Tag: Old Bridge

by Mike Pavlichko

County tournaments wreak havoc on Top Ten, but not at the top; Immaculata still reigns heading into SCT semis Monday

A week of relative stability in the Bellamy & Son Paving High School Baseball rankings was short-lived.

While Immaculata remained the No. 1 team this week, nearly everyone else shuffled around, much of it centered around upsets and surprises in the GMC Tournament, which saw top-seed Edison get knocked out in the quarterfinals, and second-seed Middlesex eliminated in the semifinals, with finalists Old Bridge and Monroe rising in the rankings.

Immaculata (18-4) was one of just two teams to have a perfect Week 7, going 4-0. They opened with a 17-3 win at DePaul on Tuesday, then won their opener in the Somerset County Tournament, beating eight-seed Montgomery 11-1 in six innings in the quarterfinals on Thursday. They then won two Skyland Conference games, beating Voorhees 8-0 on Friday, and winning 7-2 at Phillipsburg on Saturday. The Spartans will host five-seed Bridgewater Monday afternoon at 4 pm in the SCT semis at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater. Listen to the game here, or watch it on our YouTube channel.

Climbing from No. 6 to No. 2 is GMC Tournament finalist Old Bridge (17-8). The Knights may the hottest team in the area, having won eight straight, going 4-0 each of the past two weeks, and it even looks like it earned them a top seed in Central Jersey Group 4. (Brackets will be announced by the NJSIAA on Tuesday.) Old Bridge opened the week with a 1-0 win over 14-seed Sayreville in the GMCT first round on Monday. After a non-conference win over Manalapan, 12-3, on Tuesday, the Knights beat six-seed Woodbridge 1-0 in eight innings at home in the GMC quarterfinals on Wednesday, then knocked off No. 2 seed Middlesex, 9-3 in eight innings on Saturday afternoon in the semis. Old Bridge will face Monroe in the title game Saturday at 2 pm at Rutgers’ Bainton Field in Piscataway.

Watchung Hills (13-7) moves up from five to No. 4, going 2-2 in the past week. The Hustlin’ Warriors fell 9-2 at home to Holmdel on Wednesday, but won their Somerset County Tournament opener over ten-seed Franklin, 9-5, on Thursday afternoon in the quarterfinals. They won 6-5 at Madison Friday, but fell at home to Livingston 5-4 on Saturday afternoon. Monday, they’re in the SCT semis at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater against third-seed Ridge. Listen to the game here, or watch it on our YouTube channel.

Ridge (14-8) holds at No. 4, after a 1-2 week, but they won the most important one. After a 6-3 loss at Seton Hall Prep on Monday, and a 7-4 home loss to Mendham on Tuesday, the Red Devils beat six-seed Hillsborough in the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals, 7-0, on Thursday afternoon. Ridge will seek a sixth straight trip to the SCT title game Monday when they play second-seed Watchung Hills in the semis at 1 pm. You can hear the game here, or watch it live on our YouTube channel.

At five, it’s Middlesex (20-3), down two spots after falling in the GMC Tournament semifinals Saturday afternoon, 9-3 to Old Bridge, a game in which they erased a 3-0 deficit over the final two innings, but saw the Knights explode for six in the top of the eighth. But the Blue Jays did go 2-1 last week, beating 12-seed South River Monday in the first round, 12-2, then seven-seed St. Thomas Aquinas in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, 3-0.

Edison (17-6) drops down from three to No. 6. The Eagles were 3-1 last week, opening on Monday with a 10-0 win over 17-seed Piscataway Magnet in the GMC Tournament’s first round. But they got knocked off by nine-seed and eventual finalist Monroe, falling 9-1 Wednesday afternoon. The Eagles rebounded, though, with a 5-2 win over South Brunswick on Thursday, and a 7-2 non-conference home win over Nottingham on Saturday.

Monroe (12-12) re-enters the rankings after a two-week hiatus at No. 6. The Falcons went 4-0 in the past week, starting with a win Monday at eight-seed Colonia, 9-2 in the GMC Tournament’s first round. Wednesday, in the quarters, they won at top-seed Edison, 9-1, then took a break with an 8-1 win over Manasquan at home on Thursday, before knocking off five-seed South Plainfield, 1-0, in Saturday’s GMCT semifinals. That puts Monroe in the championship game this Saturday at 2 pm at Rutgers’ Bainton Field in Piscataway.

Rutgers Prep (13-5) falls one spot to No. 8, after a 1-1 week. They beat eight-seed Newark Academy in the opening round of the Prep B Tournament on Wednesday, 6-1, sending them to the semifinals on Tuesday at 4 pm at home against Princeton Day. But they lost Thursday in the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals, falling 10-5 in eight innings to fifth-seed Bridgewater-Raritan, which will face Immaculata in Monday’s second semifinal, with first pitch set for 4 pm.

Holding at No. 9 is South Plainfield (13-11), which had a 2-1 week, all in the GMC Tournament. They won their first-round game Monday, 2-1, over 12-seed St. Joseph-Metuchen, then topped four-seed Metuchen, 7-6, in Wednesday’s quarterfinals, before falling Saturday, 1-0, to nine-seed Monroe.

Dropping out is Metuchen (18-6), which had a 4-1 week, knocked out of the GMC Tournament in the quarterfinals by five-seed South Plainfield on Wednesday, 7-6.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – GMC Tournament Semifinals: (3) Old Bridge 9, (2) Middlesex 3 (8 inn.)

After losing a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the seventh, third-seed Old Bridge rallied for six runs in the top of the eighth, coming back to beat second-seed Middlesex, 9-3, in the Jim Muldowney GMC Tournament semifinals. The win puts the Knights back in the title game for the second time in three years, having won it in 2024.

READ THE FULL GAME STORY HERE!

Click below to watch the full game as Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe call all the play-by-play live from Ray Cipperly Field in East Brunswick on May 16, 2026.

by Mike Pavlichko

Baseball Playoff Projections: Old Bridge, Ridge, Middlesex, Immaculata expected to get top seeds when NJSIAA reveals brackets Tuesday

According to the latest official power points standings, following Saturday’s cutoff, four Central Jersey Sports Radio-area teams appear to have locked down No. 1 seeds in the upcoming state tournament, including Old Bridge and Middlesex from the GMC, and Ridge and Immaculata from Somerset County.

Overall, 32 public schools and seven non-publics from the CJSR coverage ares expected to qualify. The GMC will send 36 teams; Somerset County (not counting GMC schools from the county) should send 13.

And, it appears half the GMC teams to qualify – 16 – will get first round home games, as well four of the seven SCIAA schools to qualify.

Here’s a section-by-section look at who is expected to make the NJSIAA state playoffs, based on standings posted on NJ.com as of 8 am on May 17, 2026, along with first-round matchup projections. The NJSIAA will hold its seeding meeting on Tuesday and release the brackets that day, with all matchups becoming official as of noon on Wednesday, May 20.

Central Jersey Group 4: There was a good amount of movement right down to the wire among the middle-of-the-pack teams, which had seen just a two power points separating a pack of eight teams.

  • Old Bridge (17-8) should be the No. 1 seed in Central Jersey Group 4, after being a finalist last year and winning it 2023, when they went all the way to the state Group 4 final down in Hamilton. The Knights likely held on to the top spot with their win over Middlesex Saturday in the GMC Tournament semifinals. Looks like they’ll host fellow Red Division opponent, 16-seed East Brunswick, which gets in at 6-15, just edging out Trenton (8-12).
  • Edison (17-6) ends up in the number two spot, after being at No. 1 for several weeks. They dropped down to third heading into the final week, then jumped back up after a win over Piscataway Magnet Monday in the GMC Tournament first round, but took a hit when they lost to Monroe Wednesday in the quarterfinals. Likely opponent: 15-seed Franklin (7-10) at home.
  • Monroe (12-12), despite a win over South Plainfield Saturday in the GMC Tournament semifinals, could not get into the top four, but they did pull up two spots from a week ago, moving from seven to five. The Falcons will get 12-seed Montgomery (9-15) at home in the first round.
  • South Brunswick (11-10) rose in the past week from 12th to take the No. 9 seed, and would visit eight-seed Freehold Twp. (12-10) in the opening round.
  • Defending sectional champion Hillsborough (9-10) dropped from the top eight in the past week, and will start the playoffs as a ten-seed, on the road at seven-seed Jackson Twp. (9-15).
  • Sayreville (9-12) dropped from nine to the 13th-seed in the past week after going 0-2, leaving the Bombers on the road to play fourth-seed Hightstown (15-6).

Central Jersey Group 2: Rumson-Fair-Haven edges out defending state Group 2 champion Governor Livingston for the top-seed.

  • South River (16-8) drops to the six-seed, one spot lower than our last update last Sunday. The Rams should host 11-seed Robbinsville (16-7) in the opening round.
  • Spotswood (13-12) used a 2-1 week to move up one spot from ten to the nine-seed, and will be down the Shore in the opening round to play eight-seed Allentown (17-8).

Central Jersey Group 1:

  • As expected, Middlesex (20-3) – the defending sectional and state Group 1 champ – holds on to the top spot in the section, and will get to host as long as their run lasts, with their loss Saturday to Old Bridge in the GMC Tournament semis not really affecting their standing much. The Blue Jays should get 16-seed Highland Park (5-12) in the first round.
  • Despite getting knocked out of the GMC Tournament in the First Round by Edison on Monday, Piscataway Magnet (21-3) hangs on at No. 2. What has been a program record season will continue with an opening round home game against 15-seed Henry Hudson (6-9), a team they beat 9-1 in early April.
  • Metuchen (14-15) holds on to the four-seed here, and the Bulldogs will host 13-seed Somerset Tech (10-9) in the opening round.
  • No change for Dunellen (13-5), which hangs on for a top eight finish, as expected, and gets the six-seed, which will leave them hosting 11-seed Florence (5-13) in the first round.
  • Manville (9-10) gains one spot in the final week to finish 12th, leaving them on the road to play fifth-seed Shore Regional (17-7).
  • South Amboy (9-10) holds at No. 14, and would be on the road for their opener, playing at third-seed Point Pleasant Beach (13-6), a sectional finalist from a year ago.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4:

  • The top seed should go to Ridge (14-8) here, even though the Red Devils went 1-2 last week, picking up their win in the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals over Hillsborough. That would give Ridge home field through the finals, and a first-round home game against 16-seed Barringer (5-12).
  • Watchung Hills (13-7) – which will square off with in the SCT semis Monday with Ridge for a third time this season after dropping two regular season meetings – looks like the third seed, giving them home field for at least the first two rounds. The Hustlin’ Warriors would open with 14-seed Elizabeth (6-16).
  • J.P. Stevens (15-7) pulled into the top four late, and stay there at No. 4 after a 2-0 week, also giving them a potential two home games. The Hawks would get 13-seed Ferris (7-17) in the first round.
  • The five-seed goes to Bridgewater-Raritan (10-14), which surged from nine on a 4-0 week this past week, including an upset of No. 4 seed Rutgers Prep in the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals. The 2024 SCT, North 2, Group 4 and state Group 4 champs will host at least a first round home game, and will get 12-seed Plainfield (14-4) to start.
  • Woodbridge (13-9) holds steady and takes the ten-seed, giving them a first round road game at seven-seed Scotch Plains-Fanwood (12-11).
  • Piscataway (9-10) slipped a spot despite winning its only game last week, but stays on the right side of the bubble, getting the 15-seed. The Chiefs will visit second-seed Bayonne (16-5) for their opening round game.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3: Chatham (16-6) overtook North Hunterdon (19-6) in the final week to the top seed here.

  • South Plainfield (13-11) gets into the top four, as we figured they could, thanks to a run to the GMC Tournament semifinals. The defending sectional champs here can host at least a couple of home games as the fourth-seed, and will get to play nearby JFK (7-15), which got the 13th seed, dropping one place in the final week before Saturday’s cutoff.
  • The Tigers’ rise knocked North Plainfield (17-8) out of the top four, but only to No. 5, where they’ll still get to host a first-round playoff game. The Canucks will get 12-seed Matawan (8-11) at Krausche Field in the opener.
  • Carteret (16-5) rose a spot in the past week to finish sixth, and that gives the Ramblers a first-round home game against 11-seed Summit (7-14-1).
  • Colonia (12-7) – despite getting knocked out of the GMC Tournament in the first round for a second straight year – hang in there at No. 8, having rebounded nicely with two wins after that defeat. The Patriots should host nine-seed Middletown North (11-10) in their opener.
  • Somerville (9-14) looks to get the ten-seed, dropping a spot after going 1-3 in the final week. The Pioneers would be on the road at No. 7 Millburn (10-14).

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2: Caldwell (19-3) hung on for the top spot over West Essex (17-6).

  • The only CJSR-area team in this section, Bernards (13-8) dropped one spot in the last week to settle for an 11th-place finish, which would leave the Mountaineers on the road to play six-seed Lyndhurst (13-12) in the opening round.

Non-Public North A: The state’s No. 1 team – Delbarton (14-4) – will get the top-seed here, despite being upset in the Morris County Tournament title game by Mount Olive.

  • We’d be surprised if Timothy Christian (in a co-op with Roselle Catholic) didn’t opt out here, facing the prospect of playing fourth-seed powerhouse Seton Hall Prep, just the No. 2 ranked team in the entire state.

Non-Public North B:

  • We knew it would be close, and it got even closer, but Rutgers Prep (13-5) should finish second here to St. Mary-Rutherford (13-9-1) by a slim .157-point margin. This might be one of those photo finishes and a reason the NJSIAA makes its brackets official a day after releasing them. This should be a ten-team field, at best, which would give the Argonauts – and the top six a bye. Rutgers Prep would get to host the winner of the 7-10 game, likely Gill St. Bernard’s (8-10) hosting Pope John (3-15), the final team in the field.
  • St. Thomas Aquinas (11-14) rose one spot in the past week after going 3-2 in that span. The Trojans would get a bye, too, then host the 6-seed Morris Catholic (13-10) in the opening round.

Non-Public South A:

  • Top-seed here should go to Immaculata (18-4), which overtook St. Augustine (18-6) in the past week, after dropping behind them the week before. In what we think might be an eleven-team field (would 12th-place Camden Catholic at 1-17 opt out?) the Spartans – either way – would have a first-round bye and play the winner of the 8-9 game, featuring Paul VI (6-13) hosting Donovan Catholic (6-14).
  • Pingry (9-12) drops a spot after a 1-3 week to finish tenth, and regardless how many teams are in the field, would open at seven-seed Notre Dame (11-9).
  • Likewise, regardless of the size of the field, St. Joseph-Metuchen (5-15) would finish 11th, and get the sixth-seed, St. John Vianney (12-9), on the road in the opening round.

by Mike Pavlichko

After Middlesex forces extras, Old Bridge explodes for three in eighth for 9-3 win, berth in GMCT finals

For the second time in three years, Old Bridge is on to the GMC Tournament title game.

And they’ll look to win their fourth title overall when the third-seeded Knights face nine-seed Monroe next Sunday in the Jim Muldowney GMC Championship Tournament final at Rutgers University’s Bainton Field ion Piscataway.

After Old Bridge broke a scoreless tie in the fifth with a run, and got two more in the sixth, Middlesex rallied with three in their final at bat in the bottom of the seventh to send the game to extra innings.

  

But in the top of the eighth, Old Bridge put together a rally of their own. They scored six in the inning to take a 9-3 lead, then retired the Blue Jays to win the game.

Like the first game, Middlesex started Dom Long and Old Bridge starter Brady Meyer were locked in a pitchers duel for five innings.

Old Bridge broke through in the fifth.  Nick Natale walked with one out, and two batters later with two out, Adrian Lutomsmi drove him in with a single.

In the sixth, Matt Chin led with a walk.  After two strikeouts, R.J. Pluchine singled, and Michael Chiarella made it 3-0 with a double.

Down to their final at bat, Middlesex came up and got back-to-back singles from pinch hitters Devin Jackson and Dalton Michael.  Marcus Lavornia reached on an E6, bringing in one run.  Still with nobody out, Luke Jones grounded to second to make it 3-2, and Sean Hughes single to tie the game at 3-3.  But Dom Long grounded to second to end the inning.

And then came the eighth.

After a grounder to second by Matt Chin for the first out, Jared Volpe reached on an error at third, and Erich Schnikschneit doubled to give the Knights a 4-3 lead.  As it turned out, that was all they would need, but they sent 11 men to the plate and scored five more runs on four more hits and another error, to take a 9-3 lead.

In the middle of all that, left fielder Lucas Blanco injured himself crashing into the wall and left field on that Schickschneit double, and had to come out of the game. 

And though Middlesex got a two out walk from Jaremiah Acker, he was stranded at third when Daniel Ianiero grounded two second base to end the game.

Long took the loss for Middlesex, while Chris Crosta, who came in during Middlesex’s rally in the seventh, got the win for Old Bridge.

Click below to hear postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Justin Sontupe with Old Bridge right fielder Michael Chiarella and head coach Matt Donaghue, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

It’s Group 1 vs. Group 4, Middlesex battling Old Bridge, in Saturday’s second GMCT semifinal

Sure, you could call it David vs. Goliath, but is it really?

One is a Group 1 school, the Middlesex Blue Jays out of the GMC White Division. The GMC Tournament’s second seed, they are 20-2 and the defending state Group 1 champions.

The other is among the larger Group 4 schools (Group 5 in football) and won the tournament in 2011, 2019 and 2024, and was a sectional finalist last year, too. This year, they’re the three seed.

Still, you might not know which is which.

But they will battle for a trip to the GMC Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament final in the second game of a semifinal doubleheader at East Brunswick Magnet School Saturday afternoon, and Central Jersey Sports Radio will have live coverage at 2:30 pm, following the opener between South Plainfield and Monroe, which starts at noon.

Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe will call all the play-by-play; click here to listen or watch here on our YouTube channel.

Here’s a closer look at the first semifinal game of the day:

(2) Middlesex (20-2) vs. (3) Old Bridge (16-8)
at East Brunswick Magnet School
2:30 pm on Central Jersey Sports Radio
Audio Stream: (LISTEN LIVE)
Video Stream: (WATCH LIVE)

PROBABLE PITCHERS:
Middlesex: Dom Long (7-0, 1.71 ERA)
Old Bridge: Brady Meyer (3-2, 3.50 ERA)

PREVIEW STORIES:

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

Middlesex: The Blue Jays have done little wrong this year, and even when they have, more often than not they still find a way to come out on top. Their first round game on Monday was a 12-2 blowout of 15th-seed South River, but they faced a little more of a challenge on Wednesday in the quarterfinals, coming up with a 3-0 win over St. Thomas Aquinas, thanks in large part to a big two-RBI pinch-hit from pinch-hitter extraordinaire Dalton Michael.

Old Bridge: The Knights got here by the slimmest of margins. Monday, in the opening round, they beat 14th-seed Sayreville 1-0, then came back two days later and got a walk-off win, 1-0 over sixth-seed Woodbridge, on an eighth-inning knock by Erich Schickschneit. The Red Division gauntlet has done them well.

TOP HITTERS:

Middlesex: While the Blue Jays are hitting a highly-respectable .314 on the season, eight players with at least 40 at bats are hitting over .300, ranging from .373 to .302, an astounding display of balance. Dalton Michael is the only one under 40 at bats on the year, and he’s even hitting .345, with two big RBIs in a three-run inning that propelled them into the semifinals. Marcus Lavornia is hitting .373 with 13 runs batted in, and Sean Hughes has knocked in a team-best 24 runs. They’ve scored 53 more runs than Old Bridge this season, 156 total.

Old Bridge: Sophomore Matt Chin paces the offense at .417 with 19 RBIs and 2 homers, leading the team in all 13 categories, along with 13 walks, also a team high. Chris Crosta also has two of the team’s eight home runs, and is hitting .321, while Jared Volpe is hitting .333 and has a team-high 23 singles. The Knights are hitting .276 as a team.

LAST FINALS BERTH:

Middlesex: The Blue Jays have only made one final in their history, despite a significantly successful track record in the state tournament. That came in 2012, when they were the third-seed, and beat upset top-seed Sayreville, 10-4, with Mike O’Donnell – now the school’s Athletic Director and the GMC baseball co-chair – as head coach.

Old Bridge: The Knights have won three GMC Tournament championships since the 1994 merger of Madison Central and Cedar Ridge, although it took them 14 years to get there. They lost to St. Joseph-Metuchen in 2008, but won the next three, including 2011, 2019, and their most recent in 2024, a year they also won the Central Jersey Group 4 title. They were the third-seed that year, and knocked off top-seed South Plainfield, 6-1 in the final.

PAST COVERAGE:

Middlesex

Old Bridge

by justinsontupe

Third-seed Old Bridge clicking at the right time heading into Middlesex tussle in Saturday’s GMC Tournament semis

Old Bridge has picked the right time of year to play its best baseball.

Eight straight wins, and eleven 12. Offensive explosions. Pitchers’ duels. Run-rule blowouts. Extra innings nailbiters.

For the past three weeks, everything has come up purple – and in all shapes and sizes, too.

For Matt Donaghue and the Knights, that has become the norm. When May comes, Old Bridge wins. Last year, they were Central Jersey Group 4 finalists. Two years ago, they were GMC Tournament champions. In 2023, Central Jersey Group 4 winners – and then all the way to the state finals in Hamilton.

Some years they have been led by elite pitching and other years it’s been an unstoppable offense.

This year, it has been a little bit of both.

While the offense – led by Matt Chin, Michael Chiarella, Jared Volpe, and Chris Crosta – has been consistently strong, the pitching has keyed the GMC tournament run. Brady Meyer threw a complete game four-hitter in a 1-0 opening round win over Sayreville, and then Blake Dunleavy went the distance two nights later in a 1-0 extra inning win over Woodbridge in eight. 

This side of Middlesex, which is 20-2 and seeded second in the GMC Tournament, no one in the county is playing better baseball at the moment than Old Bridge. 

And fittingly, with a spot in the GMC final on the line, it is the Blue Jays who await Old Bridge in Saturday’s second GMC semifinal at East Brunswick Magnet School. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 pm following the opener between five-seed South Plainfield and nine-seed Monroe in the other semifinal.

Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe will have the call on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with coverage beginning at 11:40 am. You can listen to the game here, or watch it all on our YouTube Channel, by clicking here.

Click here to listen to Old Bridge head coach Matt Donaghue with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Justin Sontupe:

by Mike Pavlichko

It’s been a minute: Second-seed Middlesex, defending state Group 1 champs, looking for first GMC Tourney finals berth in 14 years

As a smaller school, albeit one chock full of talent for the better part of two decades now across three different coaches, the GMC Tournament has always been a challenge, often playing against many larger schools with deeper benches.

The Blue Jays have had great success in the state tournament, of course, among similar size schools. Just since COVID, they’ve won two state Group 1 championships: in 2021, the first year after the pandemic shutdown, and last season under first-year head coach Blaze Iannetti.

And you can trace that success – his teams are 43-7 since he took over last year – back to his predecessor, Justin Nastasi, and Mike O’Donnell before him. (O’Donnell is now the athletic director, and GMC baseball co-chair.)

There’s a high bar in Middlesex, and for a second year in a row, they are back in the GMC Tournament semifinals, looking to break through and get back to the championship game after falling one game short last year, falling to Edison in the semis, 3-0.

Saturday, the second-seeded, GMC White Division champion Blue Jays (20-2) will play third-seed Old Bridge (16-8) in the Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament semifinals at East Brunswick Magnet School. First pitch is set for 2:30, with pregame following our first game of the day, between five-seed South Plainfield and nine-seed Monroe at noon.

Coverage begins at 11:40 am with Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe. You can listen to the game here, or watch on our YouTube Channel here.

In a sports world where fundamentals sometimes lack, there’s no worry about that with Middlesex. Sure, they might have a rough day in the field once in a while, maybe misplay a ball, or maybe a hitter is in a slump. But they don’t make the mental mistakes, they don’t throw to the wrong base, or run themselves out of an inning very often – and if that, it might just be a product of being overly aggressive, by design.

With so much back from last year’s Group 1 championship team, it starts with pitching, and the one-two combo of junior Dom Long and senior Chris Kozak, the second of whom cracked the 200 strikeout mark earlier this month, and the first of whom will get the ball Saturday against the Knights.

Long is 7-0 (Kozak is 5-0), and has a 1.71 ERA. He likes to work quickly, and get into a groove early. He’s all business.

The team has fun, of course, but they know the goal, and have high standards.

At the plate, the team is hitting .313, and nearly every starter is over the .300 mark, reflecting incredible balanced top-to-bottom, and a bottom third of the order than can turn the lineup over, even if it means playing small ball.

Click here to listen to Middlesex head coach Blaze Iannetti talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

How has GMC Tourney first round, quarterfinals affected playoff race?  And there’s more to come Saturday

It’s the last week of play in New Jersey high school baseball before the NJSIAA cutoff, which is this Saturday.

All games played through Saturday, whether regular season or in county tournaments, are considered for qualification, with the top 16 power point values included in the formula.

Some teams will pick up extra games this week to try and improve their standing, but others are locked in to county Tournament play, like in the GMC, which had its first round on Monday, quarterfinals Wednesday, and will play its semifinals Saturday afternoon at East Brunswick Magnet School. 

You can hear those games live on Central Jersey Sports Radio by clicking here.

So, how did some of those games affect the top teams?  We take a look.

Edison, Monroe, Old Bridge in Central Jersey Group 4:  The Eagles had been atop the section for the past few weeks, but dropped to third last week while Old Bridge claimed the top spot partly on the strength of a 4-0 week.  But Edison took it back after Monday’s 10-0 first round win in the GMCT over then 20-1 Piscataway Magnet, giving them the maximum power points you could get (48) and netting 40 after their 8-point loss to Columbia (its lowest value among the best 16) dropped off as a result.  But with Monroe knocking off the Eagles Wednesday, and Old Bridge beating Metuchen, the Knights are back on top as of Thursday morning, at 16-8 (29.746).  Edison fell to second (15-6, 28.611), and now they may not be able to make up that ground, since Old Bridge will play Middlesex in the GMCT semifinals Saturday at 2:30 pm.  A Knights’ loss may not even do it, depending how other games go.

Monroe (10-12, 23.596) climbed a bit, from seventh to sixth, since our last update Sunday, but at a little more than three full points behind fourth-place Hightstown (15-5, 27.088), the Falcons probably can’t get that high, but have a good shot to finish in the top with, guaranteeing them home field at least through the sectional semis.

Middlesex, Piscataway Magnet in Central Jersey Group 1:  The Blue Jays (20-2, 32.482) remain in first – though it’s slightly narrower than before – over second-place Piscataway Magnet (21-2, 29.079), and we think they’re going to hold on regardless what happens Saturday against Old Bridge.  The Raiders weren’t hurt place-wise by their loss to Edison Monday on the GMCT first round, but they’re lead over third-place Point Pleasant Beach (13-4, 28.572) is down from over one point to 0.505.  the Garnet Gulls have 16-win Colts Neck Saturday in the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals Saturday.

South Plainfield in North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3:  The Tigers (13-10, 24.708) pulled ahead of North Plainfield (16.8, 23.373) since Sunday, no doubt helped by a 7-6 win Wednesday in the GMC Tournament quarterfinals over Metuchen, which was worth 41 points, their highest value for any game. Saturday, in the semifinals, a win over Monroe would be worth about 27 points, and a net gain of 16 (their lowest game is an 11-point defeat at the hands of Red Bank Catholic, which Monroe beat earlier this season). And with North Plainfield only having one more game before the cutoff against eight-win Warren Hills, and Middletown North (10-10, 21.842) almost three points back, we think South Plainfield should be able to hold on to the No. 4 spot.

by Mike Pavlichko

GMCT Quarterfinal Roundup: Monroe ousts top-seed Edison, Old Bridge wins pitchers duel, Middlesex tops Aquinas, South Plainfield holds off Metuchen

The Jim Muldowney GMC Championship Tournament semifinals are set for Saturday after a wild quarterfinal round on Wednesday.

The biggest story line of the night was top-seed Edison getting eliminated by nine-seed Monroe, which now appears to be the tournament’s Cinderella, having beaten two higher-seeded teams to make it to Saturday’s semis at East Brunswick Magnet School.

Scroll through for full recaps of all games, including links to separate game stories on Edison-Monroe and Middlesex-St. Thomas Aquinas, including postgame interviews and a look ahead to Saturday’s matchups, which can be heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe on the call:

(9) Monroe 9, (1) Edison 0: Coming into the season, the Eagles had three starting pitchers headed to Division 1 schools, a nice luxury to have. And while Mounmouth-bound Connor Murphy has been outstanding, Robert Roma and Dom Innocenti – both of whom will play at Wagner – have been beset by injuries of late. Innocenti hasn’t taken the mound since a 14-0 loss to Woodbridge on April 23, and Roma – though his team won all four games – had only thrown five times for the Eagles, never going more than three innings in each of his last four appearances.

But he had trouble early on Wednesday, facing just four batters and giving up a single, two doubles and a walk, and two runs before being pulled by head coach Vinnie Abene. And Monroe did more damage with three int he second, one in the fourth, and three in the third.

The Falcons pounded out eleven hits, with Alex Marcus picking up four RBIs, while Justin Mangano went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI.

Click here to read Nick Hart’s game story, with postgame reaction from starter Andre Love, catcher Justin Mangano and head coach Sean Field, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

(5) South Plainfield 7, (4) Metuchen 6: The Tigers (13-10) saw a 3-0 lead slip away early, and nearly saw a 7-3 lead go by the boards, but hung on in the end to pull off the upset at Metuchen (16-6).

Dom Massaro went 3-for-5, scoring twice, as did Aiden McCarthy and Andrew Bena, and South Plainfield also capitalized on five Bulldog errors. Bena went 5 2/3 innings and got the win, allowing six runs on eight hits, striking out five, while Jayden Jiminez closed it out.

Massaro led off the game with a double, and after a walk to McCarthy, Bena drove in a run with a double. A sac bunt and a strikeout followed, but a single by Anthony Cicenia to center drove in two to make it 3-0.

But Metuchen clawed right back. James Fenton hit a one-out two-run homer in the bottom of the inning to cut it to 3-2, and Matt Jelleme had an RBI single in the second to even things up.

The two played the next three innings scoreless before South Plainfield burst out with four runs in the top of the sixth. Alex Pigna reached on an error, and Dom Massaro replaced him, reaching on a fielder’s choice to second. McCarthy then followed with a single to right to give the Tigers a 4-3 lead.

But South Plainfield wanted more, and they got it. Bena hit a ball to second and reached on an error, bringing in McCarthy to make it 5-3. Chris Loniewski reached on an error by the shortstop. After Ed Budzinski struck out, Cicenia hit a ball to third, and yet another error allowed him to reach, scored Bena, and gave the Tigers a 6-3 lead. The seventh run came in on a line drive single to left by Gabriel Garcia.

Now, it was Metuchen’s turn to keep things interesting. After a fly ball out, Sean Dereka walked, Ryan Alessi singled, and Mason Messina was plunked by Bena. Joseph Tamburello popped out to short center, leaving the bases loaded with two outs. Jelleme got hit to cut it to 7-4, then James Fenton drove in two with a single to left to make it 7-6, before Cooper Crawford grounded into a fielder’s choice, with Cicenia tossing to second for the force.

South Plainfield had two on with two out in the top of the seventh, but failed to get an insurance run. Then, Metuchen got back to business. After a ground out, Lucas Malamug and Sean Dereka hit back-to-back singles. A line out to right by Alessi made the second out.

Then, with an 0-2 count on the next hitter, Jiminez – who came on in relief with two out in the sixth – stepped off the rubber. Dereka on first took off, and Jiminez threw to the shortstop covering. Now in a rundown, the Tigers saw Malamug off third base, and they threw to the third-baseman Pigna, who tagged Malamug for the final out.

Click here for postgame reaction from South Plainfield head coach Scott Gleichenhaus with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko.

(2) Middlesex 3, (7) St. Thomas Aquinas 0: The Blue Jays are back in the semifinals for a second straight year, thanks in large part to yet another outstanding performance from Chris Kozak, who scattered three hits in a complete-game shutout, taking only 89 pitches to do it.

Scoreless through three, Middlesex broke through in the third with Sean Hughes scoring on a wild pitch, and pinch-hitter extraordinaire Dalton Michael driving in two with a single to left field; all three runs came with two outs, and it was all Middlesex needed.

Click here to read Alec Crouthamel’s game story, with postgame reaction from seniors Chris Kozak, Marcus Lavornia and head coach Blaze Iannetti, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen.

(3) Old Bridge 1, (6) Woodbridge 0: For the second straight game, the Knights (16-8) won a 1-0 game, but this time it was in extra innings, on a walkoff single by Erich Schickschneit. Hits were at a premium, as Old Bridge outhit the Barrons 6-3. And they almost broke the game open in the bottom of the first.

After a one, two, three top of the inning, Chris Crosta led off the home half getting hit by a pitch. Matt Chin struck out, Jared Volpe singled, Rocco Pluchino struck out, and Schickschneit was intentionally walked to load the bases. But Michael Chiarella struck out to end the inning.

All the while, the starting pitchers were dealing. Woodbridge’s Michael Gurovich pitched into the eighth, allowing just three more hits the rest of the game, striking out ten. Blake Dunleavy allowed just three hits and struck out four.

Tied at the end of seven, the game went to extras. Dunleavey threw a solid eighth, getting three groundouts. In the bottom of the inning for Old Bridge, Jared Volpe singled to center with one out. Diego Colon struck out, and Schnickschneit came up. Jared Volpe stole second – his second steal of the game – and on a 1-1 pitch, Schickschneit got the game-winning hit.

It’ll be a second trip to the GMC Tournament semifinals in three years for Old Bridge, which won it all back in 2024.

Click here for postgame reaction from Old Bridge head coach Matt Donaghue with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE:

Jim Muldowney GMC Championship Tournament Semifinals
Saturday, May 16, at East Brunswick Magnet School

  • 12 pm: (5) South Plainfield (13-10) vs. (9) Monroe (10-12)
  • 2:30 pm: (3) Old Bridge (16-8) vs. (2) Middlesex (20-2)

You can hear both games live on Central Jersey Sports Radio with Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe on the call by clicking here.

Jim Muldowney GMC Championship Tournament Final
Saturday, May 23, at East Brunswick Magnet School (2 pm – LIVE on CJSR)

by Mike Pavlichko

GMCT Recap:  Monroe knocks off Colonia in only first round upset, as seven other higher seeds advance

Top-seed Edison and the rest of the top seven seeds advanced Monday in the GMC’s Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament, with only eight-seed Colonia getting upset.

It was a chalk Monday in the tournament, which has been fairly lucky in the first two rounds with weather. Rain had been in the forecast at one point or another for the first three days of the event, including Saturday’s preliminary round.

But all those games got off without a hitch – even if a few raindrops fell, it was nothing major – and Monday turned out to be a gorgeous day, with temps in the low 60s under mostly cloudy skies until about an hour into the 4 pm games, when the sun shone for the rest of the later afternoon.

Here’s a recap of all eight games, followed by the schedule for Wednesday’s quarterfinals, which – as of 11 pm Monday – has a round a 50 percent chance of showers between the hours of 4 and 6 pm. Any games not played Wednesday likely move to Thursday, with temperatures around 67 degrees, showers in the morning, but a mix of sun and clouds by afternoon.

(1) Edison 10, (17) Piscataway Magnet 5: The Eagles (15-5) scored early and often, getting five in the first and five in the second, more than enough runs for senior Connor Murphy, who struck out 13 and allowed just one infield hit and three baserunners in the game.

Read a full recap of the contest here, along with postgame reaction from sophomore Sam Kentos (2 triples, 4 RBI), Murphy, and head coach Vinnie Abene, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen.

Piscataway Magnet took just its second loss of the season to drop to 20-2.

The Eagles – a GMCT finalist last season – will host nine-seed Monroe in Wednesday’s quarterfinals. They split their two-game set in early April, with Edison winning the opener 7-1 on the at home, and Monroe getting a 2-0 shutout in the rematch at home.

(9) Monroe 9, (8) Colonia 2: With ace Colin Kroner sidelined due to injury, the Falcons (9-12) jumped out to a 3-0 lead, then added six more in the middle three innings to take a 9-1 lead, and allowed one sixth-inning run to the Patriots (10-7), who used four pitchers to get through the game. Starter Ryan Totin, who went 3 1/3 innings, took the loss, allowing five earned runs.

Matt Linke, Justin Mangamo and Michael Cinque drove in two runs apiece for the Falcons, who had dropped eight of nine coming in after a 7-4 start. Starting pitcher Ben Fagin was solid, scattering two hits and allowing just one unearned run, striking out 13 in a complete game effort.

Click here to listen to Monroe head coach Sean Field talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko about the Falcons’ win over the Patriots.

In the quarterfinals, Monroe will be at Edison on Wednesday. The teams split this season.

(5) South Plainfield 2, (12) St. Joseph-Metuchen 1: For the Tigers (12-10), they don’t come up bigger than Aiden McCarthy in big spots. The senior pitcher scattered five hits in a complete game effort, allowing one earned run, striking out ten, to improve to 6-1 on the season.

South Plainfield got out to a 1-0 lead in the botom of the first on a sac fly to right by Chris Loniewski. St. Joseph (5-15) – the defending tournament champs – tied it in the top of the fourth with a single by Logan ring, but the Tigers got the lead back in the home half of the inning when Dom Massaro was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, scoring Ed Budzinski.

The win puts the Tigers in Wednesday’s quarterfinals at fourth-seed Metuchen (15-5), a team they have not faced since 2018.

(4) Metuchen 3, (13) Spotswood 0: Starter James Fenton went 6 1/3 innings, allowing just three hits while striking out 15, and Matt Jelleme closed out the final two-thirds for the win. The Bulldogs (15-5) got an RBI from Matt Jelleme in ousting the Chargers (11-2), a GMCT semifinalist a year ago.

Metuchen will host 5th-seed South Plainfield (12-10) in Wednesday’s quarterfinals, the first meeting between the teams since 2018.

(3) Old Bridge 1, (14) Sayreville 0:  In a pitchers’ duel, the Knights (14-8) got a four-hit shutout from Brady Meyer, and got the only run they needed in the bottom of the fourth inning – when Jared Volpe scored on a passed ball with Erich Schikchneit at the plate – in taking the tight victory over the Bombers (9-11).

Both starting pitchers went the distance in this one. Meyer walked four but struck out seven, while Jack Martyn of Sayreville allowed one earned run on five hits in six innings of of work. He threw just 70 pitches; while Meyer threw only 85.

In the quarterfinals on Wednesday, the Knights will host sixth-seed Woodbridge (12-7), a team they beat twice this year, but both by slim margins: 2-1 at home on April 2nd, and 9-7 on the road two days later.

(6) Woodbridge 7, (11) East Brunswick 1: The Bears (6-13) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth, opening the scoring in the game, but it was all Barrons (12-7) from there on out, as they tied it in the bottom of the inning, then blew it open with five in the fifth before adding a seventh run in the sixth.

Jaidon Coello got East Brunswick on the board with a single in the fourth, but the lead was short-lived, as Xavier Diaz hit a solo homer to lead off the bottom of the inning, tying the game at one.

In the fifth, Woodbridge got another homer, this time a leadoff blast from Nate Langon to make it 2-1. Then, after a walk to Hogan Boyd, a single by Kevin Arroyo, and another walk to Jack Kobylakiewicz, a third walk – this time to Gavin Slicner – made it 3-1. Diaz singled to make it 4-1, Nick Lukachyk followed with one of his own to make it 6-1, more than enough to give the Barrons the win.

Arroyo got the win, scattering three hits across seven innings, needing just 98 pitches to finish, also recording seven strikeouts.

Next up, Woodbridge visits Old Bridge in Wednesday’s quarterfinals. The Knights took both games from the Barrons this season, 2-1 and 9-7.

(7) St. Thomas Aquinas 3, (10) South Brunswick 2: After falling behind 1-0 in the top of the first, the Trojans (9-12) got three in the home half to take a 3-1 lead they’d never relinquish in beating the Vikings (9-8).

Louis Rizzolo was masterful, improving to 6-0 on the season thanks to a two-hit complete game in which he struck out 13 and allowed two runs, one earned.

The first came in South Brunswick’s first at bat after Ayden Antigua – who reached on an error – scored with two outs. Starting pitcher Collin Perna drove in the other run with a single in the third.

But Aquinas got all three of its runs in the bottom of the first. Nikash Patel singled to drive in Adrian Sanchez, who had reached on a one-out double, then after a single by Tyler Coello, Justin Brown drove in Patel and Coello with a single.

Perna took the loss for South Brunswick, throwing 5 1/3, striking out six and walking one. All three runs were earned.

St. Thomas will visit second-seed Middlesex (19-2) – a GMC semifinalist last year – in Wednesday’s quarterfinals. The teams haven’t met this year, but split two games last season.

(2) Middlesex 12, (15) South River 2: The Blue Jays (19-2) won their fourth straight – and 15th in their last 16 games dating back exactly one month to April 11 – as they topped the Rams (16-6) in a five-inning, ten-run rule victory.

After getting a run in the first on a Luke Jones sacrifice fly that scored Marcus Lavornia – who’d stolen third after he reached on an error and sac bunt got him to second – Middlesex broke it open with five runs in the second. With the bases loaded and one out, Lavornia singled to make it 2-0, Dylan Ianiero walked to bring in Chris Kozak, Jones flied out to right to bring in Lavornia, and Sean Hughes drove in two with a double to left to make it 6-0.

And after the Rams got on the board in the top of the third on an RBI double by Hunter Krainski and a sac fly by Noah Barrero, Middlesex simply added six more in the bottom of the inning, then held the Rams the rest of the way. Jones, who finished with four runs batted in, was key in that inning with a two-run double.

Dom long got the win for Middlesex, going four innings, striking out six, and allowing two earned runs. Dalton Michael closed it out in the fifth, allowing just a two out single.

The Jays will host St. Thomas Aquinas (9-12) in Wednesday’s quarterfinals.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 13 – GMC JIM MULDOWNEY CHAMPIONSHIP QUARTERFINALS

  • (9) Monroe at (1) Edison (follow Nick Hart on Twitter for updates and a game recap)
  • (5) South Plainfield at (4) Metuchen
  • (6) Woodbridge at (3) Old Bridge
  • (7) St. Thomas Aquinas at (2) Middlesex (follow Alec Crouthamel on Twitter for updates and a game recap)

SATURDAY, MAY 16 – GMC JIM MULDOWNEY CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS (at East Brunswick Magnet)

  • Semifinal #1: 12 pm
  • Semifinal #2: 2:30 pm (highest remaining seed)

SATURDAY, MAY 23 – GMC JIM MULDOWNEY CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT FINAL (at East Brunswick Magnet)

  • Final: 2 pm