Tag: NJ Baseball

by Mike Pavlichko

Defending Somerset County Tournament champ Immaculata hangs on to get top seed in 2026 tourney

As was widely expected, defending Somerset County Tournament champion Immaculata – the No. 1 team in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten for the last five weeks – has been awarded to No. 1 seed in this year’s event by the county’s baseball coaches at the annual seeding meeting held at Immaculata High School in Somerville.

But the decision was a lot less certain heading in than it looked just a few hours earlier.

The Spartans were given the top seed despite a 10-0, five-inning loss at Watchung Hills Tuesday afternoon. That was their first Skyland Conference loss of the season; at 12-4, their other three losses came to Delbarton, Delsea and Winter Park (FL) in a Spring Break trip down South.

Watchung Hills – which got the two-seed – improved to 11-4 with the win, but has two league losses, 12-10 and 13-3 to Ridge, along with defeats at the hands of Notre Dame out of Mercer County and defending state Group 2 champion Governor Livingston. The two defeats at the hands of the Red Devils, who were swept themselves by Immaculata a couple of weeks ago, appeared to factor into the decision.

The Spartans are the first team to win the SCT title and be seeded No. 1 the following year since Montgomery did it nearly a decade ago. The Cougars won the SCT as the top seed in 2016, then were the No. 2 seed again the following year.

The top four seeds – which all get byes to the quarterfinals – were rounded out with Ridge third and Rutgers Prep fourth.

Teams five through ten get byes to the second-round. In order, they are Bridgewater-Raritan fifth, followed by Hillsborough, Somerville, Montgomery, Gill St. Bernard’s, and Franklin..

That leaves the final four seeds – 11 through 14 – to play a pair of first-round games, ideally scheduled for Friday, though teams will have some flexibility to play Thursday, if they’re able.

That includes Bernards at No. 11, followed by Pingry, Manville and Bound Brook.

Here’s the full 2026 Somerset County Tournament bracket:

Here’s the fill 2026 Somerset County Tournament Schedule:

  • First Round: Friday, May 8 at higher seeds
  • Second Round: Monday, May 11 at higher seeds
  • Quarterfinals: Thursday, May 14 at higher seeds
  • Semifinals: Monday, May 18 at TD Bank Park (1 and 4 pm)
  • Finals: Wednesday, May 20 at TD Bank Park (6 pm)

Central Jersey Sports Radio will broadcast the semifinals and finals live at cjsportsradio.com.

by Mike Pavlichko

Montgomery has been tested early, looking to heat up as weather gets warmer for Saturday battle with Pingry at TD Bank Park

Peter Mueller – the veteran skipper who has been the Montgomery baseball coach for a quarter century, racking up over 300 wins – knows a thing or two about getting a team ready for the season.

He felt really confident about his team heading into 2026 with a good mix of veterans and younger players, and he still does, despite a 2-4 start to the season against a challenging schedule that’s included the likes of Ridge – a Somerset County Tournament finalist from a year ago, as well as a Hillsborough team that won Central Jersey Group 4, and always-tough-to-beat North Hunterdon.

And well he should.

Saturday afternoon, the Cougars get a chance to move within a game of .500 when they play the home team against Pingry at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater. It’s a 2 pm game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio with Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas. Pregame is set for 1:40, click here to listen.

One of the bright spots so far at the plate has been junior Alex Bender, who’s hitting .412 with five runs scored and three stolen bases. Sophomore Michael Englert, an “insanely athletic” left fielder who went 3-for-5 with a triple and five RBI in the season opener – a 13-1 win over Warren Hills – tweaked his knee in that game, and has missed the last five games, but could be back in the lineup against the Big Blue.

On the mound, the Cougars have gotten some good work, but just been on the wrong end of a couple of tough games. And it’s an experienced group, too. Senior Jake Hayes already has thrown a dozen innings, with a 2.84 ERA, but he’s 1-2 on the season, while fellow senior Liam McDonnell is 0-1, but with an ERA of just 1.91. He gave up just two earned runs in a 4-1 loss to Hightstown.

Click below to hear Montgomery head coach Peter Mueller talk about the early season and Saturday’s matchup against Pingry with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

Perfection!  Middlesex soph Dominic Long goes 12-0, with four state tourney wins, is named CJSR’s 2025 GMC Player of the Year

Last year, it was Cory Rible, the Bridgewater-Raritan closer – whose team won all 17 games he appeared in – taking home Player of the Year honors from Central Jersey Sports Radio.

This year – as we honor two winners – one in the Greater Middlesex Conference and one from Somerset County – it’s Dominic Long of Middlesex, who also was perfect this year. The uncommitted sophomore – though he won’t be for much longer – went 12-0 this season, winning four of his club’s six games in the state tournament, en route to a GMC record seventh state title for the Blue Jays.

Though he admits he issued too many walks for his taste, Long was still incredibly efficient, even if he wasn’t always overpowering.

Dominic Long pitches against Midland Park in the NJSIAA Group 1 title game at Wood-Ridge Athletic Complex on June 16, 2025. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

Part of that is the pace at which he pitches. Long is of a mind to throw as soon as he gets the ball back, much to the chagrin of opponents, who often will call time to seemingly just catch their breath in between tosses.

He’s also a complete game machine. Of his 13 appearances this season, Middlesex only lost one of those games. He threw 2/3 of an inning in relief in their season opener against St. Thomas Aquinas, and gave up no earned runs, and also closed out the Schalick game in the NJSIAA Group 1 semifinals, throwing the last 2/3 of an inning, and got the win.

But otherwise, he threw complete games in ten of his eleven starts, only missing the last two-thirds of an inning in a 5-3 win at Delbarton on May 8th, where he had to come out after reaching the daily pitch limit of 110.

Even more impressive, he went the distance in the Central Jersey Group 1 final over Point Pleasant Beach on just 76 pitches, and threw 92 against Midland Park in the Group 1 title game.

Long is just a junior, so he’ll be back next year along with junior Chris Kozak, the only other Blue Jay pitcher to start a state game this postseason. While Long has no college offers yet, that will most assuredly change after this season’s performance.

He threw 76 2/3 innings, 1,159 pitches, and finished the year with a 1.37 ERA, allowing just 15 earned runs all season, striking out 72.

Click below for our conversation with 2025 GMC Baseball Player of the Year Dominic Long:

by Mike Pavlichko

Red Division champion Woodbridge gets Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament’s top seed; JP Stevens gets top nod in Invitational Tourney

The Woodbridge Barrons – the Greater Middlesex Conference Red Division champion – has awarded the top seed in the upcoming GMC Jim Mudowney Championship Tournament at the league’s seeding meeting in East Brunswick Friday morning.

Second-place finisher South Plainfield – which swept the Barrons two games in the regular season, but could not come out ahead of them due to GMC seeding rules – was a unanimous pick for the second seed, just as Woodbridge was at No. 1.

The Tigers were last year’s No. 1 seed, and were runner-up to Old Bridge.

The top four was rounded out by White Division champion St. Thomas Aquinas at No. 3, with East Brunswick getting the four seed.

The rest of the top eight include St. Joseph-Metuchen at No. 5, followed by defending champion Old Bridge, Colonia and Spotswood.

Here’s the complete 2025 GMC Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament bracket:

The Muldowney Championship opens with the play-in round Saturday, with games at higher seeds, with winners moving on to Monday’s first round:

  • (17) South Brunswick at (16) South River, winner at (1) Woodbridge
  • (20) South Amboy at (13) Metuchen, winner at (4) East Brunswick
  • (19) JFK at (14) North Plainfield, winner at (3) St. Thomas Aquinas
  • (18) Carteret at (15) Perth Amboy, winner at (2) South Plainfield

Meanwhile, JP Stevens – the seventh place team in the GMC Blue Division – got the top seed in the Ray Cipperly Invitational. The top five seeds there get byes to the quarterfinals, which include North Brunswick at No. 2, followed by GMC Gold Champion East Brunswick Magnet, Piscataway, and New Brunswick.

Here’s the complete 2025 GMC Ray Cipperly Invitational Tournament bracket:

The Ray Cipperly Invitational opens Tuesday with play-in games at higher seeds:

  • (9) Highland Park at (8) Piscataway Magnet, winner at (1) JP Stevens
  • (11) Timothy Christian at (6) Dunellen, winner at (3) East Brunswick Magnet
  • (10) Perth Amboy Magnet at (7) Somerset Tech, winner at (2) North Brunswick
by Mike Pavlichko

Top-seed South Plainfield “stuns” South Brunswick with six runs in final at bat to advance to GMCT quarterfinals

A social media post on the South Plainfield baseball twitter accounts showed a photo of the home plate area, with several healthy looking canines scattered around. The idea is that the Tigers are scrappers, who will fight tooth and nail for every walk, hit, and run.

Down 9-4 heading into the bottom of the seventh, trailing since eighth-seed South Brunswick got on the board with a run in the second inning, they would have to channel every ounce of that spirit if they were to have a miracle comeback and score five runs to tie, six runs to win.

Check. Check. Check. Check. Check. And one more check, for the win.

South Plainfield scored six runs on just three hits, four walks and one hit batter – and never even got down to their final out – to capture a remarkable, come-from-behind, 10-9 win over South Brunswick Wednesday night at North Brunswick Community Park, in a GMC Tournament quarterfinal game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

The Tigers move on to Saturday’s semifinals at Ray Cipperly Field in East Brunswick, where they’ll take on fifth-seed Edison at 2:30, following the noon semifinal between third-seed Old Bridge and tenth-seed Sayreville.

South opened the scoring in the second inning. Jack Leach – who had the game winning hit in Monday’s 14-inning first-round marathon against St. Thomas Aquinas – hit a one-out double, advanced to third on a ground out, and scored when Joe Sanchez beat out a slow roller to third.

The Vikings made it 2-0 in the third when Ethan Fantel was the beneficiary of three errors. He reached on an E-4, advanced to second on a bad pickoff throw by South Plainfield starter Aldo Pigna, then came home to score when catcher Stephen Studlack tried to pick him off second after a pitch. But no one covered the bag, and Fantel scored on the play.

South Brunswick started to make it look like a rout in the fourth. Leach reached on an infield hit, then moved to third when Danny Kirk grounded to third, reaching on an error. After two strikeouts, Will Haman drove them both in with a double, and Fantel’s single knocked Haman in to make it 5-0.

South Plainfield, though, started to chip away. The Tigers got one run back in the fourth, when Aiden McCarthy led off with a double, and Ryan Balent did the same to drive him in and make it 5-1.

And after holding South Brunswick scoreless for the first time in four innings, they grabbed two more in the bottom of the fifth. Dan Kapsch led off with a double. Zach Robinson walked and Jay Alvarez singled to load the bases. After Brandon Bickunas struck out, Nick Irizzarry drove in a run the painful way, getting hit by a pitch, then McCarthy hit a sac fly to center to make it 5-3. The Tigers could have had more, by Balent lined to third to end the inning.

But South Brunswick would widen the gap with four runs in the top of the sixth. Haman led off with a double, and Fantel made it 7-3 with a two-run homer. Colin Perna followed with a double, then scored when Brian Culhane grounded to second and reached on an E4. A single by Perna drove in Culhane, chasing reliever Aidan McCarthy. Chase Donovan came in and got three strikeouts looking to end the inning, but by then, it was 9-3 Vikings.

Down six runs, things looked bleak for the Tigers. They got a run back in the bottom of the inning, when Robinson drove in Kevin Penny, who’d reached on an error on the shortstop, making it 9-4.

Donovan kept the Vikings off the board in the stop of the seventh, setting the stage for the heroics, begun – and ended – by Nick Irizzarry.

He led off with a walk, and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Aiden McCarthy drove him in with an RBI single to make it 9-5. Then Balent and Studlack walked to load the bases, and that chased South Brunswick’s third reliever of the game, in favor of Brian Culhane. But the results were hardly different.

He walked Penny on five pitches to score McCarthy and make it 9-6. He hit Kapsch to drive in Balent to make it 9-7. Zach Robinson squibbed one toward the mound that Fantel tried to field from first base, but Culhane couldn’t get to first in time to cover, and everyone was safe, with Studlack scoring to make it 9-8. Alvarez singled, and all of a sudden, it was tied 9-9. Bickunas hit one back to the Culhane, who charged off the mound and scooped it to his catcher, Joe Sanchez, to cut down the winning run at the plate.

And then, it was back to Irizzarry, who’d started the inning. He knocked a single up the middle for a base hit, and insanity ensued.

Listen to the final call as Nick Irizzarry drives in the winning run for South Plainfield.

Reliever Chase Donovan got the win in relief for South Plainfield (16-3), while Culhane took the loss for South Brunswick (11-11). South Plainfield got the win despite committing six errors in the game.

Now, the Tigers play for their first berth in the finals since they won their first and only GMCT title in 2018 as a 14-seed.

Click below for postgame reaction presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

South Plainfield’s Nick Irizzarry, Zach Robinson and head coach Scott Gleichenhaus
by Alec Crouthamel

Sayreville continues Cinderella run; Bombers outlast Woodbridge 4-3 in GMCT Quarterfinals

In Tim Ballard’s first season leading the tenth-seeded Sayreville Bombers, he was looking to make a big impact to start his tenure.

Now? His team is headed to the Greater Middlesex County Tournament semifinals after a thrilling 4-3 upset victory over second-seeded Sayreville. It came on the backs of timely hitting and strong pitching.

After four strong innings by senior Moe Hedderman with a 3-1 lead, sophomore Logan Kaufman came in and allowed the tying runs immediately. He eventually settled down, however, and shut down the Barrons’ strong lineup to close the door, including a fastball that painted the outside corner to seal the Bombers’ victory.

Sayreville took the lead back in the top of the seventh, kicked off by a double, walk, and single to load the bases with nobody out. Sophomore Justin Maher drew a four-pitch walk to give his team a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Drew Lukachyk went five innings for Woodbridge, striking out seven while allowing three runs while also hitting a double and scoring the tying run in the fifth. Tim Deignan opened the scoring with a solo home run to lead off the second inning.

Sayreville finally got revenge on the Barrons, who won the first two matchups between the teams this season. The Bombers will move on to the GMC Semifinals on Saturday, where they will face third-seed Old Bridge at noon at Ray Cipperly Field in East Brunswick.

The Bombers will me seeking their first trip to the GMC final since 2015; they have never won it.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel talk with Sayreville head coach Tim Ballard and pitcher Logan Kaufman (with all of his teammates) about the win:

Sayreville’s Logan Kaufman (and teammates)
Sayreville head coach Tim Ballard
by Alec Crouthamel

Edison outlasts Middlesex 1-0 behind Roma’s brilliance on the mound to move on to Saturday’s GMC Tournament semis

In the Greater Middlesex County Baseball Tournament quarterfinal matchup between fifth-seeded Edison and 13th-seeded Middlesex, each team needed every out in what became a classic pitcher’s duel.

In the end, the Eagles got the last laugh in a 1-0 victory.

Both pitchers were stellar throughout, as each starter went the distance. Edison’s Robert Roma threw a complete game shutout, striking out six while only allowing three hits. His counterpart, Middlesex’s Dominic Long, was great in his own right. He went six innings, striking out five while allowing six hits and one run.

That one run proved to be the difference.

To lead off the bottom of the third inning, Edison’s Jaxon Appleman smoked a home run down the left field line to open up the scoring and set the final score.

The Blue Jays had their opportunities, leaving eight men on base including several opportunities with runners in scoring position.

In the end, Edison got the big hit they needed while Middlesex could not. The Eagles won their third game of the season over the Blue Jays, and now move on to the GMC semifinals.

Edison will face either top-seed South Plainfield or eight seed South Brunswick in Saturday’s semifinals at Ray Cipperly Field in East Brunswick.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel with Edison head coach Vinnie Abene and pitcher Robert Roma talk about the win:

Edison sophomore pitcher Robert Roma
Edison head coach Vinnie Abene
by Mike Pavlichko

Old Bridge rallies in 6th to drop North Brunswick 8-5, move on to GMC Tournament semifinals

Third-seed Old Bridge avoided an upset at the hands of 11th-sedd North Brunswick in the GMC Tournament quarterfinals, rallying for four runs in the sixth inning to beat the upset-minded Raider as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

The Knights move on to face the winner of the 7 pm semifinal between 8th-seed South Brunswick and top-seed South Plainfield, Saturday afternoon at Ray Cipperly Field in East Brunswick

North Brunswick got the lead first, in the fourth, and held it until the Knights’ comeback.

In the North Brunswick fourth, Kyle Anderson led off with a single, Connor Levine walked, and Willy Pena got hit to load the bases. DH Avery Price then roped a ball down the left field line to plate two runs. And after a pop-up and strikeout, leadoff man Tim DeGaetano hit a roller to shortstop that John Smith booted, allowing two more runs to score.

Old Bridge got a run back in the bottom of the inning, but could have had more. Justin Hascup led off with a walk and scored on an RBI single by JT Meyer, but Akhil Penkala got caught in a rundown as MJ Altman behind him got caught close to third, forcing Penkala to try and score. That wild play ended the inning.

And after a 1-2-3 top of the fifth for North Brunswick, Old Bridge would get even closer, with three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Christian Cavanaugh led off with a single, followed another from John Smith. Chris Crosta singled in a run to make it 4-2, and head coach Jake Rosenberg took out Jabar, going with Chris Rosario from third to pitch.

Frank Papeo promptly singled to drive in a run and make it 4-3, then Hascup tied it with an RBI ground out to short before Rosario got two Ks to end the inning.

North Brunswick grabbed the lead back in the top of the sixth. With one out, Danny Breheney rolled a grounder past the shortstop to drive in Pena, making it 5-4 Raiders.

But Old Bridge tied it, then took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the inning. Altman and led off with a double, then JT Meyer singled him in to make it 5-5. After a sac bunt by Cavanaugh and a flyout by Smith, Crosta roped a double over the centerfielder’s head to give Old Bridge its first lead of the day, scoring Meyer.

Then came an even bigger blow, when Frank Papeo homered to left field to drive in Crosta, giving the Knights at 8-5 lead.

Luke Hagen came in to close the game out, and after two strikeouts, walked the next two hitters, Levine and Pena, before getting Price – who’d doubled in his last two at bats – to hit a fly ball to right. It could have been another two-bagger in the gap, but Akhil Penkala saved the game with a diving catch to end it.

Hagen got the save in relief, while Hascup got the win to improve to 5-1, while Rosario took the loss to fall to 1-2.

Click below to hear postgame reaction presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Old Bridge 2B Chris Crosta, head coach Matt Donaghue and 1B Frank Papeo
by Mike Pavlichko

GMCT Quarterfinals are set, as top four seeds advance, while South Brunswick, Spotswood and Edison score upsets

There was a mix of chalk and some upsets in the second round of the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament Monday, as the top four seeds – North Brunswick, Old Bridge, St. Joseph-Metuchen and Monroe all won, but three other lower seeds also won.

The 12 seed, South Brunswick won, as did 11th-seed Spotswood and ninth-seed Edison.

Here are the game recaps from Monday’s action.

Scroll to the bottom of this story for Wednesday’s quarterfinal round matchups, with times and field locations.

(1) North Brunswick 25, (16) South River 0 (5 innings)

In the most lopsided game of the day, the Raiders scored early and often in the win, plating six runs in the first, eight in the second, and eleven in the third. North Brunswick head coach Mark Blevins emptied the bench, getting 16 different hitters in the game. Chris Rosario was 3-for-3 with two RBIs, while Justin Batts – struggling at the plate since returning after a mandatory 30-day sit out after transferring from Bergen Catholic – broke out with a 2-for-3 day and three runs batted in, while Yomar Carreras did the same. Fifteen players drove in runs for North Brunswick (12-5).

More importantly, it allowed ace starter Zack Konstantinovsky to breeze through a short outing, as he threw 71 pitches in four innings, allowing three hits and no runs, striking out eight. He would come back Saturday should North Brunswick reach the semifinals at East Brunswick Magnet school. South River (10-5) used five different pitchers in the loss.

The Raiders move on to Wednesday’s quarterfinals, where they will play 9th-seed Edison on Field One at North Brunswick’s Community Park at 7 pm.

(9) Edison 3, (8) East Brunswick 0

Of the top four teams in the GMC White Division, all of which were in action Monday, 9th-seed Edison was the only one to win. The Eagles (12-7) had lost four straight games coming into their game at 8th-seed East Brunswick, and one of those losses was to the Bears, just three days ago, mere hours after Edison learned they would play each other in their opening games of the county tournament. That was a 4-2 loss, but this was a 3-0 win for Edison.

Ace Jaxon Appelman made it through 6 2/3 innings, throwing 110 pitches in the game, not helped by six walks, but he only scattered three hits in the near-complete game shutout. Jordan Martins, Charlie Taub and Appelman each knocked in a run in the victory. The Bears fall to 7-10, and visit Spotswood in their annual Commanders’ Cup Trophy game at 4 pm.

(12) South Brunswick 5, (5) Sayreville 3

The Vikings (7-11) weren’t much better than Edison heading into the GMCT, having lost four straight before snapping the skid with a 6-3 win over Ewing out of Mercer County back on Friday. They kept the momentum going thanks to standout and High Point commit Joey Tuttoilmondo, who fanned a season-high 14 over 5 2/3 innings of work. He allowed just one run on five hits and never pitched without the lead, after the Vikings – who got a 2-for-4 night from Ryan Kessler, with a home run – scored three times in the top of the first to give Tuttoilmondo a little breathing room right from the get-go. Brian Culhane also homered and knocked in two runs. Sayreville – the GMC White Division Champ – fell to 12-6.

South Brunswick moves on to play 4th-seed Monroe in a 4 pm quarterfinal game on Field 2, a game that can be heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio, driven by Auto Lounge of Edison, as part of a doubleheader, with Mike Pavlichko and Dom Savino calling all the action. Click here to listen live.

(4) Monroe 7, (20) Piscataway 0

Harrison Lollin continued his outstanding junior season, as the Oregon commit pitched a complete-game, three-hit shutout against the Piscataway (5-13). Lollin needed just 92 pitches to dispatch of the Chiefs, striking out 13 and walking none. It was his fifth game with double-figure strikeouts this season, his second-lowest pitch count, and fourth complete game of the season. Trevor Wallace scored three of the seven runs for Monroe (9-6), the fourth-place team in the stacked GMC Red. The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Falcons.

(3) St. Joseph-Metuchen 12, (19) Metuchen 2 (5 innings)

In the “Battle of the Brainy Boro,” the St. Joseph bats did all the dirty work. One of the best top-to-bottom lineups ion the league, St. Joseph (12-7)got a 3-for-4 afternoon from Josiah Brown, who knocked in three runs, while Tyler Delvecchio also had 3 RBIs on a 2-for-3 night. Both hit home runs in the game. Robbie Carvellli and Bobby Christensen had 2 RBIs each. Starter Jimmy Mulvaney went the distance in the mercy-rule shortened game, needing just 85 pitches. He struck out seven, walked two, allowed five hits, and two earned runs. Metuchen dropped to 7-9.

The Falcons now take on Spotswood at 4 pm on Field 2 at Community Park on Wednesday.

(11) Spotswood 5, (6) Woodbridge 3

In one of the other big upsets of the night, Spotswood got 6 2/3 innings out of Seton Hall-bound senior Casey Cumiskey, who went 6 1/3 and struck out six, allowing just three earned runs on five hits against another one of the toughest top-to-bottom lineups in the GMC. The Chargers (14-4) got to Eddy Nunez for four runs in the fifth that turned out to be the difference. Click here for the full game story with postgame reaction.

(7) South Plainfield 6, (10) Middlesex 4

The sixth-place team in the brutal GMC Red Division makes it six division teams among the eight in the quarterfinals – along with Edison of the White and Spotswood of the Blue. South Plainfield (9-9) got back to the .500 mark and won its st third straight game, thanks almost singlehandedly to the bat of Jayden Alvarez, who had a 2-for-4 night with four runs batted in and a triple. Ashton Donovan also had an RBI from the Tigers, whose starter Aldo Pigna scattered four runs over six innings of work, striking out four to get the win, a big game in a big spot. Middlesex fell to 10-6 with the loss.

The Tigers move on to play second-seed Old Bridge on Field 2 at Community Park at 7 pm, in a game that can be heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio, driven by Auto Lounge of Edison, as the second game of a doubleheader, with Mike Pavlichko and Dom Savino calling all the action. Click here to listen live.

(2) Old Bridge 4, (15) Carteret 0

Old Bridge has now won three straight after losing three in a row, thanks in large part to an outstanding effort from Frank Papeo. The starter went the distance, needing just 86 pitches to get through seven innings, allowing three hits and one walk, striking out seven. The Knights got a run in the second, a run in the fourth, and added two more insurance runs in the sixth. The Ramblers threatened a couple of times, getting a pair of doubles in the game, and a runner on third with two outs in the third, but just couldn’t push anything across on Papeo.

GMC TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINAL SCHEDULE

4 pm Games:
(3) St. Joseph-Metuchen vs. (11) Spotswood – Field 1
(4) Monroe vs. (12) South Brunswick – Field 2 (LIVE on CJSR)

7 pm Games:
(1) North Brunswick vs. (9) Edison – Field 1
(7) South Plainfield vs. (2) Old Bridge – Field 2 (LIVE on CJSR)