Tag: Louis Rizzolo

June 2, 2026June 3, 2026 by Alec Crouthamel

Rizzolo, Patel power St. Thomas Aquinas to 7-3 win over Rutgers Prep for third postseason year in Non-Public North B semifinals

Three straight years Louis Rizzolo got the ball against Rutgers Prep in the Non-Public North B sectional tournament.

And three straight years, the senior southpaw helped guide St. Thomas Aquinas to a playoff victory.

The third-seeded Trojans (13-14) went on the road to defeat second-seeded Rutgers Prep 7-3 in the semifinals, advancing to their second sectional final appearance in three years. The Argonauts (17-7) saw their season come to a close after another strong campaign.

Rizzolo and junior Nikash Patel applied much of the damage, with both of them going the distance on the mound and accounting for all seven runs on two homers.

Both came with runners on, as Rizzolo mashed a two-out three-run blast on the first pitch to open St. Thomas Aquinas’ scoring in the second inning, and Patel launched a grand slam to extend a one-run lead to five. The seven earned runs were the most all season for Rutgers Prep ace Li Perez, and just the second outing all year he allowed any earned runs.

The Argonauts struck first in the game, as Perez worked a shutout top half of the first to set up his offense well. Second baseman Matt Bilmes reached on an infield single and advanced on an error, before designated hitter Maddox Chu lined an RBI double to bring him home.

But the Trojans responded immediately.

Perez retired two of the first three batters, but freshman Justin Monterosso – one of four first-years in the lineup – worked a key walk on four pitches to flip the lineup card over and bring Rizzolo up in a big spot.

The senior came through, as a fast-moving fastball from Perez left the yard even faster off the bat of Rizzolo, instantly putting St. Thomas Aquinas ahead with a 3-1 lead.

Rutgers Prep brought a response of their own after that, as Bilmes scored his second run of the day on a sacrifice fly from Perez, but Rizzolo limited the damage to just a run after loading the bases, striking out first baseman Mason Cimini looking to end the trouble. Perez struck out the side and retired seven straight after allowing the home run, and it looked like the veteran-laden Argonauts were setting themselves up to get right back into the game.

But in the top of the fifth, the Trojans’ veteran power struck again.

Monterosso worked his second important walk of the afternoon, reaching to lead off the inning on a full count, and Rizzolo singled to set up another big inning. Catcher Adrian Sanchez worked a full-count walk himself to load the bases with nobody out. Then came Patel. Perez got off to a solid start, working a 1-2 count, but Patel got a breaking ball he liked and powered it the opposite way, sending the ball over the right-centerfield fence to take a commanding 7-2 lead.

Perez retired the next three batters to get out of the inning, but the damage had been done.

Argonauts catcher Ethan Nepomuceno launched a solo home run off Rizzolo to lead off the bottom half of the inning, but Rizzolo didn’t let another baserunner on in the inning, keeping the lead at four runs.

Senior reliever Peter Wheeler pitched the final two frames for Rutgers Prep, working around a hit-by-pitch to Monterosso and an intentional walk to Rizzolo to keep the score at 7-3.

Rutgers Prep had one final shot in the bottom half of the seventh. With Rizzolo up against his pitch count, he struck out Bilmes on four pitches, then shortstop Alex Perez on three. But Perez reached on a dropped third strike and wide throw from Sanchez for pitch 111.

But as the two have so many times, Patel picked up his starter, ending the game in just three pitches as Nepomuceno grounded into a 2-0, 4-6-3 double play to seal the win.

Rizzolo earned the win in 6 1/3 innings pitched, with three earned runs on six hits, with just one walk and 12 strikeouts. Perez was given the loss with seven earned runs in five innings, with five hits, four walks, and six strikeouts.

The Trojans will advance to the Non-Public North B semifinals for the second time in three years – they won it over the Argonauts in 2024 – and will face top-seeded St. Mary in Rutherford on Friday at 4 pm.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel talk with St. Thomas Aquinas senior Louis Rizzolo, junior Nikash Patel, and freshman Justin Monterosso, as well as head coach Tom D’Agostino, about the Trojans’ semifinal victory over Rutgers Prep, presented by the Sportsplex at Metuchen:

May 30, 2025May 30, 2025 by Alec Crouthamel

St. Thomas Aquinas uses five-run sixth, bursts past Rutgers Prep 6-1 to advance to second straight Non-Public North B semifinal

For the first five and a half innings of the Non-Public North B quarterfinal between fourth-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas and fifth-seeded Rutgers Prep, the two evenly matched teams were entrenched in a classic pitcher’s duel.

Trojans southpaw Louis Rizzolo and Argonauts righty Li Perez dazzled through their first five innings, leaving the game deadlocked at 1-1 headed into a pivotal bottom of the sixth inning.

In that inning, St. Thomas Aquinas’ bats showed up. In a big way.

The Trojans batted around and tacked on five runs in the frame to take a 6-1 lead, ultimately winning by the same score to advance to their second straight sectional semifinal, on the back of a complete game from Rizzolo.

St. Thomas Aquinas struck first, scoring in the bottom of the second inning after right fielder Josh Figueiredo hit a two-out RBI double to the centerfield wall to score Declan DiCarlo, who led off the inning with a full-count walk. Perez rebounded with a strikeout of the ensuing batter to end the inning.

In the top of the fourth inning, Rutgers Prep made its move. Catcher Maddox Chu drew a one-out hit-by-pitch and stole second base. The very next batter, left fielder Ethan Nepomuceno, tied the game with an RBI double to left field.

The bottom half of the inning saw the Trojans nearly strike again, but Perez battled through an inning where he walked three batters to load the bases. With two outs, the bases loaded, and down to his last batter due to the pitch count limit, Perez struck out Lucas Cassino swinging with a full-count fastball to end his outing in a gutsy way.

Rizzolo stifled any Argonaut momentum gained from that moment, however, retiring the side in order with two strikeouts and a groundout.

With the game still deadlocked at one run apiece going into the bottom of the sixth, the Trojans needed a difference-maker and got one.

Peter Wheeler relieved Perez on the mound, and he struggled to find the zone from the start. He walked designated hitter Harrison Eng on four pitches, then Figueiredo on a full count to put runners on first and second with nobody out. Left fielder Junior Perez laid a perfectly executed bunt down the third base line to load the bases with an infield single, setting up centerfielder Jack Valenzuela in a tie game.

On a 3-1 count, Valenzuela saw the fastball he wanted and sent it out to left field, scoring two runs and giving the Trojans the lead back. With the lineup card flipped over, Rizzolo reached on a jam shot that bounced off the glove of shortstop Alex Perez to reload the bases, still with nobody out.

Catcher Adrian Sanchez, the ensuing batter, laced a ground-ball single through the middle of the infield to score two more runs. Third baseman Will Bethea struck out swinging to record the inning’s first out after six straight St. Thomas Aquinas batters reached base.

Second baseman Declan DiCarlo drew an intentional walk on a 3-0 count to load the bases for the third time in the inning, leading to an RBI sacrifice fly from Cassino. Batting for the second time in the inning, Eng flew out to centerfield to end the sixth, but the damage had been done.

Rizzolo continued his cruising outing into the seventh, getting two flyouts in short order, but the Argonauts put up one last fight with back-to-back hits to put runners at the corners. The very next batter, however, Rizzolo shut the door by striking out Rutgers Prep third baseman Okasha Asrar.

Rizzolo finished his complete game with seven innings pitched, allowing five hits and one run, with one walk and seven strikeouts. Perez had a strong outing of his own in five innings, allowing one run on three hits, five walks, and 11 strikeouts.

St. Thomas Aquinas improves to 16-8 on the season and will face the winner of the top-seeded Montclair Kimberley and ninth-seeded Newark Academy in the sectional semifinals. The Argonauts’ tournament run comes to an end at 13-10 on the season, with one game against North Brunswick left on the schedule on June 5th.

Click below for postgame reaction from St. Thomas Aquinas pitcher Louis Rizzolo, centerfielder Jack Valenzuela, and head coach Tom D’Agostino, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Pitcher Louis Rizzolo & centerfielder Jack Valenzuela

Head Coach Tom D’Agostino

June 1, 2024 by Alec Crouthamel

St. Thomas Aquinas wins first sectional title in 18 years with dramatic late rally over Rutgers Prep

For much of the game Saturday, second-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas was on the verge of breaking through in the Non-Public North B Sectional Title game, but just could not connect on a big punch against fifth-seeded Rutgers Prep.

In the fifth and sixth innings, however, it all came together.

After 4 and 2/3 strong innings from freshman starter Nikash Patel, Louis Rizzolo – known as the heart and soul of this Trojan squad – came in and struck out the first batter he faced to end the inning. He came off the mound as fired up as one can be, and ran back to the dugout to pump up his teammates still trailing 2-1.

Safe to say his fiery celebration worked.

After another strong sixth inning on the mound for Rizzolo, he hit a game-tying RBI double. Following an infield single from Declan Dicarlo, the Argonauts made a pitching change for left fielder Gavin Sansone. He socked a three-run home run to give St. Thomas Aquinas a lead it would not relinquish, as Rizzolo shut the door to give the Trojans their first sectional championship since 2006, via a 5-3 win in North Edison.

The seventh inning saw the Argonauts give some fight as they had the tying and go-ahead run at the plate throughout, but Rizzolo induced a pop-fly in foul territory. Third baseman Hunter Krainski got on his horse, leaned on the fence, and found the ball in his glove. A celebration of all celebrations ensued as the Trojans took home the sectional championship on their home field.

For Rutgers Prep, Nick Pizzie and Husan Zakir pitched an admirable five innings to hold off the Trojans’ lineup but ultimately St. Thomas Aquinas got hot at the right time and took home the championship for the first time in 18 years.

And Aquinas will move on for one more game: They will face off against Gloucester Catholic in the state Non-Public B Final at 7 pm on Thursday at Veterans Park in Hamilton. The Rams defeated Bishop Eustace 2-1 in the South B final earlier Saturday.

Click below to hear postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen: