, there are plenty of really, really good arms to go around. And in the final, Blackwell will give the ball to Lucas Liston, who’s 4-2 with a very good 2.29 ERA. Whether it’s a starter going the distance, or three arms teaming up, Ridge pitching has been very solid all year long, with a team ERA under two. So if Liston gets into any trouble, someone is always waiting in the wings.
Better yet for the Red Devils, they can hit. While their team batting average of .283 is just 20 points higher than that of Westfield, they’re more balanced in the lineup. The Blue Devils are led by Jake Alfano hitting .438, but after Leo Mangiamele at .330, no other regular is hitting above .300, while the Red Devils have a half-dozen regulars above that mark. Leading the way is Jake Dolan, a junior who is having a monster year at the plate.
And that’s what we mean about the Ridge program consistency, and how every year, seemingly, new guys come up the ranks and don’t seem to miss a beat.
At the start of the playoffs, we picked Ridge as one of the eleven teams that could win a title this year, and here they are. Then again, that wasn’t really going out on much of a limb, was it?
RECENT MEETINGS:
There haven’t been a lot of meetings between these two teams, as they’ve played each other just five times in the last 12 years, but the most recent one was a controversial one, and while most of this year’s team didn’t experience it, no doubt a win here would be sweet for the Red Devils.
Their 2023 North 2, Group 4 quarterfinal matchup, an 8-1 win for the Red Devils, included a pitch count issue that Westfield protested to the NJSIAA after the fact. Connor Byrne threw 82 pitches before being lifted, but he was limited to 150 by the NJSIAA pitch count rule. The discrepancy was where pitchers are allowed to go over their daily limit of 110 to finish with the current batter, but the 150-pitch limit required a pitcher to be removed, even in the middle of an at bat. Ridge had to forfeit the game, and the rule was changed for 2024. Neither coach had been checking in with the official pitch counter every half inning, and that rule was reinforced the following year as well.
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY:
Ridge is looking for its tenth sectional title in school history. It’s first eight came when it was a much smaller school, in Central Jersey Group 2. The first was in 1976, then they won four in the ’80s, in 1981, 1982, 1987 and 1989. The 1987 team won the state Group 2 title, beating Hackettstown in the final. It would be a decade before their next run of big success, winning Central 2 in 1999, then doing it again in 2000 and 2002, winning the state title each of those years as well, topping West Morris-Mendham in 2000, and Dumont for the crown in 2002. Fast forward to 2021, Ridge was much bigger, and won North 2, Group 4, beating Franklin 5-2 in the sectional final. But they would fall to Montclair in the semis, 3-2.
Westfield is seeking its sixth title of the playoff era, fourth overall. They were declared North 2 Group 3 champions by the NJSIAA in 1949, and won their first sectional title of the playoff era in 1988. But it would be a long time before they’d bring home another trophy. They won North 2, Group 4 in 1988, and get their next 23 years later. In their next three sectional championship seasons, they’d get all the way to the state finals. In 2011, it was a loss to Manalapan, a loss to Eastern in 2013, and a defeat at the hands of Hunterdon Central in 2018. The Blue Devils won their last sectional title in 2019, and this is their first time back in a sectional final since.
ADDITIONAL PLAYOFF COVERAGE:
AND NOW, THAT STORY….
The Westfield story is simple. They’re the Blue Devils and wear an appropriate color.
But what about Ridge? The Red Devils who wear green?
Well, George Lee – whom the high school’s football field is named after – owned the Red Devil tool company, and when the company was sold in the 1950s, he donated the land where the high school now stands. And the school honored him by naming its athletic teams after him.
Just one problem: their rivals, Bernards, also wore red. So, they simply picked another color, and wore green.
And still called themselves the Red Devils.
Hey, if it works for the Big Ten, why not?
It’s uncanny.
For two high schools that find themselves 50 miles apart, they seemingly get together every year.
There’s nothing to do with luck, though. It’s that the Middlesex and Point Pleasant Beach baseball teams have been just that good over the last decade.
The Blue Jays have won the fourth most state championships in NJSIAA history, and the most of any team in the Greater Middlesex or Skyland Conferences – six of them – all since 1990. But in Central Jersey Group 1, it’s been pretty even over the last decade or so.
And so they will meet again for the title, and Central Jersey Sports Radio will have it covered.
CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 1 CHAMPIONSHIP
Teams:
(1) Middlesex Blue Jays (20-5, 8-4 GMC White Division, 3rd place)
(2) Point Pleasant Beach (20-7, 12-1 Shore Conference B South Division Champions)
Head Coaches:
Middlesex: Blaze Iannetti (1st season, 20-5)
Point Pleasant Beach: Angelo Fiore (11th season, 178-105)
Date and Time: Thursday, June 5th, 4:00 pm
Location: Mountainview Park, Middlesex
Follow for Updates: Alec Crouthamel on Twitter
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Middlesex
First Round: def. (16) Keyport 10-0 (5 inn.)
Quarterfinals: def. (9) South Hunterdon, 8-1
Semifinals: def. (4) Shore, 10-0 (5 inn.)
Point Pleasant Beach
First Round: def. (15) Henry Hudson, 13-0 (5 inn.)
Quarterfinals: def. (7) South Amboy, 12-2 (6 inn.)
Semifinals: def. (6) Delaware Valley, 5-0
STAT LEADERS:
Middlesex:
Batting Average: Dalton Michael (.471), Dominic Long (.380), Lucas Blanco (.364), Dom Parenti (.345)
RBIs: Chris Kozak, Owen Reynolds (16), Luke Jones, Dominic Long, Dom Parenti (15)
Walks: Marcus Lavornia (15), Sean Hughes (14)
HR: Dom Parenti, Owen Reynolds (1)
Stolen Bases: Dom Parenti (12), Marcus Lavornia (10)
Strikeouts (Pitching): Dominic Long (61), Chris Kozak (60)
ERA: Chris Kozak (0.89), Dominic Long (1.47)
Point Pleasant Beach:
Batting Average: Daniel Lubach (.512), Dylan Ryan (.444), Tommy Conroy (.438)
RBIs: Daniel Lubach (45), Noah Banick (26), Brody Powers (23)
Walks: Tommy Conroy (26), Noah Banick (18), Antonio Acevedo (16)
HR: Daniel Lubach (6), Noah Banick, Tommy Conroy, Chris Napolitano, Brody Powers (1)
Stolen Bases: Tommy Conroy (23), Daniel Storch (8), Brody Powers (7)
Strikeouts (Pitching): Noah Banick (53), Bennett Moberg (51), Tommy Conroy (50)
ERA: Thomas Slobiski (1.97), Tommy Conroy (2.14)
THE LOWDOWN:
This one could come down to the immovable object and the irresistible force, Middlesex pitching against Point Peach hitting. It’s not just the batting average, the Gulls hitting .350 and the Jays .315. Point Beach has a murderer’s row in the lineup, including junior catcher Daniel Lubach, who’s hitting a whopping .512 on the year, with 45 RBIs. Counting his 44 hits on the year, that means he’s averaging just over a run batted in per hit, and a half a run driven in per at bat. That’s pretty astounding, and it should be interesting with Dom Long the likely starter Thursday, who comes in with an ERA of 1.47.
Then again, both teams have scored a lot of runs in the state playoffs. Middlesex has outscored its three opponents by a total of 28-1, shutting out first round opponent Keyport and Shore in the semifinals, both by 10-0 scores in five-innings. They only run allowed came against South Hunterdon. Long was the starter in that game, and struck out ten in a complete game four-hitter. Point Beach also has pitched two shutouts, also coming in their opening round and semifinal games, outscoring their three opponents 30-2. Those only two runs came against South Amboy in the quarterfinals.
Despite the Gulls taking on a GMC team in the section, and Middlesex playing two Shore foes in the postseason, there are no common opponents between the two, but plenty of familiarity.
RECENT MEETINGS:
You want recent meetings? We have plenty.
Under Justin Nastasi – who’s now an assistant at Hillsborough, but took over the Middlesex program in 2015 – the Blue Jays won their first title of his tenure in 2015, beating Shore Regional. After a loss in the semis the next year to South River, Middlesex played Point beach every year in Central Jersey Group 1 from 2017 through last season, winning their first four matchups, but losing the last three.
Middlesex beat Point Pleasant Beach in the quarterfinals in 2017 en route to another CJ1 title, then topped them each of the next three seasons in the title game, in 2018, 2019 and 2021. (There was no high school baseball in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.) But Point turned the tables in 2022, beating the Jays in the finals that year and the next, knocking them out last season in the semifinals.
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY:
Middlesex has 14 sectional titles to its credit, the first coming in 1965 in Central Jersey Group 2. They wouldn’t win again until they were in CJ1, almost 20 years later, taking the title in 1982, then again three years in a row from 1990 to 1992 and again in 1994. It would be nine years before they won again in 2003, then 2007 and 2013, before winning five under Justin Nastasi in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021. Middlesex also has six state titles, the fourth most in history. Only nine teams have won more. Gloucester Catholic has won a record 21 state titles, and no one else more than eight.
Point Pleasant Beach has three titles to its credit, all coming the last three seasons, winning Central Jersey Group 1 in 2022, 2023 and 2024. They made the state finals for the first time last season, losing to North 1 champion Pompton Lakes.
ADDITIONAL PLAYOFF COVERAGE:
