Tag: Pingry

by Mike Pavlichko

Pinrgy appeal rejected by NJSIAA, per Big Blue coach Feltre, following sub controversy

Pingry baseball coach Anthony Feltre says the NJSIAA has denied the Big Blue’s appeal after what the coach says was an illegal substitution in the fifth inning of their opening round Non-Public South A playoff game Wednesday afternoon.

Ninth-seeded Pingry’s 14-3 loss at 8th-seed Paul VI will stand, and the Eagles will move on to the sectional quarterfinals next Tuesday at top-seed Red Bank Catholic.

NJSIAA bylaws do not allow appeals of umpire calls, even in cases of a misinterpretation or misapplication of rules.

Feltre told Central Jersey Sports Radio Wednesday evening that a relief pitcher came in for Paul VI’s starter in the top of the fourth. With the DH in the starting lineup for the right fielder, Feltre says the starting pitcher – who was hitting for himself – re-entered the game to bat in the bottom of the fourth, which is allowed in high school. But Feltre says then came back in to pitch for the top of the fifth, which is not allowed.

Feltre says the “umpire agreed it was illegal, but since it was under protest, allowed the pitcher to stay in, which should not have happened.”

Feltre says he informed his Athletic Director, and that of Paul VI, and says the home plate umpire told him he would reach out as well to NJSIAA Chief Operating Office Tony Maselli, who is in charge of baseball for the state athletic association.

Thursday, the NJSIAA denied the appeal, since appeals are not permitted, per the athletic association’s bylaws.

by Mike Pavlichko

Carteret, Immaculata win on walk-offs, six area teams among winners as states get underway; Pingry loss under protest to NJSIAA

Six teams from the CJSR coverage area won opening round state playoff games Wednesday, four of them public schools that moved their Thursday games up to avoid potentially bad weather.

Immaculata, Timothy Christian, Ridge, Monroe, Carteret and Middlesex all won first-round games, while a loss by Pingry is under protest by head coach Anthony Feltre to the NJSIAA.

The ninth-seeded Big Blue lost 13-4 at 8th-seed Paul VI Wednesday afternoon in Non-Public South A play, but Feltre says there was an issue with what he believes was an illegal substitution in the fifth inning, with his team leading 4-2 at the time.

Feltre says a relief pitcher came in for Paul VI’s starter in the top of the fourth. With no DH, the starting pitcher re-entered the game to bat in the bottom of the fourth, then the reliever illegally came back in to pitch for the top of the fifth.

Feltre says the “umpire agreed it was illegal, but since it was under protest, allowed the pitcher to stay in, which should not have happened.”

Feltre says he informed his Athletic Director, and that of Paul VI, and says the home plate umpire told him he would reach out as well to NJSIAA Chief Operating Office Tony Maselli, who is in charge of baseball for the state athletic association.

The next round for non-publics is not until Tuesday, and the winner of that game would be on the road that day to face top-seed Red Bank Catholic.

Correction: An earlier version of this story said Pingry was trailing 4-2 at the time of the substitution in question. Pingry was leading 4-2 at the time.

Carteret rallies twice…

The fourth-seed Ramblers trailed 4-0 after the top of the first, and and came back to win 5-4 over 13th-seed South River, with Rams’ ace Julius Rosado on the mound.

They rallied to get two off him in the bottom of the first, then got two in the bottom of the seventh off reliever James Zsorey. Carteret freshman Luis Hernandez came up to bat with two on, and down to his final strike drove in both runners with a rocket of a triple to tie the game.

Then, in the ninth, Carteret had more magic up its sleeve. Senior Justin Santana got a double, Hernandez walked, then senior James Rodriguez hit a single to win it, 5-4.

Listen to Carteret head coach Dan Morvay talk about the Ramblers’ walk-off win.

Carteret (18-7) will be at home Wednesday against the winner of tomorrow’s first round game between 12-seed Johnson and fifth-seed Bordentown.

Immaculata walks it off…

Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.

With two on and two out, down a run in the seventh inning, Jayden Capindica hit a shallow fly ball to left field that should have been the third out. With the left fielder, shortstop and third baseman all converging, the ball dropped in, bounded away from the left fielder, allowing two runs to score, giving the fifth-seeded Spartans a wild, 5-4 win over 12-seed St. John Vianney in Non-Public South A first round action.

Immaculata pitching only allowed one hit in the game, with the Spartans again having some issues defensively.

Listen to Immaculata head coach Kevin Cust talk about the win.

Regardless of how it happened, the win moves Immaculata (16-7) into the sectional quarterfinals Tuesday at seed Notre Dame (12-11), which edged out the Spartans by a half a power point for the fourth-seed and a first round bye.

Read on for Wednesday results from other sections.

Central Jersey Group 4: Fifth-seed Monroe blanked 12-seed East Brunswick Wednesday, 4-0 at home behind a complete-game three-hitter from Zack Wallace, who struck out 13 Bears, and walked only one. The Falcons (14-9) will have to wait to see who they face in the quarterfinals next Wednesday. They’ll play the winner of tomorrow’s game between fourth-seed South Brunswick and 13-seed Freehold Township.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4: Third-seed Ridge advanced, cruising past 14-seed JP Stevens at home. The Red Devils are now 20-7, the second 20-game winner in Somerset County, and will host a quarterfinal game next Wednesday against the winner of tomorrow’s opening round game between 6th-seed Woodbridge and 11-seed and defending champion Bayonne. In a five-inning ten-run rule game, Ridge got six in the second, four in the third and three more in the fourth. The Red Devils have now scored ten or more runs in four of their last five games, and will play Bridgewater-Raritan Friday night for the Somerset County Tournament championship at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater. You can hear the 6 pm game right here on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Perth Amboy, the 13-seed, was blanked on the road by fourth-seed Westfield, 10-0.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2: Seventh-seed Bernards was knocked out of the state tournament with a 6-4 loss at 10-seed Rutherford on Wednesday afternoon.1

Non-Public South A: While Immaculata won, and Pingry lost – at least for now – 11th-seed St. Joseph-Metuchen also lost a 13-3 game down at sixth-seed Donovan Catholic. With seven-seed Union Catholic a 10-9 home winner over 10-seed Camden Catholic, should all the results hold, here are the matchups for next Tuesday’s sectional quarterfinals:

  • (8) Paul VI at (1) Red Bank Catholic
  • (5) Immaculata at (4) Notre Dame
  • (6) Donovan Catholic at (3) Christian Brothers Academy
    (7) Union Catholic at (2) St. Augustine

Non-Public North B: It wasn’t a walk-off, but 10th-seed Timothy Christian pulled one out with two in the top of the seventh, then shut down seventh-seed Hawthorne Christian in the bottom of the inning for a thrilling 6-5 win. Starting pitcher Josh Thiero went the distance, allowing six hist and just two unearned runs, striking out six to get the victory. The Tigers (4-11) will visit second-seed St. Thomas Aquinas (16-8) in an all-GMC quarterfinal matchup next Tuesday.

With eight-seed Morris Catholic a 4-1 winner over nine-seed Roselle Catholic Wednesday, here are the quarterfinal matchups for next Tuesday:

  • (8) Morris Catholic at (1) St. Mary-Rutherford
  • (5) Rutgers Prep at (4) Montclair-Kimberley (both had first-round byes)
  • (10) Timothy Christian at (2) St. Thomas Aquinas
  • (6) Morristown-Beard at (3) Gill St. Bernards

by Mike Pavlichko

First-week results lead to volatility in Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, but Old Bridge and Bridgewater-Raritan remain No. 1 and No. 2, Monroe and Pingry make debuts

The top two teams in the Week One Bellamy & Son Paving Baseball Top Ten didn’t change, but everyone else moved around, and two new teams joined the rankings this week.

Old Bridge (4-1) and Bridgewater-Raritan (2-0) remain No. 1 and No. this week, after getting their seasons off on the right foot.

The Knights handled two Shore Conference opponents, beating Manalapan on the season’s opening day, 2-1, then dropping Marlboro on Thursday, 7-6. After losing Friday to Don Bosco prep, 14-1, they rebounded with a 4-0 shutout win over St. Joseph-Metuchen in Linden. They’ll welcome in the Falcons for the back end of that home-and-home GMC Red Division set Monday night at 6:30, in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio by clicking here.

The Panthers knocked off a solid Rancocas Valley team on Monday, 5-3, then came back four days later with an 8-1 win at Scotch Plains-Fanwood.

Entering the poll at No. 3 this week is Monroe, which beat the two teams that occupied third- and fourth-place last week. They beat fourth-ranked St. Joe’s Friday, 8-1, then came back and topped third-ranked North Brunswick at home, 2-0, on Saturday.

North Brunswick (0-1) dropped to fourth with the loss to Monroe, while St. Joseph (0-2) dropped a spot to fifth, with following up the Monroe loss with a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Old Bridge.

Spotswood (3-0) rises a spot to sixth, sweeping a Thursday/Friday home-and-home with Metuchen, 10-1 and 4-1, then winning 8-4 at North Plainfield on Saturday.

Woodbridge (3-0) also climbed a spot from sixth to seventh. The Barrons swept a home-and-home with Colonia, via a 9-2 road win and a 2-0 home win, then beat Sayreville 4-2 Saturday, in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Making its debut this season in 8th place is Pingry. The Big Blue are 2-0 with wins over two of Somerset County’s three other non-publics; 2-0 at Rutgers Prep on Thursday, and 6-4 at Gill St. Bernard’s on Saturday.

Rutgers Prep (1-1) checks in at No. 9, with the loss to Pingry in its opener, but then a 4-2 win at Passaic Tech on Saturday.

And Ridge (0-2) sits in tenth, after falling to a pair of out-of-area teams: 6-2 at North Hunterdon Thursday, and 5-4 at West Morris on Saturday.

Dropping out were Sayreville (1-1) – which beat Middlesex Friday in its opener but lost 4-2 at Woodbridge Saturday – and Bernards, which hasn’t taken the field yet, as rain and field conditions wiped out their opening week of games.

Below is the complete Week 1 Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten:

by Mike Pavlichko

Boys’ SCT second round goes to chalk as well, as Franklin, Ridge, Pingry and Gill St. Bernards win

Just like on the girls’ side, all top eight seeds will be in Tuesday’s Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals, as all the higher seeds won Saturday afternoon in the second round.

The semifinals will be at the higher seeds, the top four teams that got byes to the semis.

(8) Pingry 54, (9) Bound Brook 52: The Big Blue had a seven point half time lead, but Bound Brook almost came back. They cut it down to three by the end of the third, trailing 41-38, but couldn’t get close enough, falling by two, dropping to 15-10 on the season. Pingry (16-4) has three players record double-doubles, as Trey Maultsby had 16 points and 13 rebounds, Mason Vance added 12 and 12, and Donnie Gregory chipped in 12 and 10. Pingry will come down from the Watchung Mountains to take on top-seed Rutgers Prep (16-6) for their first meeting since 2015 in the SCT quarterfinals Tuesday night, in likely the second game of a doubleheader with the Argonaut girls’ team, which will be hosting Ridge.

(5) Ridge 48, (13) Somerville 40: The Red Devils led this one most of the way, yet it was still close, as Ridge led by just two entering the fourth quarter, pulling away to take the game by eight. Quin Dashefsky scored 11 points and added seven rebounds, while Owen Chwatek had nine points on a trio of treys for Ridge (14-8). Quinn Carran led all scorers with 19 in defeat for Somerville (10-14). The Red Devils travel down to Hillsborough (14-7) to take on the fourth-seeded Raiders Tuesday in the SCT quarterfinals. The two didn’t play this year, but last season, Ridge won both matchups by similar scores, 55-53 in the first meeting, 54-45 in the second.

(6) Franklin 66, (11) Bridgewater-Raritan 42: The Warriors (13-10) used a huge second quarter to bury Bridgewater-Raritan (10-14) before the break. They led by four after one, but used a 26-8 second quarter to get its lead to 45-23 at half, and the rest was just gravy. Landen Miller led all scorers with 19, while Keith Morris chipped in 18 and Jah’naad Cady added 10. Johny Magner led the Panthers in defeat with 17. Franklin will visit third-seed Watchung Hills Tuesday in the SCT quarterfinals, which won their only meeting this year on January 18th in a tight one, 40-39.

(7) Gill St. Bernard’s 57, (10) Immaculata 50: The Knights’ – who’ve uncharacteristically struggled this season, their second in a row with big roster turnover – snapped a four-game skid with the win over the Spartans, improving to 10-13 on the year. They trailed 16-15 after the first eight minutes, but doubled up ‘Lata (10-12) in the second period to take a 35-26 lead, and hung on in the second half. Stanley Njekwe had a doble-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds, while Dorsett Mulcahy led all scorers in the game with 16. Gill now will travel to second-seeded Montgomery on Tuesday in the quarterfinals. The Cougars (19-2) last played Gill in 2022. It’s believed Montgomery has never beaten Gill, going 0-8 against the Knights, with their first meeting coming in 2011

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY: SCT Semifinals – (2) Ridge 6, (6) Pingry 2

Second-seed Ridge earned a chance to defend its 2022 Somerset County Tournament title with a 6-0 win over 6th-seed Pingry, putting them back in the championship game for the third straight time. Brendan Callanan was brilliant on the mound with six shutout innings pitched and 11 strikeouts, adding a two-RBI single in the fourth, while Nick Rossie hit a first-inning solo home run and was 2-for-2 with a walk and three runs scored.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas call all the action from TD Bank Ballpark Bridgewater, NJ on April 27, 2023:

by Mike Pavlichko

Callanan’s strong 6 innings, 6-run outburst propel Ridge into SCT finals with 6-2 win over Pingry

When Brendan Callanan struck out five six of the first seven batters he faced, retiring the first seven he faced, one could be forgiven if they thought: “Could it happen again?”

No, Callanan didn’t throw a perfect game like Connor Byrne did Tuesday in the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals against Bernards, but he pitched a pretty good game himself. He gave pitched five shutout innings, scattering three hits and struck out eleven, as second-seed Ridge (10-2) beat Pingry (6-4) in the first of two SCT semifinal games at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater Thursday afternoon, as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio, presented by Zoned Sports Academy.

Callanan took a 1-0 lead into the second after catcher Nick Rossi blasted a one-out solo homer to left in the bottom of the first. It was the first homer of his scholastic career.

For a while, that looked like it was all Ridge would need, until Pingry got two runs in the seventh on a two-RBI single by Nick Lorenzo.

Ridge got three runs in the third, on an RBI single by Julian Kielb, and a two-RBI single by Connor Byrne, which chased Pingry starter Alex Payne.

The Red Devils added two more in the fourth on a two-RBI single by Callanan, helping his cause.

Ridge moves on to play either top-seed Bridgewater-Raritan or 12th-seed Rutgers Prep, which played in the later semifinal at 4 pm.

It will be the third straight trip to the finals for defending champion Ridge, which made it in 2019 (there was no tournament in 2020 or 2021) and won it last season.

Follow Sportsplex at Metuchen on Instagram for the latest on open gym sessions on their courts and turf!

Click below for postgame reaction from Ridge, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

Ridge pitcher Brendan Callanan
Ridge catcher Nick Rossi
Ridge head coach Tom Blackwell
by Mike Pavlichko

SCT Semifinals take center stage at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater as four teams vie for trip to county championship

After three rounds of play, the Somerset County Tournament semifinals are upon us!

Four teams – Bridgewater-Raritan, defending champion Ridge, Pingry and Rutgers Prep – will be gunning for a chance to play for the county title in nearly two weeks, in semifinal games to be held at TD Bank Ballpark.

Central Jersey Sports Radio will have complete coverage of all the games, starting at 12:35 pm Thursday with pregame for the first semifinal between top-seed Bridgewater-Raritan and 6th-seed Pingry. Coverage will continue with the 4:00 game, featuring 2-seed Ridge and 12th-seed Rutgers Prep.

Central Jersey Sports Radio’s coverage of the Somerset County Tournament is presented by Zoned Sports Academy in Bridgewater.

Below are full previews of each of Thursday’s semifinal games, with stats, notes, record and analysis.

#2 Ridge (9-2) vs. #6 Pingry (6-3)

First pitch weather: 57 degrees, partly sunny, wind ENE 4 mph (in from left field), 22% rain chance

Starting Pitchers:
Ridge – Brendan Callanan (4-0, 0.23 ERA)
Pingry – Alex Payne (2-1, 0.78 ERA)

How they got here:

Ridge had a bye in the first two rounds, and in its first SCT game – Tuesday’s quarterfinals – got a 76-pitch perfect game from senior Connor Byrne in a 1-0 win over 10-seed Bernards. Clearly, you couldn’t ask for more from Byrne, who had good defense behind him and got just enough offense for the win.

Pingry had a first-round bye, and won their first SCT game in the second round, blowing away 11th-seed and red-hot Manville 13-1, behind a mercy-rule, five-inning no-hitter by Alex Payne. In the quarterfinals Tuesday, they got a stellar outing from Jake Francis on the mound in a 4-1 win over 3rd-seed Montgomery. Coach Anthony Feltre called Kailar Ahn’s home run to break a 1-1 tie – the Big Blue’s first of the season – “the biggest hit of the year.”

Notes:

This is Pingry’s first trip to the the SCT semifinals since 2006, when they lost 8-0 to Immaculata in the county championship game. But they’re no stranger to tournament play, having won the state’s Prep A tournament last spring.

Ridge is the defending champion, and has made the last two finals, three years apart. They made the finals in 2019, losing 6-5 to Immaculata, then after a two-year break due to COVID – with no season in 2020 and a shortened season in 2021 that didn’t allow time to put on a county tournament, the Red Devils won it all last season, beating Rutgers Prep 6-0 in the final.

Ridge players run onto the field after the final out of the 2022 Somerset County Tournament title game at TD Bank Park on May 23, 2022. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

The quarterfinals were all about great pitchers. The losing teams in the quarters were held to three combined runs. Rutgers Prep scored two, Montgomery one, and Immaculata and Bernards got shutout. On this game specifically, Brendan Callanan and Alex Payne have a combined 1.01 ERA, and in one start each in the SCT so far, they have combined to allow zero hits. Even without knowing that number, if you saw either of them pitch, you’d know this could come down to a 1-0 game.

That said, it may be a matter of who gets the timely hit, who is aggressive – or patient – at the plate, and who makes the mistake in the field. Pingry knows from that; they played Ridge to a 1-0 game earlier this year where a dropped fly ball was the difference.

At 6-3, Pingry has won four straight coming in, after a three-game skid where only one game got out of hand, a 10-1 loss to Pennington. Otherwise, there was the one-run loss to Ridge – which was ranked statewide in the preseason and is back this week – and a 2-1 loss to North Hunterdon.

Ridge, meanwhile, has a single loss on the season, that coming via shutout, 3-0 at Bridgewater-Raritan back on April 11th. They haven’t necessarily been tearing the cover off the ball, but they haven’t had to with the pitching they’ve gotten from Callanan – today’s starter – and Byrne.

Preview Audio:

Ridge head coach Tom Blackwell
Pingry head coach Anthony Feltre

Last titles, finals appearances:

Ridge has made the last two finals, winning last season, and falling to Immaculata in 2019. The Red Devils are have made the finals 15 times in their history, winning seven of them. In addition to the 2022 title over Rutgers Prep, they won in 2011, 1989, 1985, 1984, 1980 and 1976.

Pingry has only made two finals, losing both times: in 2006 to Immaculata and in 2003 to Montgomery, 6-1.

Past Coverage:

Ridge:

Ridge starter Andrew Shawah pitches in the third inning against Pingry’s Alex Payne on April 29, 2022. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

Pingry:

#1 Bridgewater-Raritan (11-1) vs. #12 Rutgers Prep (5-7), 4 pm

First pitch weather: 61 degrees, partly sunny, wind E 4 mph (in from left field), 6% chance of rain

Starting Pitchers:
Bridgewater-Raritan – Jason Cozzi (1-0, 6.17 ERA)
Rutgers Prep – Zach Fronio (0-1, 1.27 ERA)

How they got here:

Bridgewater-Raritan had a bye in the first two rounds, and in the Panthers’ first SCT game – in Tuesday’s quarterfinals – got a combined one-hitter from three pitchers in a 5-0 win over Immaculata. Starter Matt Fattore felt some soreness and came out after one inning as a precaution. Then, Noah Matheson and Corey Rible threw four and two innings, respectively, of no-hit ball the rest of the way to close out the Spartans and move on to the semifinals.

Zach Fronio – who’ll get the start tonight – pitches in the 2022 Somerset County Tournament semifinals at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater on May 9, 2022. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

Rutgers Prep had to play in the opening round, and picked up an 8-0 shutout win over 13-seed Watchung Hills. They then picked up a big revenge win over 5-seed Franklin, 5-4, in the second round, eleven days after a 15-3 regular season home loss to the Warriors. In Tuesday’s quarterfinals, the Argonauts got by 5-seed Somerville 3-2 on a solid outing from Max Treonze: 9 Ks, 5 hits, no earned runs in a complete game effort.

Notes:

Bridgewater has now cracked the top five statewide, and for good reason. Their pitching has been phenomenal, and they can hit. They’ve got a team ERA of 2.04, and three pitchers with at least 14 innings thrown with ERAs under two: Matthew Fattore (0.41 ERA, 17 innings pitched), Matheson (1.00, 14 IP) and Rible (1.68, 16 2/3 IP). At the plate, three regulars are hitting over .400: Matthew Fattore at .485, James Turchi at .478, and Joey Letko at .429. And as a team, they’ve hit six home runs, three off the batt of Matthew Fattore, while his older brother, Michael, has one, as does Devin Goldberg and Kevin Lee.

Rutgers Prep isn’t really an enigma, but they may be the exception to the rule that you are what your record says you are. They were 2-7 coming into the SCT, but have won three straight in the bracket to get here, with a regular season loss at Montgomery last week sandwiched in there, and that was just by a single run, 11-10. The win over the Pioneers Tuesday atoned for a 12-8 loss in a slugfest back on April 13. There is talent here, but it’s taken Rutgers Prep a little time to figure it all out. They can be dangerous, and surely won’t be overlooked by Max Newill’s club.

As much as the numbers don’t compare to the pitchers in the first game, these are two solid pitchers. Bridgewater senior Jason Cozzi is committed to UMass, while Prep sophomore Zach Fronio already has committed to Maryland. But neither has pitched a lot; combined they have five appearances on the year.

Bridgewater-Raritan’s Jason Cozzi pitches against Ridge in the Somerset County Tournament semifinals on May 9, 2022 at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, NJ. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

For the Panthers, Cozzi has had some back issues. He went didn’t go long enough to get the win in his first outing at St. Joe’s of Montvale, then came out early of the 4-2 win over Hunterdon Central, throwing just four innings before having to deal with back issues. Newill says he’s kept him out as a precaution, and hopes he’s ready to go for the SCT.

Fronio, meanwhile, has been a bad-luck pitcher. He’s only allowed two runs in 11 innings for a 1.27 ERA, but nine unearned runs have been scored against him. The Argonauts will have to play much better in the field to have a chance against the Panthers.

Preview Audio:

Bridgewater-Raritan head coach Max Newill
Rutgers Prep head coach Larry Santowasso

Last titles, finals appearances:

Rutgers Prep was in last year’s final, falling to Ridge 6-0 in the SCT championship game. They last won the county title back in 2017, and notably, did it as a ten-seed, stunning top-seed Montgomery, 7-2. Those are their only two finals appearances.

Bridgewater-Raritan, meanwhile, made its last trip to the finals in 2012. That was a 4-3, 12-inning loss to Hillsborough. Since the East-West merger, B-R has made four finals, winning it once, in 1996, a 7-5 win over Immaculata. The losses – in addition to 2012 – were back-to-back in 1997 and 1998 to Immaculata, the start of the Spartans’ dynasty, which saw them win six in a row, and ten of 12 SCT championships from 1997 through 2008.

Past Coverage:

Bridgewater-Raritan:

Rutgers Prep:

by Mike Pavlichko

Perfect game by Ridge’s Byrne powers Ridge into SCT Semis, along with Bridgewater-Raritan, Rutgers Prep and Pingry

A perfect game by Ridge’s Connor Byrne was the highlight of the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals, and now the SCT semifinals at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater are all set, with No. 1 seed Bridgewater-Raritan and No. 2 seed Ridge advancing in Tuesday’s quarterfinal action. Both will square off against upset winners on Thursday at the home of the Somerset Patriots.

Central Jersey Sports Radio’s coverage of the Somerset County Tournament – presented by Zoned Sports Academy – continues with live play-by-play of both Thursday contests.

Sixth-seed Pingry was a 4-1 winner over third-seed Montgomery, while 12-seed Rutgers Prep squeaked by 4th-seed Somerville 3-2.

The Argonauts draw second-seed Ridge – the defending county champion – in the early 1:00 pm game at TD Bank Ballpark. The Red Devils got by Bernards 1-0 Tuesday afternoon in Basking Ridge.

The Big Blue get to play the top-seed, Bridgewater-Raritan, which got a combined one-hitter from three pitchers in a 5-0 home win over Immaculata Tuesday. First pitch is schedule for 4 pm.

#1 Bridgewater-Raritan 5, #9 Immaculata 0

Noah Matheson pitched four no-hit innings in relief, and Cory Rible did the same over the last two, leading the Panthers to the semifinals. Click here for a complete game recap, plus postgame reaction from Matheson and head coach Max Newill.

#12 Rutgers Prep 3, #4 Somerville 2

Less than two weeks ago, Rutgers Prep was outslugged by Somerville in a 12-8 game on their own field.

But Tuesday afternoon at Torpey Field, it was the Argonauts who came out the winner, in a much closer, much lower-scoring affair.

Pitching was the name of the game here, too – a theme, it seemed, Tuesday afternoon – as junior Max Treonze went the distance in a 3-2 win. He struck out nine and scattered five hits throughout the game, allowing just the two runs – one in the second, one in the fifth – as Prep never trailed in the game.

#2 Ridge 1, #10 Bernards 0

Brendan Callanan’s solo homer gave Ridge all the offense they needed, as Connor Byrne threw a perfect game for the win. Click here for the full story and interview with Byrne, as the senior struck out ten in the victory.

#6 Pingry 4, #3 Montgomery 1

Another complete game, this time from Jake Francis, put Pingry in the Somerset County Tournament semifinals with a 4-1 win at Montgomery. The senior needed only 94 pitches to go the distance, striking out eight, waling one, and scattering four hits through seven solid innings of work.

Kaihlar Ahn hit a solo home run in the game, while Nick Lorenzo went 2-for-4 with an RBI for the Big Blue.

by Mike Pavlichko

Week 2 turmoil has settled, but two new teams join Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten in Week 3, while Bridgewater remains No. 1

There are two new teams in the Week 3 Bellamy & Son Paving Baseball Rankings – as Pingry and Monroe join the group – but otherwise, no real major changes of shakeups in the Top Ten this week.

The top two teams went unbeaten in Week 3 of the season, with Bridgewater-Raritan (9-2) holding on to the top spot, while Ridge (7-2) moves up one place to second, dropping Old Bridge (9-3) to third after a 3-2 week that saw the Vikings lose twice in the division, once to Old Bridge and once to East Brunswick.

Sayreville (8-3) holds in fourth, coming off a 2-1 week with wins over Perth Amboy and Colonia.

North Brunswick (6-4) moved up three spots to fifth, had the other unbeaten week among ranked teams. The Raiders swept a two-game home-and-home against St. Joseph-Metuchen – which dropped out at 4-5 off a 1-4 week, along with Franklin (4-6). They also won 10-7 at Woodbridge (7-3), which dropped on place to sixth.

Monroe (5-4) is back in the rankings after a week out; the Falcons are sixth after a 3-0 week with a home-and-home two-game sweep of South Brunswick and a win over South Plainfield.

Spotswood (9-2) is up two places to eight after a 2-2 week, with both losses coming out of conference.

East Brunswick (5-6) holds in ninth, despite a 1-3 week, while Pingry (5-3) also rejoins the rankings, on a 2-0 week that included a win over red-hot Manville in the second round of the Somerset County Tournament on Saturday.

Below are the full Week Three Bellamy & Son Paving baseball rankings:

by Mike Pavlichko

Three “upsets” and a Pingry no-no highlight second round Somerset County Tournament action

Sixth-seeded Pingry was the only higher seed to win a Somerset County Tournament second round game Saturday afternoon, as the Big Blue made short work of 11th-seed Manville, 13-1 in first round play, with starter Alex-Payne throwing a 5-inning no-hitter.

Three lower-seeded teams were winners, including 9th-seed Immaculata, 10th-seed Bernards, and 12th-seed Rutgers Prep.

Here’s a recap of Saturday’s action, with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s coverage presented by Zoned Sports Academy in Bridgewater.

#6 Pingry 13, #11 Manville 1

The Big Blue got a gem of a ballgame from senior Alex Payne, who threw a mercy rule-shortened no-hitter, allowing just one unearned run in a five-inning 13-1 win over Manville.

Pingry (5-3) got big days at the plate from Jake Francis, who went 2-for-2 with a single, double and four RBIs; Nick Lorenzo, who was 2-for-3 with three runs batted in; and Jason Weaver, who knocked in another three runs in the win over the Mustangs (7-3).

Pingry head coach Anthony Feltre

Next up for Pingry is a trip to Montgomery, where the third-seeded Cougars (5-4) await. The Big Blue have beaten Montgomery in each of the last two years.

#12 Rutgers Prep 5, #5 Franklin 4

Just 11 days ago, the Argonauts lost 15-3 at home to Franklin. But Saturday, on the road, Prep pulled out a 5-4 win behind five solid innings from Maryland commit Zach Fronio, who struck out ten, allowed two hits, and just one unearned run on the mound, and drove in the game-winning run at the plate.

The Argos led 4-0 after two-and-a-half innings before Franklin added a run in the bottom of the third to make it 4-1. Once Fronio came out, Joey Dwek surrendered three runs in the bottom of the sixth that saw the Warriors tie the score at 4-4. But he’d make amends soon after.

To start, Rutgers Prep (4-7) would get a run back in the top of the seventh. Evan Laub led off with a double, then Andrew Parisi struck out. But Fronio – just 1-for-4 on the day to that point – knocked in Laub with an RBI single up the middle.

Dwek then sealed the deal in the bottom of the seventh, keeping Franklin (4-6) off the board for the win.

Rutgers Prep head coach Larry Santowasso

Next up, the Argonauts visit 4th-seed Somerville (6-3) on Tuesday in the quarterfinals. The Pioneers had a double-bye in the tournament.

#10 Bernards 5, #7 Hillsborough 0

Tyler Helpinstill continued his hot hitting for the Mountaineers, going 2-for-4 with two runs batted in while Matt Falzarano went 2-for-2 and drove in two more in a 5-4 road victory Saturday afternoon.

Starting pitcher Charlie Gonella was solid as well, pitching 5 shutout innings, allowing just three hits, while Evan Hoecklele pitched two no-hit innings in relief.

Bernards is now 5-3 after starting the season 1-4, while Hillsborough drops to 3-8.

Bernards head coach Jeff Falzarano

After playing South River Sunday at 10 am in the Autism Awareness Challenge in North Brunswick – a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio with pregame at 9:45 – Bernards will play Tuesday in the SCT quarterfinals at second-seed Ridge.

#9 Immaculata 5, #8 Bound Brook 1

The Spartans jumped ahead of the Crusaders 5-0 on the road by the time they were done hitting in the third inning, and only gave up one run the rest of the way in a 5-1 win over Bound Brook. Immaculata got two runs in the second and three in the third, and the offense was led by Josh Thompson, who had a 2-for-3 day with two singles and two runs batted in. Danny Ferguson also had an RBI.

Three pitchers combined for a five-hitter, with starter Greg Zimmerman going three innings and allowing three hits, Nick Bozzo throwing the next three inning – without allowing a hit – and Josh Thompson closing it out.

It was just the second win of the season for Immaculata, which is just 2-6 and snapped a five-game skid with the win, one which saw them get shutout twice in their last three games.

Next up, the Spartans will travel to top-seed Bridgewater-Raritan on Tuesday for a quarterfinal matchup you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with first pitch set for 4 pm.