Thanks in large part to a career-high 13-strikeout, two-hitter from Robbie Centamore, second-seed Watchung Hills beat third-seed Ridge, 4-2, in the Somerset County Tournament semifinals. It’ll be the Warriors’ first trip to the SCT title game since 2016.
READ THE FULL GAME STORY HERE!
Click below to watch the full game as Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel call all the play-by-play live from TD Bank Park in Bridgewater on May 18, 2026.
After falling behind 1-0 in the second inning of the first of two Somerset County Tournament semifinals Monday at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater, Watchung Hills had no panic in them.
All they did was come back in the bottom of the third to score four runs, and with four-year varsity pitcher Robbie Centamore on the mound, he did the rest. Centamore struck out 13 – a new career high – en route to a 4-2 win heard and seen live on Central Jersey Sports Radio – that puts the Hustlin’ Warriors back int he finals for the first time since 2016.
Ridge (14-9) got on the board first, in the top of the second inning. Casey Kucerka walked to lead it off and was replaced by courtesy runner Colin Newcomb, and Sawyer Paul reached on an error on a grounder to third. After Aiden Kerrigan struck out, Dmitri Romer blooped one to right that brought in Newcomb.
But Centamore got out of the inning, striking out the next two hitters to limit the damage.
Watchung Hills (14-7) would rally to take the lead in the bottom of the third, sending nine men to the plate. Brady Simo led off with a walk, then James Esposito singled to tie the game at one. Back to the top of the lineup, Jacob Jaconski tripled to left – as left fielder Matt Pypcznske lost his footing and the ball got by him toward the foul line – to make it 2-1 Hills.
After a groundout for the first out, Centamore reached on an infield hit. A Max Payne ground out to second brought in Jaconski from third to make it 3-1 – adding insurance they would eventually need – and an errant throw by third baseman Dmitri Romer on a grounder by Landon Pudlal brought in the fourth run. Lucas Liston got out of it though; after hitting Brody Griffith to put runners at first and third, he got Lucas Ricci to fly out to center to end the inning.
Ridge got one more run in the sixth, on a one-out RBI double by Casey Kucerka, but Centamore got a ground out and strikeout to end the inning.
Starter Lucas Liston took the loss for Ridge, allowing all for Warriors’ runs on seven hits in five innings of work.
Watchung Hills will play the winner of Monday’s second SCT semifinal between top-seed and defending champion Immaculata and fifth-seed Bridgwater-Raritan in Wednesday’s 6 pm final back here at TD Bank Park.
Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel with Watchung Hills head coach Joe Tremarco and senior starting pitcher Robbie Centamore, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:
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:
In the last few years since the COVID-19 pandemic, Ridge has consistently been in the mix for championships.
The Red Devils have made the last five Somerset County Tournament title games, going back to the season before the pandemic, and the last four since. (There was no tournament in 2020, when no baseball was played, nor in 2021, the first season back.)
They have also won ten straight against Watchung Hills, their opponent Monday in the semifinals. The Hustlin’ Warriors last win over Ridge came in their first meeting since COVID, a 7-6 win on April 29, 2021.
And for Watchung Hills, they’re looking to get back to the finals for the first time since 2016, when they made the second of back-to-back trips, losing in the 2015 title game to Hillsborough, and the year after to Montgomery.
Monday afternoon, it’ll be second-seed Watchung Hills and third-seed Ridge playing for a trip back to the championship game, and we’ve got it live for you on Central Jersey Sports Radio. First pitch is set for 1 pm from TD Bank Park in Bridgewater, with pregame at 12:40. Game Two between top-seed and defending champion Immaculata and fifth-seed Bridgewater-Raritan will follow at 4 pm.
Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel 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) Watchung Hills (13-7) vs. (3) Ridge (14-8)
at TD Bank Park, Bridgewater
1 pm on Central Jersey Sports Radio
Audio Stream: (LISTEN LIVE)
Video Stream: (WATCH LIVE)
PROBABLE PITCHERS:
Watchung Hills: Rob Centamore (5-0, 1.33 ERA)
Ridge: Lucas Liston (2-3, 5.71 ERA)
PREVIEW INTERVIEWS:
HOW THEY GOT HERE: As top four seeds, each team got a bye to the quarterfinals, which were held last Thursday afternoon.
Watchung Hills: The Warriors were 9-5 winners over ten-seed Franklin in the quarterfinals. Watchung Hills got off to a rough start, falling behind 2-0 in the top of the first. They took a 3-2 lead in the home half of the inning, then found themselves down again before taking a 5-3 lead in the sixth, never looking back. Lucas Sheehan got the win, tossing six three-hit innings, striking out seven. Jacob Jaconski and Max Payne each had two RBIs, with Jaconski going 4-for-5 on the day.
Ridge: The Red Devils blanked six-seed Hillsborough 7-0 on strong pitching from starter Dmitro Romer, who pitched six innings and allowed just one hit. Toby Nicholson hit a two-run home in the fifth after Ridge got a run in the first and four more in the second, all coming on RBI singles.
TOP HITTERS:
Watchung Hills: Senior DH Jacob Jaconski is hitting a team-best .477, and leads the Hustlin’ Warriors with 31 hits and nine doubles. The next seven hitters down are all hitting .300 or better, including Landon Pudlan, who has a team-high 13 stolen bases and hit hitting .344 with nine runs batted in. May Payne has driven in a team-best 21 runs, while the Warriors have hit eleven home runs, led by three off the bat of Rob Centamore.
Ridge: The Red Devils have cranked eleven homers this year, five off the bat of Jake Dolan, who also is the team’s top hitter at .429, with 26 RBIs, also a team-best. He and Kieran Callanan both lead the team with 15 stolen bases apiece. Callanan also is hitting over .400, at .421, to be exact. They can put the ball in play with the best of them.
LAST FINALS BERTH:
Watchung Hills: The Warriors last made the finals in 2016, and also made it the year prior. They lost to Hillsborough in the first of those trips, in 2015, and to Montgomery in the second. Their last SCT title was all the way back in 2009, when they were the second seed, and took out nine-seed Montgomery, 4-0. Watchung Hills has won five SCT titles, fourth on the all-time list behind Hillsborough, Ridge, and leader Immaculata, which has 15.
Ridge: The Red Devils have made the last five county finals, going all the way back to 2019, pre-COVID. They lost to the Immaculata last year, just as they did last season, and their only title in that time was in 2022, the first SCT after the pandemic, when they beat six-seed Rutgers Prep, 6-0. Ridge is second on the all-time title list with seven, second only to Immaculata.
PAST COVERAGE:
Watchung Hills
Ridge
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.
Central Jersey Group 2: Rumson-Fair-Haven edges out defending state Group 2 champion Governor Livingston for the top-seed.
Central Jersey Group 1:
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4:
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3: Chatham (16-6) overtook North Hunterdon (19-6) in the final week to the top seed here.
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2: Caldwell (19-3) hung on for the top spot over West Essex (17-6).
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.
Non-Public North B:
Non-Public South A:
The Somerset County Tournament semifinals will be all Skyland Conference Delaware Division teams, as top three seeds Immaculata, Watchung Hills and Ridge won quarterfinal games on Thursday, while fifth-seed Bridgewater-Raritan knocked off Rutgers Prep in extra innings.
Monday’s semifinals – which can be heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio from TD Bank Park in Bridgewater – will feature second-seed Watchung Hills and third-seed Ridge in the 1 pm opener. The second game is scheduled for four pm with fifth-seed Bridgewater and top-seed and defending champion Immaculata. Click here to listen as Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe call all the action.
Read through for recaps on three of the four games, and a link to Alec Crouthamel’s game story on the Panthers and Argonauts, followed by the schedule for the rest of the SCT.
(1) Immaculata 11, (8) Montgomery 1 (6 inn.): The Spartans (16-4) led the Cougars (9-14) 7-1 heading into the bottom of the sixth, when they scored four runs to walk-off with a ten-run rule win out at Diamond Nation in Flemington. After Ryan Auten pitched a scoreless first, Immaculata got on the board with a five-spot in the home half of the inning. After a leadoff double by Luca Catanzarite, Owen Schilling hit a one-out, two-run homer. A double by Owen Rivenbark followed, then another by Nehemiah Diaz made it 3-0. And Diaz was driven in on a two-run homer by Andrew Wheeler.
The Spartans got two more in the second – on RBI singles by Justin Labrador and Rivenbark – to take a 7-0 lead before Montgomery got on the board in the fifth on a triple by Kenta Komatsu. And then came the sixth. Catanzarite, Labrador and Schilling all walked to begin the inning, then Rivenbark drove in the first two with a single to right. Nick Diaz singled to make it 10-1, and the final run came on a comebacker by Wheeler and an error on the pitcher, allowing Rivenbark to score.
Auten struck out 16 and walked just one for Immaculata, and improved to 6-0 on the season, with a 0.83 earned run average.
(5) Bridgewater-Raritan 10, (4) Rutgers Prep 5 (8 inn.): The Argonauts (13-5) jumped out to an early 4-0 lead after two innings, but the Panthers (9-14) got back into it, tying the game at five with three runs in the sixth, then winning it with a five-spot in the top of the eighth inning.
Bridgewater-Raritan went yard twice in the game. Stephen Pikulin hit a three-run homer in the fifth to tie the game off reliever Jake Brown, and Michael Lobosco did the same in the fifth to extend a 7-5 lead to 10-5, after a Josh Moore double to break the tie, and a Kellan Komline sac fly to extend the lead to two.
It’s the Panthers’ fourth trip to the semifinals in the five tournaments since COVID – there was no SCT in 2020 due to the pandemic, nor in 2021 due to a shorter season – having only missed last season.
(2) Watchung Hills 9, (1) Franklin 5: The Hustlin’ Warriors (Watchung Hills, 12-6) fell behind early to the Franklin Warriors (6-9) with a rough start to the ballgame, but rebounded nicely for the win, to earn their second trip tot he SCT semifinals in three years, their last appearance coming in 2024.
Franklin scored twice in the top of the first off Hills’ starter Lucas Sheehan, who got the win to improve to 5-2. He surrendered a one-out homer to Mason Bonds, then after a double and hit batter, a second run came in on an error. Unfazed, Watchung Hills would answer in the home half of the inning.
Brody Griffith and Jacob Jaconski singled. Rob Centamore grounded into a fielder’s choice, and an error allowed Griffith to score. After a walk to Max Payne, Landon Pudlak tied the game at two with a sac fly to center, , and after a walk to Stefano DeGeronimo, a groundout to third by Brady Simo gave the Hustlin’ Warriors a 3-2 advantage.
It was short-lived. A sac fly by Franklin’s Kelvin Heuston tied the game at three in the top of the second, but Hills came right back to take a 4-3 lead they’d never relinquish in the bottom of the inning, on a fielder’s choice by Max Payne.
Watchung Hills got one more in the third, taking a 5-3 lead on a Jacob Jaconski single, plating Griffith for his second of three runs scored. And in the bottom of the fifth, they blew it open.
After a one-out walk by Lucas Ricci, James Esposito doubled to make it 6-3. After a ground out for the second out, Jaconski doubled to score Esposito, Centamore followed with the same to score courtesy runner James Perruna for Jaconski, and Payne singled to center to score Centamore, giving Hills a 9-3 lead.
Franklin got two more in the top of the seventh to make it interesting – on a fielder’s choice and an infield hit – but reliever Jacob O’Sheal got a pop out and a K to end it.
(3) Ridge 7, (6) Hillsborough 0: Dimitri Romer pitched six innings of one-hit ball and Lucas Liston finished out the seventh to team up for the shutout for the Red Devils (14-8), who are back in the semis for a third straight year.
Ridge got on the board in the bottom of the first with an RBI single by Sawyer Paul. Then, they burst out with a four-spot in the second, all on singles. After a leadoff strikeout, Toby Nicholson and Matt Pypcznski reached back-to-back. Kieran Callanan followed with a single to left, driving in Nicholson for a 2-0 lead. A fourth straight single by Lucas Grob loaded the bases before Jake Dolan popped up and the infield fly was called for the second out. But Casey Kucerka singled to score one, and Paul singled to plate two, giving Ridge a 5-0 lead.
They would add two more in the fifth on a two-run homer by Nicholson, his first of the year.
SCT SCHEDULE
Monday, May 18
Semifinals at TD Bank Park, Bridgewater
Wednesday, May 20
Finals at TD Bank Park, Bridgewater
Division play is all done, county tournaments are underway, and crossovers and non-conference games took center stage last week in the GMC and Somerset County.
And while eight of the teams in last week’s top ten took at least one loss, that was a recipe for a break in the volatility of the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten for Week Six.
In fact, only three teams moved around this week, one dropped out, and the top five remained the same, led once again by Immaculata (14-4) for a sixth straight week. The Spartans opened the week with a 10-0 loss on Tuesday at No. 5 Watchung Hills. But that didn’t knock them from the top spot, nor did it cost them the No. 1 seed in the Somerset County Tournament, which the coaches voted on that very night. But due to Skyland Conference scheduling, Immaculata never got a crack at the Warriors a second time before the seeding meeting, and with a 6-0 Immaculata win at Diamond Nation in Flemington Thursday over Watchung Hills, they split the series. The Spartans finished out the week with a 5-2 win Saturday over The Hun School. They’re next play Tuesday at DePaul.
Holding in second is Middlesex (18-2), which went 3-0 in the week gone by. They beat two GMC Red Division teams in crossovers, topping St. Joseph-Metuchen 8-7 on Monday, then winning 10-8 at East Brunswick on Wednesday. Yet, it was not enough to give them the top-seed over Edison in the GMC Tournament, which was seeded Friday morning. Still, the Blue Jays beat then-No. 6 Rutgers Prep on Saturday at Mountainview Park, 7-1. Middlesex is back in action Monday afternoon against South River in the first round of the GMCT.
Speaking of Edison (14-5), the Eagles fell Monday to Metuchen, 6-5, but rebounded with a 16-2 win Tuesday over East Brunswick and a 1-0 win Wednesday over Spotswood. Edison did indeed get the top seed in the Jim Muldowney GMC Championship Tournament, and will host Piscataway Magnet in the GMC’s first round Monday afternoon.
At No. 4 again this week is is Ridge (13-6), which dropped its first game of the week, 9-5, to Hillsborough on Tuesday, but rebounded with two home wins: 4-3 over Bridgewater-Raritan on Wednesday, and 8-0 over Somerville on Friday. The Red Devils are back in action Monday afternoon when they take on St. Peter’s Prep out of Jersey City.
Holding at No. 5 is Watchung Hills (11-5). The Warriors were just 1-2 in the week gone by, but their first loss came to defending state Group 2 champion Governor Livingston on Monday, 12-2. They bounced back with a 10-0 home win over Immaculata Tuesday, though it was not enough to give them the top-seed in the Somerset County Tournament, having lost twice to Ridge, which in turn had lost twice to the Spartans. And the Warriors had to settle for a split with Immaculata after taking a 6-0 loss at the hands of the Spartans Thursday out at Diamond Nation in Flemington. Watchung Hills has a few days off before a Thursday Somerset County Tournament quarterfinal game, where they’ll host the winner of Monday’s second round game between Somerville and Franklin.
Moving up two spots on a the strength of a 4-0 week is Old Bridge (13-8), which rises to No. 6. The Knights won 10-4 at Colonia on Monday, then beat Metuchen, 8-0, on Wednesday. They welcomed in Bridgewater-Raritan from Somerset County on Friday and won 5-4, before taking down Jersey City’s St. Peter’s Prep Saturday, 3-1. Old Bridge is back in action at home Monday against Sayreville in the first round of the GMC Tournament.
That drops Rutgers Prep (12-4) one spot to seventh, after the Argonauts split four games in the past week. The beat Bridgewater-Raritan 12-8 on Monday, then lost a pitchers’ duel out at North Hunterdon, 1-0, on Tuesday. Prep bounced back with a 10-0 home win over the Lions Thursday to split the home-and-home, but lost Saturday at Middlesex, 7-1. Next up, the Argonauts play Newark Academy on Wednesday.
Also down a spot to No. 8 is Colonia (10-6). The Patriots only played two games this past week, and split. Monday, they lost 10-4 at home to Old Bridge, but they came back to beat St. Joseph-Metuchen on Wednesday, 3-2. Colonia is back in action hosting Monroe in the first round of the GMC Tournament on Monday.
Holding at No. 9 is South Plainfield (11-10). The Tigers went 3-2 in a busy week gone by, winning their first three games: Monday 3-1 at Spotswood, Tuesday 10-5 at Monroe, and Thursday at home, 14-4, over JFK. But on Friday, they lost 5-4 at Sayreville in a crossover with the White Division, then fell 19-9 in a full seven innings to Red Bank Catholic on Saturday.
Making its season debut in the Top Ten is Metuchen (14-5). They enter at No. 9 after a 2-1 week that began in fine fashion with a 6-5 win over No. 3 Edison. They lost at Old Bridge, 8-0, on Wednesday, but bounced back with a 4-2 home win over Monroe on Saturday. The Bulldogs return to action Monday in the GMC Tournament’s first round when they host Spotswood.
Metuchen knocked out previous No. 10 Carteret (14-4), which on Tuesday, handed Piscataway Magnet a 10-0 loss, the Raiders’ first of the season, then beat Highland Park 10-0, but lost a GMC Tournament preliminary round game to Sayreville, 6-1.
Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving H.S. Baseball Top Ten for Week Six:
Well, we’re down to the last six days before the NJSIAA cutoff in high school baseball.
That’s right, the 2026 season has flown by. The county tournaments are underway, and there is just one more week for teams to get in games to qualify for the state tournament.
Games played through this Saturday will count for playoff qualification, with the NJSIAA announcing the pairings on Tuesday, May 19, with brackets becoming official by noon the next day (in case of any discrepancies).
With that said, we’ll take one more detailed, section-by-section look at how the teams in the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area are faring as we race to Saturday’s cutoff date.
Since only two games were played on Sunday, Mother’s Day – both in the Morris County Tournament semifinals, games postponed from Saturday due to rain – all games have been reported, and our analysis is based on power point standings as posted on NJ.com as of 8 pm on Sunday, May 10, 2026.
Click on the header for each section to see the official NJSIAA standings.
Central Jersey Group 4: For the first time in at least the last few weeks, there’s a new team atop the section. Old Bridge (13-8, 26.239 power points) surged in the past week, going 4-0 since our last update, and now the Knights top the section, but not by very much. They jumped Hunterdon Central, Hightstown, and the Eagles, but only lead the second-place Red Devils (11-99, 26.105) by .134 points. And even Edison (14-5, 25.959) is just .28 points behind Old Bridge. One thing that could help is the Eagles get 20-win Piscataway Magnet in the GMCT first round Monday, a win that will be worth 48 points – if they get it – and a net of 40, since it would drop their current lowest game, a loss to Columbia worth only eight. This one, we think, still is going to come right down to the wire, and is simply too close to call right now. The next CJSR-area team down the line is Monroe (8-12, 19.902), which has lost three straight since last week’s update, and fell two places to seventh. They have a slim margin – less than one full point – over both defending sectional champ and 8th-place Hillsborough (8-9, 19.657) as well as 9th-place Sayreville (9-10, 19.291). Like the race at the top, this one could go any which way, and could also come down to the wire. Of note: all those area teams remain alive in their county tournaments, so those could be some big wins, too. It’s also possible Marlboro (9-9, 18.811), Montgomery (8-11, 18.606, 11th) and maybe even South Brunswick (9-7, 18.499) could make a run at a top eight seed. The Vikings are just 1.158 points away. Just look at the Bombers, who pulled up from 15th place last week to ninth this week. Yes, it can be done, but it also can happen the other way. Franklin (5-7, 16.489) dropped from 8th (at 4-5 last week) to 14th this week, and that was with a 1-2 week. That’s not usually so disastrous, but this section is so tightly packed with seven eight teams jammed in a range of 20.086 to 18.223 power points. This could look entirely different by next Saturday. East Brunswick (6-12, 16.616) dropped from 12 to 15 this week, but they’re also more than two points ahead of the 17th-place team, Trenton (7-10, 14.3). They’re a bubble team for sure, but for now, they’re probably more than a 50-50 chance of making the field. North Brunswick (6-14, 13.797) is a bit of a longshot, then again, if they can go on a run in the GMC Invitational and win regular season games against Union and South Brunswick, they could make a big jump.
Central Jersey Group 2: Rumson-Fair Haven (17-3, 32.047) has taken over the top spot here from defending state Group 2 champion Governor Livingston (18-3, 30.247) despite neither team losing a single game in the past week; the Bulldogs went 3-0, the Highlanders 4-0. It’s just that Rumson’s wins were worth more. The highest area team here is South River (1605, 26.332), but the Rams – despite going 3-0 in the past week and increasing their power point average – fell one spot from fourth to fifth. They’re a shade over a full point behind A.L. Johnson (15-4, 27.38) for a top four finish. Arch-rival Spotswood (11-11, 22.075) had a 2-2 week and pulled up one spot to tenth, so they should squarely be in the playoffs. But a top eight finish isn’t out of the realm of possibilities, especially if they can make a run in the GMC Tournament, which would mean knocking off a good 12-win Metuchen team in the GMC Tournament first round on Monday. Ahead of them are Manasquan (10-7, 22.573, 9th) and Robbinsville (15-5, 23.328, 8th).
Central Jersey Group 1: The lead has gotten even larger for defending state Group 1 champion Middlesex (18-2, 30.832), which went 3-0 since our last update, with wins over GMC Red clubs St. Joseph-Metuchen and East Brunswick, and another over Rutgers Prep in a Somerset County crossover. Their closest competition is from Piscataway Magnet (20-1, 27.611), which is having a season for the ages, but will have top-seed Edison – and likely one of their aces, Connor Murphy – Monday afternoon in the GMC Tournament’s first round. A huge upset there could put them over the top (we’ll keep an eye out if it happens). The Raiders would have to make a big run and knock off some big teams this week, since they already have 20 wins, and four wins have already dropped off their total (only the highest 16 power point values count). However, to finish in the top two – which guarantees home field through at least the sectional semis – they may have to hold off teams behind them, including Point Pleasant Beach (12-4, 26.482) in third and Metuchen (14-5, 25.314), which has Spotswood Monday in the GMCT first round. The Bulldogs remain in fourth, and though they don’t have a huge lead over fifth-place Shore (14-5, 24.994) – just .32 points behind – it’s a long way back to sixth-place Dunellen (13-5, 19.226), so they likely only have to worry about the Blue Devils. The next area team here is Somerset Tech (9-7, 13.208), which fell one spot to 11th this week. They’ll be on the road in the first round, as will Manville (7-9, 12.37), which looks solidly in at 13th. South Amboy (8-8, 10.951) in 14th, however, is a bit more on the bubble; they’re around 1.9 points ahead of 17th place Bound Brook (2-11), but at this point, any win for the Crusaders would be huge, having only two wins; they have Dunellen and Henry Hudson this week. Highland Park (5-12, 9.607) currently occupies the 16th seed, just .594 points ahead of the Crusaders.
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4: It’s still Ridge (13-6, 28.191) at the top, with a larger lead over second-place Bayonne (16-5, 26.718) than they had last week over Watchung Hills (11-5, 24.292), which is now down one spot to third. We think the Red Devils have a good shot at holding on to No. 1, but all of a sudden here’s JP Stevens (13-7) in fourth, climbing three spots from seventh after a 2-1 week. That’s how tightly a lot of the teams are packed. And there are three more teams at five, six and seven and very close to the Hawks, including Westfield (11-9, 23.467), Scotch Plains-Fanwood (11-8, 23.089) and Columbia (10-9, 23.056). So, JP is hardly assured of anything at the moment, with 1.236 points separating third from seventh place. The next area team is Bridgewater-Raritan (6-14, 19.963) in ninth, but they are not far behind Phillipsburg (10-6, 20.696) in tenth. The Panthers should have a shot at a top eight finish – and at least a first round home game. Woodbridge (11-7, 19.364) may also have a shot as well from their position in tenth. Piscataway (8-10, 14.159) is a bubble team but on the right side of it, and we think likely to make it in as well.
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3: North Hunterdon (16-6, 29.912) and Chatham (14-5, 19.658) are neck-and-neck for the second seed, and then we have two nearly-neighboring towns back to back at four and five: North Plainfield (16-7, 23.147, 4th) and South Plainfield (11-10, 21.816, 5th). Either has a shot at a top four seed, which guarantees home field through at least the sectional quarterfinals, with Middletown North (10-8, 21.575, 6th) also in range. It might be a longer shot for the next two teams though. That’s Carteret (14-4, 20.197) in seventh – down three spots since last week – and Colonia (10-6, 19.843) in eighth, which did the opposite, and rose three spots, even though they went 1-1 since out last update. They may have to fend off some teams behind them to hand on to a top eight finish, though. There’s Somerville (9-11, 19.508) in ninth – up one spot from a week ago – followed by Millburn (7-12, 18.789) and Summit (7-11-1, 12.282), but likely not anyone else. JFK (6-14, 14.895) likely finishes in the bottom eight, sitting in 12th, down one from last week’s breakdown.
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2: Caldwell (15-1, 30.833) remains the leader here over West Morris (14-5, 28.592), even though the margin has shrunk a bit. Bernards (12-6, 19.268) edged up from eleventh to ten; they’re the only team from the CJSR coverage area in this section. They might have a shot at a top eight seed, but likely have to jump Hackettstown (11-5-1, 20.965) and Parsippany Hills (10-9, 21.007).
Non-Public North A: Although they now have a win under their belt – a 7-1 victory over 0-16 Perth Amboy Magnet – the Timothy Christian/Roselle Catholic co-op (1-14, 7.242) still sits in last place, and we think it’s likely they will opt-out of this thing. Assuming no-one else does, they would get fourth-seed Seton Hall Prep, the No. 5 team in the state which nearly got a perfect game Saturday from Boston College commit J.J. Drennan in a 6-0 win over Columbia; instead he settled for just his second straight no-hitter. Put this in a category of one of those games that just shouldn’t happen.
Non-Public North B: Rutgers Prep (12-5, 24.058) had been in first for a while, with St. Mary-Rutherford right behind them but now they have overtaken the Argonauts, but not by much. St. Mary is 12-4 and has 24.49 power points, just .432 points ahead. This should come down to the wire, but they appear to be the only two teams duking it out for the top seed. Morristown-Beard (8-7, 18.823) and St. Thomas Aquinas (8-12, 18.761) are a good number of points back. The Trojans, however, may need a strong week to fend off fifth-place Morris Catholic (10-10, 16.963) and Montclair-Kimberley (5-14, 16.61). We say that about MKA, despite their record, because with just five wins, and still close to No. 4 in power point average, any win could be a huge jump – it would be a 20 percent increase in their win total. Gill St. Bernard’s (7-8, 15.428) currently sits in eighth place in what should be a ten team field, as Wardlaw-Hartridge didn’t field a team this year, and Golda Och (0-7) could opt out.
Non-Public South A: St. Augustine (17-4, 32.271) has pulled ahead of Immaculata (14-4, 31.008) for the overall top seed, and with the section so far-flung geographically, it would be a big difference if the Spartans had to make the long trip down to Richfield (about halfway between Philadelphia and Atlantic City) for a title game, as opposed to playing at home, at Diamond Nation in Flemington. But this race is far from settled, with just 1.263 points between them. Watch Red Bank Catholic (14-4, 28.362) in third as well. After that, it’s down to ninth for Pingry (8-9, 15.388), and then 11th (next to last) for defending GMC champion St. Joseph-Metuchen (5-14, 14.676).
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:
Central Jersey Sports Radio will broadcast the semifinals and finals live at cjsportsradio.com.
The two two high school baseball teams in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten didn’t move at all this week, but most of the rest did.
And with division play mostly out of the way in the GMC, things could get really interesting this week with crossovers heading into Friday morning’s seeding meeting. Same in Somerset County with the last few games before Tuesday’s seeding by the league coaches.
Immaculata (12-3) remains No. 1, as it has been for the past four weeks, after a 3-0 week gone by. The Spartans picked up a Tuesday/Thursday sweep of Hunterdon Central, including a 4-1 home win Tuesday at Diamond Nation in Flemington, and a 14-0 road win just a mile or so away on Thursday. Saturday, they blanked Old Bridge 9-0 in the finale of Spotswood’s E4M showcase. Their last game before the SCT seeding will be Tuesday afternoon, a big one at Watchung Hills. It’s the first of two between the teams, but the only one before the meeting.
Then, it’s to the GMC at No. 2, where Midddlesex (15-2) remains in the same position as last week. The Blue Jays went 2-1, with a sweep of Colonia, both games 4-0 decisions, including a home win Thursday heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio. They lost Saturday at Westfield, 2-0, and have two big games this week, playing up against the GMC Red Division. They’ll welcome St. Joseph-Metuchen to Mountainview Park on Monday, and visit East Brunswick on Thursday. A win in either game could give the Blue Jays a strong argument for the No. 1 seed in the GMC’s Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament.
The other team that will be considered for that top-seed is Edison (12-4), which went 4-1 this past week. They blanked Woodbridge 1-0 Monday, then lost at St. Thomas Aquinas, 3-2, on Tuesday, before returning the favor with a 5-0 home win Thursday. Then, they played two on Saturday, first beating North Brunswick 15-4, then topping JP Stevens, 7-2. The Eagles have three games before Friday’s GMC seeding: Monday at Metuchen, Tuesday at home against East Brunswick, and Spotswood at home on Wednesday.
At No. 4 is Ridge (11-5), down one spot from last week after playing just one game, falling 4-3 at Bridgewater-Raritan on Tuesday. The Red Devils have lost four straight – including two to Immaculata and another at North Hunterdon – after starting the season 11-1. They will host Hillsborough on Tuesday.
In the five spot, it’s Watchung Hills (10-3), which re-entered the rankings at seven last week, and now is up two more spots after a 3-0 week. That included a 6-2 win over Hillsborough on Tuesday, an 18-8 win at Hillsborough on Wednesday, and a 6-2 home win Friday over South Plainfield. Monday, they get a crack at defending state Group 2 champion Governor Livingston at home, then host Immaculata on Tuesday less than four hours before the seeding meeting. They’re in the same division – the Skyland Delaware – but will only meet once before the meeting; their second is Thursday. Should the Warriors win, could that be enough – at 11-3, not counting what happens against the Highlanders, to earn a top-seed? Watchung Hills did lose twice to Ridge, and that could hurt them, but also consider if they beat GL how that might be seen by the coaches. It’s definitely not insignificant.
At No. 6 is Rutgers Prep (10-2). The Argonauts won their only game this week, an 11-1 drubbing of Phillipsburg, but they get a chance at two Skyland Conference Delaware Division teams before Tuesday’s SCT seeding meeting: Bridgewater Monday, North Hunterdon Tuesday. Both are on the road.
Colonia (9-5) falls two spots this week to No. 7 after an 0-2 week, both losses coming to No. 2 Middlesex. The first, on Tuesday, was a 4-0 home loss. Then, they lost on the road by the same score on Thursday, in a game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. This week, they get crossover with a pair of Red Division opponents: Old Bridge Monday at home, then at St. Joseph-Metuchen on Wednesday.
At No. 8 is Old Bridge (9-8). The Knights went 3-2 in the week gone by. They started with a 10-4 loss to East BRunswick, but came back to sweep St. Joseph-Metuchen with a 5-1 road win Tuesday and a 9-4 home win Thursday, sandwiched around a 12-1 win at Monroe Wednesday. The finished up with a 9-0 loss Saturday to Immaculata in Spotswood at the E4M Showcase.
Back in at No. 9 after a week out is South Plainfield (8-8). The Tigers split two games this week, beating Monroe on Monday, 12-3, then taking a 6-2 loss Friday at then-No. 7 Watchung Hills. They visit Spotswood Monday and are at Monroe Wednesday looking for a series sweep, before entertaining JFK on Thursday.
And holding at ten is Carteret (12-3). The Ramblers went 2-0 this week, with a 12-2 win over New Brunswick on Monday at home, then a 15-1 road win against the Zebras on Wednesday. This week, they visit Perth Amboy Magnet Tuesday and host Highland Park on Thursday.
Monroe dropped out from No. 9 after a 1-3 week, leaving the Falcons at 8-9. They lost 7-6 on Monday at Toms River South, at South Plainfield on Tuesday 12-3, and 12-1 to Old Bridge at home on Wednesday, before snapping the skid with a 6-3 win Saturday at home over Colts Neck.
Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving H.S. Baseball Top Ten for Week Five:
