Tag: Joe Tremarco

Watchung Hills pitcher Robbie Centamore throws a pitch.
by Alec Crouthamel

Full-lineup power propels No. 5 Watchung Hills to 10-0 run-rule win over No. 1 Immaculata

The afternoon of the Somerset County Tournament seeding meeting, each team in action wanted to put their best foot forward ahead of the postseason.

No. 5 Watchung Hills did that, and then some, against No. 1 Immaculata.

The Warriors (11-4, 7-2) bounced back from a 12-2 loss to defending Group 2 state champion Governor Livingston with a five-inning 10-0 victory of their own, giving the Spartans (12-4, 8-1) their first loss in conference play.

Senior pitcher and designated hitter Rob Centamore did his job on the mound and at the plate, going the distance with five shutout innings, while striking out seven batters and allowing just two hits. He also hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning to extend the lead to 6-0, helping his cause even further.

First baseman Max Payne capped off a four-run fifth inning with a bases-loaded RBI single to close out the win. Watchung Hills would’ve batted around in the inning, had the game not ended with the hit.

The rest of the lineup production came from the bottom of the order, with the Warriors’ eighth and ninth hitters — centerfielder Chris Dorsi (two RBIs), pinch-hitter Bennett Dealaman (one RBI), and right fielder Sam Hunsinger (four RBIs) plating the remaining seven runs.

Dealaman was a busy man himself, courtesy-running for catcher Jacob Jaconski — who was plunked three straight times in his first three plate appearances through four innings — before stepping up to the plate himself in the fifth to drive in a run with a single.

Watchung Hills threatened in the first inning with runners on the corners and one out, but Immaculata pitcher Cole Raymond worked a 4-6-3 double play to get out of the jam scoreless. That came after the Spartans left a runner in scoring position in the top of the first with a one-out double from sophomore second baseman Luca Catanzarite, as Centamore left him at second base.

The Warriors got the job done in the second inning, though. The first five batters reached base against Raymond — with four hits and a walk — and Dorsi opened the scoring with a two-run bloop single. Hunsinger brought in two more with a single of his own to bring home the first four runs of the game. Jaconski recorded his second HBP of the game with one out, but another timely 4-6-3 double play ended the inning with a four-run advantage.

Centamore continued to deal, rendering Immaculata hitless from the first inning until the fifth inning, with two walks serving as the only baserunners. He helped his own case in the bottom of the fourth inning with the aforementioned two-run blast, a sky-high ball that just cleared the left-field fence at Frank T. Matullo Stadium. A groundout on the ensuing batter ended the inning, and worked through a shutout inning in the fourth before a pitching change.

Sophomore first baseman Andrew Wheeler moved over to the mound to take over for Raymond. He worked a flyout against second baseman Landon Pudlak, but the next three batters all reached, with back-to-back walks followed by an RBI single from Dealaman.

Immaculata then went to senior right-hander Michael Drelich out of the bullpen, but Watchung Hills kept on hitting. Hunsinger laced a double into the left-center field gap to plate two more runs to make it a nine-run lead, before Drelich worked a groundout to record the second out. That was the last out the Spartans would get, however, with the best of the order due up.

Jaconski worked a walk — without getting hit by the pitch this time! — and Centamore added a single to put runners on first and second with two outs. Payne ended it with his RBI single up the middle to send the Warriors home with an early victory.

Centamore earned the victory with five shutout innings, two hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts. Raymond was given the loss in four innings of work, allowing six earned runs on seven hits, two walks, two strikeouts, and three hit batters.

How this affects Tuesday night’s SCT seeding meeting remains to be determined. Watchung Hills had been in the mix for a top-four seed for much of the recent weeks, and Immaculata was the favorite to be the tournament’s top seed. While Immaculata only has the one county loss, Watchung Hills’ two conference losses came to Ridge, which was swept by the Spartans.

It’s a Somerset County transitive triangle!

CJSR’s Mike Pavlichko will have the full bracket after the meeting — starting at 7:30 Tuesday night — at @cjsportsradio on Twitter/X, with a full story after.

All these teams can do is control what is in front of them, and the Warriors — now winners of seven of their last eight games since getting swept by the Red Devils in mid-April — did a good job of putting their best foot forward Tuesday.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel talk with Watchung Hills head coach Joe Tremarco and senior pitcher/DH Rob Centamore, presented by the Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Watchung Hills “steals” walk-off, 7-6 win over Bridgewater-Raritan to sweep two-game set

Just when you thought you’ve seen it all, you haven’t.

Way back in the first inning of Watchung Hills’ Skyland Conference Delaware Division home game against Bridgewater-Raritan Thursday – heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio – first baseman Max Payne did something he may never, ever do again.

He broke his bat – a metal bat – on what turned out to be an infield hit to the left side. Has anyone ever seen that happen? Probably not.

But he was outdone by how the Hustlin’ Warriors finished off the game.

After taking a 6-5 lead with five runs in the bottom of the fourth, the Panthers rallied in the top of the seventh to tie the game at six, forcing Hills to bat in the bottom of the seventh with the score 6-6.

Payne flied out to center, and Landon Pudlak popped up a foul ball to the first baseman. But with two out, Brody Griffith singled, and Brady Simo reached on a hard liner to third that was scored an infield hit. With a 3-1 count, centerfielder Chris Dorsi took a strike, as Griffith made a move toward third. That prompted a pickoff throw from catcher Michael Lobosco.

By now, Griffith was well on his way to third, but the throw couldn’t be handled at the bag by Connor Price, and it sailed to the fence, bringing Griffith home with the winning run, giving Watchung Hills (3-1) a 7-6 victory and a two-game sweep of BR following a 9-1 road win Tuesday.

The Warriors got on the board in the bottom of the first taking a 1-0 lead on an RBI single by Pudlak, but Bridgewater got five in their half of the second on five hits. They did it with a two-RBI double by DH Stephen Pikulin with the bases loaded, then a three-run homer to left by Josh Moore – the first of his varsity career – during one of the few moments in the game when a steady wind died down. All five runs came with one out.

The Warriors got those five back in the fourth, taking a 6-5 lead, sending nine men to the plate in the inning. They loaded the bases when Brady Simo got hit by a pitch, Dorsi reached on an infield hit, and Sam Hunsinger got plunked as well. Stef DiGeronimo walked to drive in a run, making it 5-2 Panthers, and that was it for Bridgewater starter Kevin Kelly.

Gavin Butch relieved him, and went 3-2 on the next two batters before striking both out. But Payne cut the deficit to two with a hard liner to short that was ruled an infield hit, Pudlack drove in two with a line drive single to right to make it 5-5, and Payne scored on a wild pitch with Griffith at the plate to make it 6-5 Watchung Hills.

Jack Braswell, in his first pitching appearance of the season for Bridgewater-Raritan (1-3), took the loss, while the win went to the Warriors’ Lucas Sheehan, who also made his first appearance of the year, despite giving up the tying run in the top of the seventh.

Click below for postgame reaction from Alec Crouthamel with Watchung Hills head coach Joe Tremarco, pitcher Nick minettio and second baseman Landon Pudlak, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Alec Crouthamel

Watchung Hills looks for midweek sweep, 3-1 start in battle against Bridgewater-Raritan

As the ground continues to thaw — and the wind continues to whip, as it did Tuesday — Watchung Hills’ offense has stayed hot, on the way to a 2-1 start.

The Warriors have scored 22 runs in three games, an average of just over seven per contest. And they’ll take their solid play back home for a Thursday matchup against Bridgewater-Raritan. They already faced the Panthers once, a 9-1 victory on Tuesday, and are looking for the sweep as the season starts to get fully in swing.

Watchung Hills eagerly awaits the finale of the two-game home-and-home set. 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.

The hitting and pitching stood out on Tuesday, as a classic pitcher’s duel between top arms Kellan Komline (BR) and Robbie Centamore (WH) set up a 2-1 game after four innings. But from there, both outings went in different directions.

Komline left the game after picking up two outs in the fifth, but the Warriors were already in full swing. They tacked on seven unanswered runs to end the game, as Centamore went six strong innings with 12 strikeouts.

Watchung Hills returns a key core of veterans after graduating a few of their top hitters from last year’s team. But it’s not like the new elder statesmen are filling new roles. This veteran group has seen a lot of varsity experience from a young age, and have developed under 13th-year head coach Joe Tremarco.

Centamore helps get everyone going both on the mound and at the plate. Stef DeGeronimo and Landon Pudlak — a junior and senior, respectively — continue their reign in the Warriors’ middle infield and are off to solid starts once again. Centamore and fellow senior Jacob Jaconski each pace the team with five hits in the early goings, and the lineup has produced at a high level, no matter who steps into the batter’s box.

On the pitching side, Watchung Hills is looking to a few veterans to fill out the rotation as an important secondary pitcher, including senior Isaac Russell. Centamore has thrown the lion’s share of innings so far, but won’t get the ball next after his stellar outing on Tuesday. In the bullpen, junior Caden Dias has emerged as a weapon out of the bullpen with three scoreless innings in the Warriors’ two wins so far.

As the sun continues to shine later, and the afternoons heat up, Watchung Hills looks to stay hot with its third win in four games to start the campaign.

Click below to hear Alec Crouthamel talk with Watchung Hills head coach Joe Tremarco about the first week of the season, and Thursday’s game against Bridgewater-Raritan:


by Mike Pavlichko

Watchung Hills continues hot hitting, gets another solid outing from Centamore in 9-0 road win over Somerville

Hot hitting and good pitching will win you a lot of ballgames. In 2025, it has Watchung Hills off to a 5-1 start.

That’s the best start for the Warriors since they began the 2021 campaign 6-0, thanks to a 9-0 win over Somerville Tuesday afternoon at the Torpey Athetic Complex in Bridgewater, as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Watchung Hills had a 4-0 lead after three innings of play. Ethan Clayton drove in the first run of the game with a single, scoring Max Eder, who led off the inning with a double.

In the third, Stef DeGeronimo led off with a double. Jake Kierstead knocked him in with a single, then Jacob Jaconski plated him with a double. After Eder struck out, Ethan Byrd’s double scored Jaconski to make it 4-0.

After that, Somerville starter Ryan Ciesla settled in, and retired the next six batters – including a 1-2-3 fourth – into the fifth.

The Warriors got another run in the sixth, on a sac fly to left by DeGeronimo, scoring Chris Dorsi, who led off the inning with an infield hit.

They got four more insurance runs in the seventh, including a two-RBI single by Landon Pudlak, and a two-RBI double by DiGeronimo.

All the while, junior starting pitcher Rob Centamore was brilliant. He scattered four hits through 5 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out nine and walking just one, to improve to 3-0 on the season.

Ciesla took the loss for Somerville, his first of the season to fall to 2-1.

Six players had runs batted in for Watchung Hills, which continues its hot hitting. They were batting .331 coming into the game, and knocked out a season-best 15 hits.

Click below for postgame reaction from Watchung Hills junior starter Ryan Centamore and head coach Joseph Tremarco, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

State-ranked Bridgewater-Raritan to face Watchung Hills in second SCT semifinal Monday

Call it the Old Bridge model.

Well it’s not a model, per se, but at least a somewhat similar track on which Bridgewater-Raritan hopes they’re taking.

Last year, Old Bridge won the Central Jersey Group 4 title, but didn’t make the semifinals of the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament. This year – again considered a favorite in the section – they went all the way to become county champions.

A year ago, Bridgewater-Raritan earned the top seed in the Somerset County Tournament, and didn’t make it to the final, but they went all the way to the sectional title game, losing in the North 2, Group 4 final at home to Bayonne. With another year of experience, Max Newill’s squad is hoping not only to reach the SCT final, but bring home some hardware.

On the other side is Watchung Hills, a young squad hovering around .500 ball all season long. But they were awarded the fourth seed, and here they are, in the semis at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater Monday, with the final four of the county tournament all going to chalk.

You can hear Monday’s semifinal Between the Panthers and Warriors live on Central Jersey Sports Radio – presented by Zoned Sports Academy of Bridgewater – starting at 4 pm, immediately following the 1 pm semifinal featuring second-seed Immaculata and third-seed Ridge. Mike Pavlichko, Dom Savino and Vin Ebenau will be on the call; click here to listen.

Bridgewater-Raritan (21-3) is the only Skyland Conference team to reach 20 wins so far this season – though several others are within striking distance – and the Panthers have won five-in-a-row coming in. Their latest was an 11-0 victory over 8th-seed Montgomery in the SCT quarterfinals Thursday, a five-inning ten-run rule game in which starter Owen Crimmins pitched a no-hitter – striking out six and walking just one – while six different players drove in runs.

Kellen Komline will get the start for the Panthers, 3-0 with a microscopic 0.49 ERA. And there are plenty of options in the bullpen, including Cory Rible, who has made the transition in his senior year to closer. In 12 appearances, Bridgewater hos not lost a single one of the games where he’s been on the mound. His two wins have come in his longer outings, five innings in a 7-1, ten-inning win over Immaculata, and 4 2/3 against Cherokee in another ten-inning win at Trenton Thunder Ballpark.

On the season, Bridgewater is hitting .297, and has some key guys over .400, including senior Matthew Fattore, who leads the team at .409, with 24 runs batted in, and 15 HBPs on the season. Junior catcher JR Rosado is just a shade below at .403, with a team-leading six doubles and two home runs. He’s also a superb defensive catcher.

Click below to hear Dom Savino talk with Bridgewater-Raritan head coach Max Newill:

For Watchung Hills (13-12), it’s a young team, but qualifying for the finals might put the Warriors ahead of schedule.

They got a tremendous starting effort in the quarterfinals from Robert Centamore, who threw nine of the 11 innings in a walk-off 1-0 win over Franklin Thursday afternoon (and evening). He struck out nine, scattering three hits, and didn’t allow a single walk. Ethan Byrd closed it out, pitching two innings of one-hit ball, with four Ks and one walk, and got the win, his fourth of the season, tied for the team-lead with junior Max Eder. But the junior Byrd is expected to go Monday for the Warriors.

Hills is a lighter hitting team than Bridgewater, batting .246 on the year. Senior Michael DiSarno heads the team at .333, while junior Jake Kierstead is hitting .319 with 17 runs batted in and a team-high 10 doubles, along with a triple and home run. Senior Will Hunsinger leads the squad with 20 RBIs, three home runs, and 13 stolen bases.

Overall, its literally been an up-and-down season for Watchung Hills. They’ve been at or above .500 more of the season than they haven’t, and after a touch stretch where the lost four in a row in late April/Early May, they’ve now won four of their last five and two straight coming in, including a 4-1 regular season non-league victory over Middlesex Saturday.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with Watchung Hills head coach Joseph Tremarco: