Tag: Immaculata

by Mike Pavlichko

Skyland Conference 2026 All-Division baseball honorees unveiled

The coaches from the Skyland Conference have unveiled their 2026 All-Division teams, honoring 139 players from across its four divisions, including the 14 Somerset County schools in the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area.

Here’s the full list of players honored, by division, with teams in alphabetical order:

SKYLAND CONFERENCE – DELAWARE DIVISION

First Team

  • Bridgewater-Raritan: Kellan Komline (P/OF), Michael Lobosco (C)
  • Hillsborough: Elijah Dawes (SS)
  • Hunterdon Central: Dany Contillano (OF), Nick Holot (OF)
  • Immaculata: Luca Catanzarite (2B), Owen Schilling (C), Ryan Auten (P), Cole Raymond (P)
  • Ridge: Jake Dolan (CF), Kieran Callanan (SS), Casey Kucerka (C)
  • Watchung Hills: Robert Centamore (P/DH), Jacob Jaconski (C), Lucas Sheehan (P)
Immaculata senior Ryan Auten threw a complete-game two-hit shutout in a 6-0 win over Ridge at Diamond Nation in Flemington, NJ, on April 22, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

Second Team:

  • Bridgewater-Raritan: Kevin Kelly (3B/P), Andrew Schmeider (OF), Nick Spirra (2B/P)
  • Hillsborough: Tommy Kester (OF), Gavin Glazewski (P/1B), Jon Feltre (P)
  • Hunterdon Central: Jack Edwards (P), Liam Goyette (P)
  • Immaculata: Bryson Auten (P/3B), Justin Labrador (SS)
  • Ridge: Sawyer Paul (1B), Dimitri Romer (P/3B)
  • Watchung Hills: Brady Simo (3B), Stefano DiGeronimo (SS)

Honorable Mention:

  • Bridgewater-Raritan: Stephen Pikulin (1B/DH)
  • Hillsborough: Anthony Guerrero (OF)
  • Hunterdon Central: Cola Jacobs (P)
  • Immaculata: Jackson Lewis (OF)
  • Ridge: Lucas Grob (2B)
  • Watchung Hills: Landon Pudlak (2B)

SKYLAND CONFERENCE – RARITAN DIVISION

First Team:

  • Franklin: Stanley Madera, Mason Bonds
  • Montgomery: Ian Quinn, Henry Maddox
  • North Hunterdon: Hunter Brown, Alex Famolari, Brooks Lunger, Graham Berry
  • Phillipsburg: Nick Yaccarino, Chase Passmore, Mike Bracco
  • Rutgers Prep: Li Perez, Alex Perez, Maddox Chu, Ethan Nepomuceno
  • Somerville: Justin Snow, Michael Meyers
Rutgers Prep’s Li Perez pitches in the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals against Bridgewater-Raritan in Somerset, NJ, on May 14, 2026. (Photo: Alec Crouthamel)

Second Team:

  • Franklin: Dylan Shah, Shayne Rooney
  • Montgomery: Jake Hayes, Alex Bender, Mason Neufeld
  • North Hunterdon: Ty Kane, Jason Krisanda, Zach Linzer
  • Phillipsburg: Wyatt Garrison, Kevin Buonocole
  • Rutgers Prep: Peter Wheeler, Mason Cimini, Okasha Asrar
  • Somerville: Matty Brong, Jordan Snow, Michael Murphy

Honorable Mention:

  • Montgomery: Liam McDonnell
  • North Hunterdon: Evan Doty
  • Phillipsburg: Brent Ottw
  • Rutgers Prep: Micah Krugar-Serrano
  • Somerville: Dalton Carman

SKYLAND CONFERENCE – VALLEY DIVISION:

First Team:

  • Bernards: Casey Hoeckele, Sean Arcelay, James Ferrante
  • Gill St. Bernards: Gavin Bucceri, Niko West, Joey Fava, Jack Markovich, Trip Hogarty
  • Pingry: Langston McDonald, Aaron Wu
  • Voorhees: Alexander Dyevich, Matteo Tramutola
  • Warren Hills: Cohl Stevens, Owen Spender
Pingry’s Zach Zaslow pitches against Montgomery at TD Bank Park on April 11, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

Second Team:

  • Bernards: Tyce Hanratty, James Gallagher
  • Gill St. Bernards: Andersen Eide, Noah Schultz, Jude Walters, Steve McRae
  • Pingry: Andrew Crowley, Zach Zaslow, Connor Lahay
  • Voorhees: Dylan Vernick, Jack Schlaudecker
  • Warren Hills: Reece Schott, Ryan Everett

Honorable Mention:

  • Bernards: Alex Frankfelder
  • Gill St. Bernards: A.J. Kolenski
  • Pingry: Michael Cardona
  • Voorhees: Turner Toombs
  • Warren Hills: Kyle Kucharski

SKYLAND CONFERENCE – MOUNTAIN DIVISION

First Team:

  • Belvidere: Jake Ackerman, Chris Knight
  • Bound Brook: Aiden Boehm, Ryan Cunha
  • Delaware Valley: Dylan Rasimowicz, Gabriel Miller, Cooper Fransen, David Hudock, Brooks Brunner, Carter Glacken
  • Manville: Collin Shimp, Brandon Shimp, Evan Canica, Josh D’Ambrosio
  • South Hunterdon: Trevor Lingerfield, Jack Budrewicz
Manville (in white) and Montgomery square off at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater on May 7, 2025. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

Second Team:

  • Belvidere: Justin Hummel, Troy Boehm, Carter Crow
  • Bound Brook: Gabriel Valentin, Jayden Cruz
  • Delaware Valley: Chris Cialone, Matt Feeney, Danny Cialone
  • Manville: Aidan Johnson, Ben Canuso, Bobby Petrone
  • South Hunterdon: Trevor Sinkus, Landon Katz, Michael Budrewicz

Note: The Mountain Division coaches did not choose any Honorable Mentions.

by Mike Pavlichko

New No. 1 highlights final 2026 Bellamy & Son Paving H.S. Baseball Top Ten as Ridge takes top spot

It’s not where you start, but where you finish.

But, to be honest, the Ridge baseball team didn’t have very far to go.

The Red Devils – the only Central Jersey Sports Radio-area team to win an NJSIAA sectional title this season – finish the year at No. 1 in the final Bellamy & Son Paving High School Baseball rankings, and are the Central Jersey Sports Radio Team of the Year.

The Skyland Conference Delaware Division was a beast this year. Immaculata won the division, second-place Watchung Hills won the Somerset County Tournament, and Ridge beat the Warriors to win the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 title last Friday. The Red Devils’ season came to an end, however, in dramatic fashion Monday afternoon, in an 8-7 loss to Ridgewood on a walk-off, leadoff solo home run in the bottom of the eighth. They finish the year at 19-11.

Watchung Hills (18-9) – which lost two of three to Ridge this season – finishes second. In the past week, they beat second-seed Bayonne by run-rule, 10-0 in five innings, in the North 2, Group 4 semifinals before falling to Ridge Friday in the title game.

Jim Muldowney GMC Tournament champion Monroe (15-14) comes in third. The Falcons were the tournament’s nine-seed, but beat five-seed Old Bridge to win the title two Saturdays ago in their season finale, after getting knocked out of the state tournament the day before the GMC final.

In fourth is Immaculata (22-6), which was knocked out of the state tournament in the Non-Public South A semifinals by CBA, 1-0 in eight innings. The Spartans won the Skyland Conference Delaware Division at 9-1, their lone regular season division loss coming to Watchung Hills, and they lost to the Warriors in the SCT title game as well.

At five is GMC Tournament finalist Old Bridge (21-10), which won last Wednesday in the Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals, 10-0 over Hightstown in five innings, but then lost in the title game, 14-1, at home to Hunterdon Central on Friday.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 finalist South Plainfield (17-12) finishes sixth. They got the the title game with a 4-2 semifinal win at top-seed Chatham last Wednesday, but fell Friday to Cranford in the final, 10-5.

GMC White Division champion Middlesex (22-6) comes in at seven. The Blue Jays fell in the Central Jersey Group 1 semifinals last Wednesday to Shore, 2-0 at home, preventing them from having a chance to repeat as CJ1 and state Group 1 champions.

At eight is Edison (19-8). The Eagles – beset by pitching injuries later in the season – got knocked out of the stats in the first round, and the GMC Tournament in the quarterfinals by eventual champion Monroe, but won the GMC’s top division, the GMC Red, with an 11-3 mark, finishing two full games ahead of second-place Old Bridge

Checking in ninth is St. Thomas Aquinas (14-15) – ranked for the first time this season. STA reached the finals in Non-Public North B for the second time in three years with a 7-3 road win at second-seed Rutgers Prep in the semifinals. But the third-seeded Trojans lost at top-seed St. Mary-Rutherford in the title game last Friday, 11-7.

And in tenth, it’s Rutgers Prep (17-8). The Argonauts were Skyland Conference Raritan Division Co-Champions with North Hunterdon – who they split with in the regular season – finishing 8-2 in divisional play, and were knocked out of the states in the Non-Public North B semis last Wednesday by St. Thomas Aquinas, with a 7-3 loss.

Below is the complete and final Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten for the 2026 season:

by Mike Pavlichko

CBA’s 8th inning home run ends Immaculata’s season, as top-seeded Spartans fall 1-0 in South A semifinals

It was the beginning of a new month and a perfect day for baseball, but the ending was anything but.

Top-seeded Immaculata saw its season come to a close with Tuesday afternoon out at Diamond Nation in Flemington, with a 1-0 loss to fifth-seed Christian Brothers Academy, the Shore Conference Tournament champions.

Locked in a scoreless tie heading into extra innings, the deciding blow was junior outfielder Alex Fiore’s lead-off solo home run for CBA in the top of the eighth.

It was the first between the two schools since 2015, when the Colts took a 14-4 win in the semifinals of the section.

With the expectation to start senior pitcher Ryan Auten in a potential title appearance on Thursday, Immaculata head coach Kevin Cust opted to start senior pitcher Cole Raymond on the mound, who delivered in the highest way, pitching 6 2/3 innings, allowing no runs, two hits, five walks and collecting four strikeouts.

Both teams struggled to find any hitting in the game, which saw the two combine for nine hits over the course of eight innings. While Raymond arguably performed the best on the mound, the combination of senior pitcher Dan Pardini and junior Declan Doogan was enough to advance the Colts.

Immaculata left three runners stranded on base in the bottom of the first, coming from an error, a walk, and a hit by pitch, but sophomore first baseman Andrew Wheeler grounded to third, ending the inning.

Raymond quickly rolled momentum into the second inning, earning his third punchout and retiring the side. But once again with runners on second and third, senior pitcher Dan Pardini delivered a strikeout to end the inning and survive the scoreless game through two.

Raymond’s greatest challenge came in the top of the third inning, when CBA found themselves with runners on second and third, a full count, and two outs. Down to the last strike, Raymond saw a pitch get away from him and load the bases. Junior Ryan Wetmore stepped up to the plate with the chance to flip the game with one swing of the bat, and it looked that way, but a high fly ball into right field fell short and kept the game scoreless.

The bottom of the third is where the pitching duel emerged, as Pardini rolled through three batters, securing three outs — two groundouts and a strikeout. Though Raymond responded, as the top of the fourth was complete in less than ten pitches from Raymond, who had still not allowed his first hit.

In the top of the fifth, senior third baseman Parker Hughes recorded the first hit of the game for CBA as he placed a ground ball into left field that split the third baseman and shortstop, eventually winning the race to first base. Hughes would advance to second after a groundout by Alex Fiore, but just like the trend of the game, CBA would groundout and flyout, ending the side.

Sophomore Luca Catanzarite, the team’s leading batter, picked up his second hit when he punched a single into left field, who would then advance to second after an error from Pardini, who attempted a pickoff. Catanzarite would advance to third after a wild pitch went past the glove of Colts’ catcher Griffin Kilcullen. The pitch marked the end of Dardini’s day as Doogan emerged on the mound with two outs left in the bottom of the fifth.

Despite a pitching change from CBA, Immaculata decided to stick with Raymond in the sixth inning, where he efficiently got through the inning in less than 10 pitches.

Junior centerfielder Nehemiah Diaz was hit by a pitch to open the bottom of the inning, who would see himself advanced to second base after a bunt attempt from Wheeler. As the inning went on Doogan began to gain confidence and control of the game, fending off a couple of dangerous contact swings from the Spartans. Doogan would punch out freshman Bryson Auten, the eighth batter in the order, retiring the side in a game that remained scoreless.

Bryson Auten replaced Raymond in the seventh with one out, and in his first batter faced, Hughes would hit into a double play that would once again leave the Colts wishing for more and failing to execute.

The bottom of the seventh – and a chance to end the game on a walkoff – came up short for Immaculata, who got a two-out double from Justin Labrador, but a pop out to short ended that threat.

As the game entered crunch time and nervous fans, family, and players surfaced, Fiore broke the seal, crushing a high-flying ball into deep left field for a solo home run, providing CBA with a 1-0 lead, which would later become the final score.

Despite the loss, Immaculata finishes its season at 22-6, the most wins in the Cust era. It was also the program’s second 20-win season since Cust took over for longtime skipper, and now Athletic Director, Tom Gambino in 2013.

Click below for postgame reaction from Immaculata head coach Kevin Cust with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Sean Newcomb, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

NJSIAA State tournament resumes Tuesday after weekend hiatus, as three CJSR-area non-publics vie for a spot – and we have both games covered!

Last year, they met in the quarterfinals, two years ago for a sectional title in Non-Public North B.

St. Thomas Aquinas and Rutgers Prep will play for a trip back to that title game on Tuesday afternoon, while Immaculata will host Christian Brothers Academy out of Lincroft in the South B semifinals, with all three Central Jersey Sports Radio area teams looking to punch their ticket to a sectional title game.

And Central Jersey Sports Radio has you covered for all three as the state playoffs heat up.

Alec Crouthamel will be in Somerset to bring you live play-by-play of St. Thomas and Rutgers Prep (listen here), while Sean Newcomb will be reporting via Twitter on Immaculata out at Diamond Nation in Flemington. You can find game stories from both – along with postgame reaction – later in the evening at cjsportsradio.com.

Read through for capsules and links for more on Tuesday’s action, followed by Wednesday’s public semifinal schedule.

(3) St. Thomas Aquinas (13-4, 6-8 GMC Red) at (2) Rutgers Prep (17-7, 8-2 Skyland Raritan), 4:30 pm: The Trojans have ended the Argonauts’ season each of the last two years. In 2024, St. Thomas won 5-4 to claim its first sectional title in 18 years. Louis Rizzolo – one of their top pitchers now, but then just a sophomore – came on in relief to get a big out then tied the game with an RBI double as the Trojans had to come from behind for the win. STA would eventually fall to powerhouse Gloucester Catholic in the Group B final in Hamilton.

Last year, the two met in the quarterfinals – playing at Fred Cole Field in Old Bridge – with Rizzolo getting the W in a 6-1 victory over Rutgers Prep, before falling to Montclair-Kimberley in the semis.

Read Alec Crouthamel’s game preview here, including interviews with both head coaches.

Click here to listen to the game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

(5) CBA (17-8, 7-3 Shore North A) at (1) Immaculata (22-5, 9-1 Skyland Delaware), 4 pm (at Diamond Nation, Flemington): This will be the first meeting between the schools since 2015, when CBA took a 14-4 win in the semifinals of this section. But that year, the records were basically flipped. CBA went 27-5 and finished the season on a 14-game win streak, taking the Shore Conference Tournament title and the Non-Public South A and State Group A title. Immaculata was just 15-3.

The Spartans will have everyone available for this one, pitching-wise, but the question is: who will head coach Kevin Cust go with? Cole Raymond got the start Tuesday in Immaculata’s regular season finale, a 7-0 win over Rutgers Prep, and pitched very well, allowing just three hits in six innings of work, striking out eight, and not issuing a single walk. We figure Raymond goes here, with Ryan Auten penciled in for a potential title game on Thursday, where they would face the winner of Tuesday’s other semifinal between third-seed Red Bank Catholic (18-8) and second-seed St. Augustine (20-7).

The Spartans have an incredibly balanced lineup, which is hitting .313, with all but one regular hitting .281 or higher. Sophomore Luca Catanzarite is leading the pack, hitting .424 with 19 RBIs and two home runs, while senior Owen Schilling is also tearing it up. hitting .342 with 19 RBI and three home runs.

CBA has won ten straight since a May first, 4-2 loss to Ranney in the Monmouth County Tournament, which left the Colts 7-8 on the year. Luke Grbic won the opener in the first round, 9-2 over 12-seed Camden Catholic, while Danny DiTullio got the W in a 9-2 road win at fourth-seed Union Catholic on Thursday. It should be Grbic back on the mound in the semis, which would line DiDtullio up for the final, should they beat Immaculata.

The Colts also can hit, batting .336 as a team, led by junior first baseman Michael Knox among the regulars, hitting .411 with 12 RBI and two home runs. Senior Jayden Matecjicka is hitting .407 with a team best 21 RBI and three homers. And overall, they’re about as balanced as the Spartans.

Follow Sean Newcomb on Twitter for updates.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3

Central Jersey Group 4 Semifinals

  • (4) Hightstown (18-7) at (1) Old Bridge (20-9), 5 pm
  • (7) Jackson Twp. (12-15) at (3) Hunterdon Central (16-13), 2:30 pm

Central Jersey Group 1 Semifinals

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4

  • (5) Bridgewater-Raritan (13-16) at (1) Ridge (17-10), 4 pm (LISTEN LIVE)
  • (3) Watchung Hills (17-8) at (2) Bayonne (21-8), 4:30 pm

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3

  • (4) South Plainfield (16-11) at (1) Chatham (20-6), 4 pm
  • (3) Cranford (19-9) at (2) North Hunterdon (22-6), 3 pm

THURSDAY, JUNE 4: Non-Public Sectional Finals (at higher seeds)

FRIDAY, JUNE 5: Public Sectional Finals (at higher seeds)

MONDAY, JUNE 8: Public State Semifinals (at higher power point values)

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10: Non-Public State Finals at Bainton Field, Rutgers University

  • Non-Public A Final: 4 pm
  • Non-Public B Final: 7 pm

THURSDAY, JUNE 11: Public State Finals at Bainton Field, Rutgers Univeristy

  • Group 3 Final: 10 am
  • Group 4 Final: 1 pm
  • Group 1 Final: 4 pm
  • Group 2 Final: 7 pm

by Mike Pavlichko

State tourney, GMC final results yield yet another shuffling of Bellamy & Son Paving Baseball Top Ten

It was a second week in a row of a fairly good amount of upheaval in the Bellamy & Son Paving High School Baseball Top Ten.

Why?

Monroe’s upset of Old Bridge in the Jim Muldowney GMC Tournament championship game – coupled with the first two rounds of the NJSIAA state tournament – resulted in some changes, including one team making its first appearance in the rankings this season.

Despite all the movement, Watchung Hills (17-8) remained No. 1 this week, one of just two teams in the same position they were last week. The Hustlin’ Warriors dropped their last regular season game on Tuesday, a 12-5 decision at Millburn, but won two games in the state tournament. In the North 2, Group 4 first round, they beat 14-seed Elizabeth 10-0 in a five-inning mercy-rule walkoff, then got by six-seed Westfield in the quarterfinals, 8-6. They’ll be in the sectional semis at second-seed Bayonne this Wednesday.

Continuing its meteoric rise is Monroe (15-14), now the Jim Muldowney GMC Tournament champion after knocking off third-seed Old Bridge, 7-0 in the final, as the nine-seed. However, their season is over, as they got knocked out of the state tournament in Central Jersey Group 4 on Friday, 10-2 down at fourth-seed Hightstown. That came after beating 12-seed Montgomery, 1-0, on a walkoff single by Alex Marcus.

Holding at No. 3 is Immaculata (22-5). The Spartans beat Rutgers Prep at home, 7-0 on Tuesday, in preparation for the state tournament. After a first-round by in Non-Public South A, the top-seeded Spartans beat eighth-seed Paul VI, 7-0, in the quarterfinals on Thursday. They’ll get back to it on Tuesday, when they host 5th-seed CBA. Central Jersey Sports Radio will have Sean Newcomb covering that game, and you can follow him in Twitter by clicking here.

Dropping two spots to fourth is Old Bridge (20-9), after falling to Monroe in the GMC title game on Saturday, 7-0. But the Knights’ season is not done. After opening up the Central Jersey Group 4 playoffs with a 1-0 win over 16-seed East Brunswick on Wednesday, and following it up with an 8-0 win over eight-seed Freehold Township in Friday’s quarterfinals, the Knights – who had an 11-game win streak snapped Saturday – will look to rebound and move on in the state tournament when they host four-seed Hightstown in the semifinals.

A number of teams edged down a spot or two, mainly due to Monroe’s rise. That includes Ridge (17-10), which dropped one spot to five. On Tuesday, they won a regular season game at Hillsborough, 8-1, then got into the state tournament. They beat 16-seed Barringer (Newark) 13-3 in a mercy-rule five-inning walk-off on Wednesday in the North 2, Group 4 opening round, then walked off eight-seed Phillipsburg in six, by a 10-0 score on Friday. Wednesday, they will face five-seed Bridgewater-Raritan in the semifinals, a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio starting at 4 pm, with Mike Pavlichko on the call. Click here to listen.

South Plainfield (16-11) climbs to six this week, one of only two teams (the other, Immaculata) to have a perfect week. The Tigers went 3-0, starting with a 7-1 regular season playoff tune-up victory over Middlesex on Tuesday. The next day, they opened the state playoffs with a 5-0 win over 13-seed JFK in the North 2, Group 3 first round. Friday, they were 7-0 winners over fifth-seed North Plainfield, and now move on to Wednesday’s semifinals, where they’ll go on the road for the first time this year in the states, facing top-seed Chatham.

Middlesex (22-5) drops a notch to seven this week. After the 7-1 loss to South Plainfield on Tuesday, they opened Central Jersey Group 1 play in the state tournament with a 21-1 win in five innings over 16-seed Highland Park, then an 11-1 win on a walk-off in six against eight-seed South Hunterdon. Next up, the Blue Jays play host to five-seed Shore in the CJ1 semifinals on Wednesday.

In the eighth spot is Rutgers Prep (17-7), same as last week. The Argonauts dropped a 70- regular season state tourney tune-up to Immaculata in Flemington on Tuesday, but came back nicely with a 16-0, five-inning win over ten-seed Pope John of Sparta in the Non-Public North B quarterfinals, after getting an opening round bye. Tuesday, they will host third-seed St. Thomas Aquinas at 4 pm in a Skyland-GMC crossover you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with Alec Crouthamel calling the action. Click here to listen.

Down two spots to nine is Edison (19-8), which literally limped to the finish line with its top three starters – D1 commits Connor Murphy, Dom Innocenti and Rob Roma – all injured or nagged by arm issues in some way shape or form by the end of the year. None of the three were available for Wednesday’s opening round playoff loss to 15-seed Franklin, 5-4, in the Central Jersey Group 4 section.

And new to the rankings this week is Bridgewater-Raritan. The Panthers – despite a last place finish in the grueling Skyland Conference Delaware Division – proved their metttle not just by reaching the Somerset County Tournament semifinals as a five-seed a couple of weeks ago, but also by reaching the North 2, Group 4 semifinals as a five-seed this week. Bridgewater beat 12-seed Plainfield 11-0 in five innings in the opening round Wednesday, then went on the road in the quarters on Friday and knocked off four-seed JP Stevens, 10-0 in six. Next, they travel to top-seed Ridge for what should be a good rubber match in the sectional semifinals: each team beat the other 4-3 this year in their regular season matchups.

Dropping out was previous No. 10 Colonia. The ninth-seeded Patriots (14-10) lost their opening round North 2, Group 3 playoff game to nine-seed Middletown North, 5-1, on Wednesday, just two weeks after being eliminated from the GMC Tournament in their opening game.

Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving High School Baseball Top Ten for Week Nine. NOTE: This will be the final ranking until the season is complete for all CJSR-area clubs.

by Mike Pavlichko

Thursday NJSIAA State Tournament Roundup: Immaculata, St. Thomas Aquinas advance, while Perez K’s all 15 outs in Rutgers Prep win

There was an “immaculate inning” in the second, and it wasn’t a perfect game, but it was pretty close.

Rutgers Prep senior Li Perez allowed just one-hit and struck out 15 Pope John hitters Thursday afternoon in Non-Public North B quarterfinal action, as the second-seeded Argonauts (17-7) routed the 10th-seeded Lions 16-0 in a five-inning, ten-run rule win. All 15 outs recorded by Perez coming via strikeout. And he did it with just 59 pitches thrown.

Meanwhile, the offense pumped out its second-biggest run total of the year, one shy of the 17 Rutgers Prep scored in a 17-10 win over Union Catholic in the Autism Awareness Challenge on April 17th. Fellow senior Maddox Chu drove in five runs on a 2-for-2 day, which included a three-run homer to center in the first inning, and a two-run homer to right in the second, giving the Argos an 8-0 lead they would extend to 10-0 by the time the inning was over.

And just to make sure the ending was not in doubt, Rutgers Prep added a five-spot in the third, and one more in their final at bat, in the fourth, just for good measure.

Click here to listen to Rutgers Prep senior Li Perez talk about his 15-strikeout, one-hitter with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko.

The Argonauts move on to the North B semifinals next Tuesday, where they’ll play third-seed St. Thomas Aquinas in a Skyland Conference-GMC crossover. The Trojans (13-14) were 7-0 winners over Morris Catholic (13-11) Thursday in North Edison, and Louis Rizzolo (9 Ks in 6 innings) and Nikash Patel combined for a one-hit shutout.

Aquinas opened the scoring with three runs in the bottom of the third, and added three more in the fourth and another in the fifth. Patel stole home for the third run in the third, then drove in a run with a single in the fourth. Adrian Sanchez went 3-for-4 with two runs scored.

  • (1) St. Mary-Rutherford def. (8) Montclair Kimberley, 12-1 (5 inn.)
  • (5) Morristown-Beard def. (4) Newark Academy, 4-2
  • (3) St. Thomas Aquinas def. (6) Morris Catholic, 7-0
  • (2) Rutgers Prep def. (10) Pope John, 16-0 (5 inn.)

Non-Public South A:

Top-seed Immaculata (22-5) won its playoff opener Thursday, 7-0 over Paul VI of Haddonfield. The Spartans picked up a run each in the first and second off the bat of Luca Catanzerite – with a solo home run to right (his second of the year) to leadoff the bottom of the first, then a groundout in the second – before exploding for five in the third, all coming with two outs. Bryson Auten had the big blow in that inning, a three-run homer for his third of the season.

His older brother, Ryan, struck out 14, and allowed just one-hit in a complete-game shutout, to improve to 7-1 on the season.

The Spartans will host fifth-seed Christian Brothers Academy (17-8), in the first meeting between the teams in 15 years, at Diamond Nation in Flemington next Tuesday in the semifinals. CBA beat four-seed Union Catholic 9-2 in Thursday’s quarterfinals.

On the other side of the bracket, 10-seed Pingry (11-15) lost 8-0 down at second-seed St. Augustine (20-7). The Hermits did their damage early, with one in the first and three in the second, then another in the third and three more in the fourth. The Big Blue were held to three hits by Aug’s starter Alex Weingartner, who went five innings, with two other relievers combining for two innings of no-hit ball.

  • (1) Immaculata def. (8) Paul VI, 7-0
  • (5) Christian Brothers def. (4) Union Catholic, 9-2
  • (3) Red Bank Catholic def. (6) St. John Vianney, 4-1
  • (2) St. Augustine def. (10) Pingry, 8-0

UPCOMING SCHEUDLE:

Friday, May 29 (all games 4pm unless otherwise noted)

Central Jersey Group 4 Quarterfinals

  • (8) Freehold Twp. at (1) Old Bridge
  • (5) Monroe at (4) Hightstown
  • (6) Manalapan at (3) Hunterdon Central
  • (15) Franklin at (10) Hillsborough or (7) Jackson Twp.

Central Jersey Group 1 Quarterfinals

  • (4) Metuchen at (1) Middlesex
  • (5) Shore at (4) Metuchen
  • (11) Florence at (3) Point Pleasant Beach
  • (10) Delaware Valley at (2) Piscataway Magnet

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 Quarterfinals

  • (8) Phillipsburg at (1) Ridge
  • (5) Bridgewater-Raritan at (4) JP Stevens
  • (6) Westfield at (3) Watchung Hills
  • (10) Woodbridge at (2) Bayonne, 4:30 pm

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 Quarterfinals

  • (9) Middletown North at (1) Chatham
  • (5) North Plainfield at (4) South Plainfield
  • (11) Summit at (3) Cranford
  • (7) Millburn at (2) North Hunterdon

Tuesday, June 3 (all games 4 pm unless otherwise noted)

Non-Public North B Semifinals

  • (5) Morristown Beard at (1) St. Mary-Rutherford
  • (3) St. Thomas Aquinas at (2) Rutgers Prep

Non-Public South A Semifinals

  • (5) Christian Brothers Academy at (1) Immaculata (at Diamond Nation, Flemington)
  • (3) Red Bank Catholic at (2) St. Augustine

by Mike Pavlichko

Watchung Hills’ win in SCT propels Hustlin’ Warriors to top spot in Bellamy & Son Paving Baseball Top Ten

With a new champions of Somerset County baseball comes a new team atop the Bellamy & Son Paving rankings for Week 8: Watchung Hills.

The Warriors displaced No. 1 Immaculata after a 1-0 win over the Spartans in eight innings in the Somerset County Tournament final Friday night, getting the game-winning hit from Stef DeGeronimo, and a three-hit, complete game shutout from starting pitcher Lucas Sheehan, the first sophomore to earn a win in the SCT title game since Casey Cahill of Immaculata did it in 1998.

With that win, and Monday’s semifinal victory over Bridgewater-Raritan, Watchung Hills (15-7) moves up two spots this week to No. 1. They will play a regular-season game at Millburn Tuesday afternoon before opening the state playoffs as a No. 3 seed in North 2, Group 4 first round action at home Wednesday against 14-seed Elizabeth.

Holding in second is Old Bridge (18-8), which only played one game last week, beating Sayreville 9-8 at Fred Cole Field Friday on senior night. The top-seed in Central Jersey Group 4, the Knights will open the playoffs against 16-seed East Brunswick on Wednesday. Should they win, they’ll play a sectional quarterfinal game at home Friday before Saturday’s rescheduled Jim Muldowney GMC Tournament Championship Game against Monroe. You can hear that game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio – or watch it live on our YouTube channel – with first pitch scheduled for noon.

Immaculata (20-5) falls to third, going 2-1 in the past week. Between their 7-6 win over Bridgewater-Raritan in the SCT semifinals Monday and their loss in Friday’s championship, they beat West Morris in a regular season game, 1-0, on Friday afternoon. The Spartans are the No. 1 seed in the state tournament’s Non-Public South A section, and will open play on Thursday in the quarterfinals against either nine-seed Donovan Catholic or eight-seed Paul VI.

Ridge (15-9) once again checks in at No. 4. After their 4-2 loss to eventual SCT champion Watchung Hills in the semifinals on Monday, the Red Devils rebounded with a 7-0 win over Madison on Saturday. They’ll open state tournament play on Wednesday as the No. 1 seed in North 2, Group 4, hosting 16-seed Barringer.

Holding at five is Middlesex (20-4), which lost its only game this week, a Tuesday non-conference loss to North Hunterdon, 4-2. They have one more regular season game to play – Tuesday at South Plainfield – before opening state tournament action as the top-seed in Central Jersey Group 1 on Wednesday afternoon against 16-seed Highland Park.

Up one spot to No. 6 is Monroe (13-13), which split a pair of games last week, falling 16-4 to Robbinsville on Monday before coming back to beat South Brunswick, 6-4, on Wednesday. The Falcons will open the state playoffs as the five-seed in Central Jersey Group 4, hosting 12-seed Montgomery in the opening round Wednesday. Should they win, they will get a sectional quarterfinal game on Friday before playing Old Bridge for the Jim Muldowney GMC Tournament Championship Saturday afternoon. You can hear that game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio – or watch it live on our YouTube channel – with first pitch scheduled for 12 pm.

Down one spot to seven is Edison (19-7), which went 2-1 last week after falling the week prior in the GMC Tournament semifinals to Monroe. The Eagles were 9-1 winners over Somerville Tuesday, and 9-0 victors over Carteret on Wednesday – both at home – before losing, 4-0, to Hunterdon Central on Thursday. Wednesday, they open play as the two-seed in Central Jersey Group 4, hosting 15th-seed Franklin.

Up one spot to eight is South Plainfield (13-13), which was idle last week. The Tigers will open state tournament play as the four-seed in North 2, Group 3 in Wednesday, hosting 13-seed and conference mate JFK.

Rutgers Prep (3-1) is down a spot to nine. They beat Dayton 8-7 Monday, then lost 16-10 in a slugfest to Princeton Day on Tuesday in the Prep B Semifinals. They rebounded with a 5-3 win over Pingry on Thursday and an 11-0 win over Phillipsburg on Friday.

And Colonia (14-9) holds at ten after a 2-2 week. They opened with a 5-0 loss to Woodbridge on Monday, then lost Wednesday, 9-2, at Scotch Plains-Fanwood. But they came back with a 4-1 win at Ferris on Thursday, and beat Dayton 6-3 on Saturday. Wednesday, they open play in the North 2, Group 3 section of the state playoffs as the eight-seed, entertaining nine-seed Middletown North.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

By The Numbers: A look back at the 2026 Somerset County Tournament Final, and a historic win for Lucas Sheehan

The 52nd annual Somerset County Tournament is in the books, and the trophy goes to second-seed Watchung Hills, which beat top-seed and defending champion Immaculata 1-0 to win its sixth title overall, tying the Warriors with Hillsborough for third-place all-time.

Here’s a closer look at some notes and nuggets following the 2026 SCT final.

Historic win for Sheehan: Watchung Hills head coach Joseph Tremarco had already used his No. 1 and most veteran pitcher, Robbie Centamore, in the Somerset County Tournament semifinals on Monday, in a 4-2 win over Ridge. Even with the finals delayed two days by thunderstorms in the forecast Wednesday – which came to fruition quickly, but with much wind and rain – the 109 pitches he threw kept him from being available Friday.

And during the week, at least in his comments to Central Jersey Sports Radio, Tremarco had not decided whether he’d got with junior Nick Minnetti (3-2, 3.82 ERA) or the younger Lucas Sheehan, a sophomore who was 5-2 at the time, but with an ERA of 5.96. But it’s more than about stats with veteran coaches like Tremarco. There’s also the feel, and the intangibles.

So, he went with Sheehan, and the decision worked to near-perfection.

Sheehan scattered three hits and went the distance in a complete-game, eight-inning effort, outdueling Wake Forest-bound Immaculata senior Ryan Auten, who allowed just six hits and one earned run, striking out 15 in 7 2/3 innings, only coming out at 111 pitches, as mandated by NJSIAA rule.

And with the win, Sheehan did something that hadn’t been done in nearly 30 years – earn a win as a sophomore in the Somerset County Tournament final.

Ironically, the last one to do it was Immaculata star Casey Cahill, who got the win in the 1998 final, a 3-2 win over Bridgewater-Raritan. He’d pick up another as a junior in 1999, in an 8-0 win over Hillsborough, and do it again in 2000, his senior year, in a 2-0 victory over Ridge. To this day, he remains the only pitcher to pick up wins in three Somerset County Tournament finals.

Nearly a win in every decade: With Watchung Hills winning its sixth Somerset County Tournament title, the Warriors have nearly won in every decade in which the tournament has been played, and in more decades – four – than any other team, along with Imaculata.

The inaugural game came in 1973, with Bridgewater-Raritan East edging Hillsborough, 1-0. Two years later, Watchung Hills took the 1975 title, beating Hillsborough 6-4.

In 1982 and 1983, the Warriors went back-to-back. First, they beat Bridgewater-Raritan West 15-0 – the first mercy-rule win in the SCT finals – then they came back and beat Hillsborough the following year, 2-0.

They also picked up a title in 1993, knocking off top-seed Immaculata 5-4, then had a 16-year drought until Watchung Hills beat Montgomery, 4-0 for the 2009 title.

The only decade they didn’t win a title in was the 2010s, though they made the finals twice in that span, losing in 2015 to Hillsborough and 2016 to Montgomery.

Immaculata and Watchung Hills stand for the National Anthem before the 2026 Somerset County Tournament Final at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater on May 22, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

No school – not even Immaculata, with its 15 titles, an SCT record – has won in all six decades. The Spartans failed to even reach the finals from 1973 to 1979, making their first title game in 1981, but never winning one until 1991. Immaculata dominated the decade from 2000 to 2009, winning all but three titles in that span, with the only other winners being Watchung Hills, Hillsborough (won in the 1970s, 2000s, and 2010s) and Montgomery (won in the 2000s and 2010s).

Immaculata has won it in the last four decades, in the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and the current decade.

Top Seed vs. Two-Seed Upsets? Each of the last two seasons, the top-seed has lost to the second seed int he SCT final. Immaculata did it last year, edging top-seed Ridge 3-0, before Watchung Hills turned the tables this year as the second-seed, beating the No. 1-seeded Spartans.

It’s also the third time in the last five SCT finals (since COVID) that the lower-seeded team won the championship.

1-0 Wins and Shutouts: The Watchung Hills win was just the fifth 1-0 win in the SCT finals, and only the third in the last 52 years. The first two title games were 1-0 affairs, with Bridgewater-Raritan East beating Hillsborough, 1-0, in the inaugural tournament in 1973, and Somerville defeating North Plainfield, 1-0, in the 1974 final.

Other 1-0 wins in the SCT finals include:

  • 2004: (3) Immaculata over (1) Hillsborough
  • 2023: (12) Rutgers Prep over (2) Ridge

The victory also was the 17th shutout in SCT finals history. Four of the last five have been decided via shutout, with the only exception being a 10-7 win for top-seed Bridgewater-Raritan over third-seed Ridge in 2024, the year the Panthers swept the division, SCT, North 2 Group 4, and state Group 4 championships en route to a 30-3 season, one of the most dominant in Somerset County in recent memory.

SOMERSET COUNTY TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY:

  • 1973    Bridgewater-Raritan East def. Hillsborough, 1-0
  • 1974    Somerville def. North Plainfield, 1-0
  • 1975    Watchung Hills def. Hillsborough, 6-4
  • 1976    Ridge def. Watchung Hills, 4-3 (10 inn.)
  • 1977    Hillsborough def. North Plainfield, 5-0
  • 1978    Bridgewater-Raritan East def. Hillsborough, 9-2
  • 1979    Hillsborough def. Ridge, 2-0
  • 1980    Ridge, def. Franklin, 7-1
  • 1981    Manville def. Immaculata, 4-1
  • 1982    Watchung Hills def. Bridgewater-Raritan West, 15-0
  • 1983    Watchung Hills def. Hillsborough, 2-0
  • 1984    Ridge def. Immaculata, 2-0
  • 1985    (2) Ridge def. (1) Immaculata, 5-0
  • 1986    Bernards def. Somerville, 14-10
  • 1987    Somerville def. Ridge, 2-1
  • 1988    (6) Bridgewater-Raritan West def. (1) Ridge, 3-1
  • 1989    (1) Ridge def. Bridgewater-Raritan West, 5-4
  • 1990    (7) Bridgewater-Raritan East def. (4) Somerville, 9-1
  • 1991    (1) Immaculata def. North Plainfield, 11-3
  • 1992    (2) Somerville def. (1) Watchung Hills, 9-2
  • 1993    (3) Watchung Hills def. (1) Immaculata, 5-4
  • 1994    (3) Immaculata, def. (1) Watchung Hills, 5-2 
  • 1995    (1) Somerville def. (3) Ridge, 7-6
  • 1996    (6) Bridgewater-Raritan def. (1) Immaculata, 7-5
  • 1997    (2) Immaculata def. (1) Bridgewater-Raritan, 2-0
  • 1998    (3) Immaculata def. (1) Bridgewater-Raritan, 3-2
  • 1999    (1) Immaculata def. (6) Hillsborough, 8-0
  • 2000    (1) Immaculata def. (2) Ridge, 2-0
  • 2001    (2) Immaculata def. (5) Montgomery, 6-1
  • 2002    (1) Immaculata def. (2) Ridge, 10-0
  • 2003    (3) Montgomery def. (8) Pingry, 5-4
  • 2004    (3) Immaculata def. (1) Hillsborough, 1-0
  • 2005    (2) Hillsborough, def. (1) Immaculata 5-1
  • 2006    (1) Immaculata def. (7) Pingry, 8-0
  • 2007    (1) Immaculata def. (3) Hillsborough, 12-11 (10 inn.)
  • 2008    (1) Immaculata def. (2) Hillsborough, 9-1
  • 2009    (2) Watchung Hills def. (9) Montgomery 4-0
  • 2010    (2) Montgomery def. (1) Immaculata, 13-3 (5 inn.)
  • 2011    (8) Ridge def. (3) Hillsborough, 4-3 (8 inn.)
  • 2012    (4) Hillsborough def. (7) Bridgewater-Raritan, 4-3 (12 inn.)
  • 2013    (6) Bernards def, (5) Immaculata, 6-5 
  • 2014    (4) Hillsborough def. (2) Ridge, 4-3 (9 inn.) 
  • 2015    (6) Hillsborough def. (9) Watchung Hills, 3-1 
  • 2016    (1) Montgomery def. (6) Watchung Hills, 2-1
  • 2017    (10) Rutgers Prep def. (1) Montgomery, 7-2
  • 2018    (3) Immaculata def. (9) Montgomery, 6-5 
  • 2019    (2) Immaculata def. (5) Ridge, 6-5 (12 inn.) 
  • 2020 & 2021    NO TOURNAMENT
  • 2022    (1) Ridge def. (6) Rutgers Prep, 6-0
  • 2023    (12) Rutgers Prep def. (2) Ridge, 1-0 
  • 2024    (1) Bridgewater-Raritan def. (3) Ridge, 10-7
  • 2025    (2) Immaculata def. (1) Ridge, 3-0
  • 2026    (2) Watchung Hills def. (1) Immaculata, 1-0 (8 inn.)
by Mike Pavlichko

State Playoff Preview: St. Joseph-Metuchen, Pingry, Gill to open NJSIAA play Tuesday

Hard to believe, but it’s already state tournament time in high school baseball.

The county tournaments are (mostly) done – with the GMC still to be decided this coming Saturday after rain throughout Memorial Day weekend – and everyone is set to begin sectional play in the NJSIAA tournament.

Over the next three days, we’ll take a look at each and every matchup involving Central Jersey Sports Radio teams, starting with the non-public schools, which open play on Tuesday, save for those that have first round byes and are awaiting their first opponent, including Immaculata and Rutgers Prep. St. Thomas Aquinas has a bye, bit already has their opponent determined.

We’ll have a look at Central Jersey Groups 1, 2 and 4 on Monday, and North Jersey, Section 2, Groups 2, 3 and 4 on Tuesday.

NON-PUBLIC NORTH B:

(10) Pope John (4-18) at (7) Gill St. Bernard’s (9-11), 4 pm Tuesday: Though Pope John has taken the last three meetings – with wins in 2019, 2021, and 2024 – that most recent win over Gill is far enough back not to matter. The Lions play a very difficult schedule, including four losses to the two teams that squared off in the Morris County Tournament final, with Mount Olive (now No. 13 in the state) knocking off the statewide No. 1 – and they still are – Delbarton. Both teams are hitting about the same, hovering around the .270 mark, but Pope John has given up more runs, with a team ERA of 7.35, while the Knights are under five. Junior Gavin Bucceri leads the team in hitting, at .379, while senior Jack Markovich is hitting .297 with three home runs. The teams have one common opponent in Pingry; Gill swept them in mid-April, getting a 13-2 and a12-8 win, while Pope John beat the Big Blue a month later, 11-7. The winner will head to Somerset to take on second-seed Rutgers Prep (16-6) in the sectional quarterfinals.

Quarterfinals: (6) Morris Catholic (13-10) at (3) St. Thomas Aquinas (12-14), Thursday (TBA): Just about any team that comes out of the GMC Red Division is probably stronger than their record would indicate. After all, look who’s in the GMC Tournament final: the second and fifth-place teams. And both Old Bridge and Monroe are quite deserving. In fact, their strength of schedule almost certainly was a factor in how high the Trojans were seeded. This will be the first meeting between the teams going back at least to 2008, the last year for which records are publicly available online. They do, however, have one common opponent. St. Thomas lost at home to Montville last Saturday, 12-4, while Morris Catholic beat them two weeks earlier, 8-6. But the Crusaders also lost a preliminary round Morris County Tournament game to a near-.500 Morris Hills team, 9-1, while Aquinas made it to the GMC Quarterfinals, beating South Brunswick 3-2 to get there, then falling to second-seed Middlesex, 3-0. With an up-and-down lineup led by Louis Rizzolo, hitting .373 and a couple others over .300, the Trojans likely look to Rizzolo on the mound in the opener: he’s 6-0 with a 0.98 ERA. A first round bye here means a lot, with Rizzolo starting a quarterfinal game, that would also line him up for a potential title game start.

(2) Rutgers Prep (16-6): The Argonauts have a first-round bye, and will open play Thursday against either seven-seed Gill St. Bernard’s or 10-seed Pope John.

NON-PUBLIC SOUTH A:

(11) St. Joseph-Metuchen (6-16) at (6) St. John Vianney (15-9), 3:45 pm Tuesday: It’s been a challenging season for the defending GMC Tournament Champion Falcons, to say the least. While they graduated a bunch, there’s still talent – and many league coaches will attest to this – but there’s also inexperience. Of their five wins, two came in a back-to-back sweep of East Brunswick in early April, then later in the month they put together a three-game win streak, with victories over Toms River East in the Autism Awareness Challenge, Woodbridge and St. Thomas Aquinas. The followed that up with an eight-game skid – though five of those games were decided by either one or two runs – before beating Freehold Boro, 11-1, to come into the state tournament on a positive note. Also on the plus side, Luke Baranauskas has been back in the lineup for a few games now, after missing the bulk of April; he’s the team’s top regular, hitting .409, while Logan Ring is hitting .352 with 17 RBIs, and Luke Palermo is right behind him with 16 – and it’s no surprise those are key returnees from last season, though they’re still only juniors. Regardless, beating Vianney will be a tough task, especially on the road, with a pitching staff allowing over five earned runs a game. This will be their first meeting since at least 2008. The winner got to third-seed Red Bank Catholic (17-7) Thursday in the quarterfinals; the Caseys have a first-round bye.

(10) Pingry (10-4) at (7) Notre Dame (13-10), 4 pm Tuesday: This will be the first meeting between the teams since 2016, so there’s no recent history here, either. Common opponent advantage goes to the Irish, who beat Gill St. Bernard’s 6-1 in the Autism Awareness Challenge, while the Big Blue were swept by Gill, 13-2 and 12-8, the week prior. Pingry has lost four of five coming in, with defeats at the hands of Pope John, Franklin, Hillsborough and Rutgers Prep, but they are coming in off a 6-4 victory over Oratory Prep, which is 10-4 just like Pingry. The Big Blue is hitting close to .300 (.299), with junior Langston McDonald (.380, 12 RBI) leading the way, while sophomore Andrew Crowley has a team-high 18 runs batted in, while hitting .338 on the year. Nearly every Pingry team has a tendency to be pesky and give opponents fits, and expect little different here in what could be a toss-up. The winner will take a long drive on Thursday to play in the quarterfinals at second-seed St. Augustine (19-6, #12 in NJ), which has a first-round bye.

(1) Immaculata (20-5): The Spartans – coming off a 1-0 loss in eight innings to Watchung Hills in the Somerset County Tournament final Friday afternoon – have a first-round bye and will open play Thursday at Diamond Nation in Flemington against either eight-seed Donovan Catholic (6-15) or nine-seed Paul VI (9-13).

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – Somerset County Tournament Final: (2) Watchung Hills 1, (1) Immaculata 0 (8 inn.)

Second-seed Watchung Hills got a run in the top of the eighth and a complete game, three-hit shutout – all the way into extras – by sophomore Lucas Sheehan to beat top-seed and defending champion Immaculata, 1-0, in the 52nd Somerset County Tournament championship game.

It was the sixth title overall for the Hustlin’ Warriors, and first for head coach Joe Tremarco, now in his 11th season and 12th year as head coach.

Top-seed and defending Somerset County Tournament champion Immaculata rallied with three runs in the sixth to beat fifth-seed Bridgewater-Raritan, 7-6, in the SCT semifinals, sending the Spartans to the title game where they will try to become the first team to repeat since they did it in 2018 and 2019.

READ THE FULL GAME STORY HERE!

Click below to watch the full game as Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel call all the play-by-play live from TD Bank Park in Bridgewater on May 22, 2026.