Tag: Somerset County Tournament

by Mike Pavlichko

By The Numbers: A look back at the 2026 Somerset County Tournament Final, and a historic win for Lucas Sheehan

The 52nd annual Somerset County Tournament is in the books, and the trophy goes to second-seed Watchung Hills, which beat top-seed and defending champion Immaculata 1-0 to win its sixth title overall, tying the Warriors with Hillsborough for third-place all-time.

Here’s a closer look at some notes and nuggets following the 2026 SCT final.

Historic win for Sheehan: Watchung Hills head coach Joseph Tremarco had already used his No. 1 and most veteran pitcher, Robbie Centamore, in the Somerset County Tournament semifinals on Monday, in a 4-2 win over Ridge. Even with the finals delayed two days by thunderstorms in the forecast Wednesday – which came to fruition quickly, but with much wind and rain – the 109 pitches he threw kept him from being available Friday.

And during the week, at least in his comments to Central Jersey Sports Radio, Tremarco had not decided whether he’d got with junior Nick Minnetti (3-2, 3.82 ERA) or the younger Lucas Sheehan, a sophomore who was 5-2 at the time, but with an ERA of 5.96. But it’s more than about stats with veteran coaches like Tremarco. There’s also the feel, and the intangibles.

So, he went with Sheehan, and the decision worked to near-perfection.

Sheehan scattered three hits and went the distance in a complete-game, eight-inning effort, outdueling Wake Forest-bound Immaculata senior Ryan Auten, who allowed just six hits and one earned run, striking out 15 in 7 2/3 innings, only coming out at 111 pitches, as mandated by NJSIAA rule.

And with the win, Sheehan did something that hadn’t been done in nearly 30 years – earn a win as a sophomore in the Somerset County Tournament final.

Ironically, the last one to do it was Immaculata star Casey Cahill, who got the win in the 1998 final, a 3-2 win over Bridgewater-Raritan. He’d pick up another as a junior in 1999, in an 8-0 win over Hillsborough, and do it again in 2000, his senior year, in a 2-0 victory over Ridge. To this day, he remains the only pitcher to pick up wins in three Somerset County Tournament finals.

Nearly a win in every decade: With Watchung Hills winning its sixth Somerset County Tournament title, the Warriors have nearly won in every decade in which the tournament has been played, and in more decades – four – than any other team, along with Imaculata.

The inaugural game came in 1973, with Bridgewater-Raritan East edging Hillsborough, 1-0. Two years later, Watchung Hills took the 1975 title, beating Hillsborough 6-4.

In 1982 and 1983, the Warriors went back-to-back. First, they beat Bridgewater-Raritan West 15-0 – the first mercy-rule win in the SCT finals – then they came back and beat Hillsborough the following year, 2-0.

They also picked up a title in 1993, knocking off top-seed Immaculata 5-4, then had a 16-year drought until Watchung Hills beat Montgomery, 4-0 for the 2009 title.

The only decade they didn’t win a title in was the 2010s, though they made the finals twice in that span, losing in 2015 to Hillsborough and 2016 to Montgomery.

Immaculata and Watchung Hills stand for the National Anthem before the 2026 Somerset County Tournament Final at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater on May 22, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

No school – not even Immaculata, with its 15 titles, an SCT record – has won in all six decades. The Spartans failed to even reach the finals from 1973 to 1979, making their first title game in 1981, but never winning one until 1991. Immaculata dominated the decade from 2000 to 2009, winning all but three titles in that span, with the only other winners being Watchung Hills, Hillsborough (won in the 1970s, 2000s, and 2010s) and Montgomery (won in the 2000s and 2010s).

Immaculata has won it in the last four decades, in the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and the current decade.

Top Seed vs. Two-Seed Upsets? Each of the last two seasons, the top-seed has lost to the second seed int he SCT final. Immaculata did it last year, edging top-seed Ridge 3-0, before Watchung Hills turned the tables this year as the second-seed, beating the No. 1-seeded Spartans.

It’s also the third time in the last five SCT finals (since COVID) that the lower-seeded team won the championship.

1-0 Wins and Shutouts: The Watchung Hills win was just the fifth 1-0 win in the SCT finals, and only the third in the last 52 years. The first two title games were 1-0 affairs, with Bridgewater-Raritan East beating Hillsborough, 1-0, in the inaugural tournament in 1973, and Somerville defeating North Plainfield, 1-0, in the 1974 final.

Other 1-0 wins in the SCT finals include:

  • 2004: (3) Immaculata over (1) Hillsborough
  • 2023: (12) Rutgers Prep over (2) Ridge

The victory also was the 17th shutout in SCT finals history. Four of the last five have been decided via shutout, with the only exception being a 10-7 win for top-seed Bridgewater-Raritan over third-seed Ridge in 2024, the year the Panthers swept the division, SCT, North 2 Group 4, and state Group 4 championships en route to a 30-3 season, one of the most dominant in Somerset County in recent memory.

SOMERSET COUNTY TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY:

  • 1973    Bridgewater-Raritan East def. Hillsborough, 1-0
  • 1974    Somerville def. North Plainfield, 1-0
  • 1975    Watchung Hills def. Hillsborough, 6-4
  • 1976    Ridge def. Watchung Hills, 4-3 (10 inn.)
  • 1977    Hillsborough def. North Plainfield, 5-0
  • 1978    Bridgewater-Raritan East def. Hillsborough, 9-2
  • 1979    Hillsborough def. Ridge, 2-0
  • 1980    Ridge, def. Franklin, 7-1
  • 1981    Manville def. Immaculata, 4-1
  • 1982    Watchung Hills def. Bridgewater-Raritan West, 15-0
  • 1983    Watchung Hills def. Hillsborough, 2-0
  • 1984    Ridge def. Immaculata, 2-0
  • 1985    (2) Ridge def. (1) Immaculata, 5-0
  • 1986    Bernards def. Somerville, 14-10
  • 1987    Somerville def. Ridge, 2-1
  • 1988    (6) Bridgewater-Raritan West def. (1) Ridge, 3-1
  • 1989    (1) Ridge def. Bridgewater-Raritan West, 5-4
  • 1990    (7) Bridgewater-Raritan East def. (4) Somerville, 9-1
  • 1991    (1) Immaculata def. North Plainfield, 11-3
  • 1992    (2) Somerville def. (1) Watchung Hills, 9-2
  • 1993    (3) Watchung Hills def. (1) Immaculata, 5-4
  • 1994    (3) Immaculata, def. (1) Watchung Hills, 5-2 
  • 1995    (1) Somerville def. (3) Ridge, 7-6
  • 1996    (6) Bridgewater-Raritan def. (1) Immaculata, 7-5
  • 1997    (2) Immaculata def. (1) Bridgewater-Raritan, 2-0
  • 1998    (3) Immaculata def. (1) Bridgewater-Raritan, 3-2
  • 1999    (1) Immaculata def. (6) Hillsborough, 8-0
  • 2000    (1) Immaculata def. (2) Ridge, 2-0
  • 2001    (2) Immaculata def. (5) Montgomery, 6-1
  • 2002    (1) Immaculata def. (2) Ridge, 10-0
  • 2003    (3) Montgomery def. (8) Pingry, 5-4
  • 2004    (3) Immaculata def. (1) Hillsborough, 1-0
  • 2005    (2) Hillsborough, def. (1) Immaculata 5-1
  • 2006    (1) Immaculata def. (7) Pingry, 8-0
  • 2007    (1) Immaculata def. (3) Hillsborough, 12-11 (10 inn.)
  • 2008    (1) Immaculata def. (2) Hillsborough, 9-1
  • 2009    (2) Watchung Hills def. (9) Montgomery 4-0
  • 2010    (2) Montgomery def. (1) Immaculata, 13-3 (5 inn.)
  • 2011    (8) Ridge def. (3) Hillsborough, 4-3 (8 inn.)
  • 2012    (4) Hillsborough def. (7) Bridgewater-Raritan, 4-3 (12 inn.)
  • 2013    (6) Bernards def, (5) Immaculata, 6-5 
  • 2014    (4) Hillsborough def. (2) Ridge, 4-3 (9 inn.) 
  • 2015    (6) Hillsborough def. (9) Watchung Hills, 3-1 
  • 2016    (1) Montgomery def. (6) Watchung Hills, 2-1
  • 2017    (10) Rutgers Prep def. (1) Montgomery, 7-2
  • 2018    (3) Immaculata def. (9) Montgomery, 6-5 
  • 2019    (2) Immaculata def. (5) Ridge, 6-5 (12 inn.) 
  • 2020 & 2021    NO TOURNAMENT
  • 2022    (1) Ridge def. (6) Rutgers Prep, 6-0
  • 2023    (12) Rutgers Prep def. (2) Ridge, 1-0 
  • 2024    (1) Bridgewater-Raritan def. (3) Ridge, 10-7
  • 2025    (2) Immaculata def. (1) Ridge, 3-0
  • 2026    (2) Watchung Hills def. (1) Immaculata, 1-0 (8 inn.)
by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – Somerset County Tournament Final: (2) Watchung Hills 1, (1) Immaculata 0 (8 inn.)

Second-seed Watchung Hills got a run in the top of the eighth and a complete game, three-hit shutout – all the way into extras – by sophomore Lucas Sheehan to beat top-seed and defending champion Immaculata, 1-0, in the 52nd Somerset County Tournament championship game.

It was the sixth title overall for the Hustlin’ Warriors, and first for head coach Joe Tremarco, now in his 11th season and 12th year as head coach.

Top-seed and defending Somerset County Tournament champion Immaculata rallied with three runs in the sixth to beat fifth-seed Bridgewater-Raritan, 7-6, in the SCT semifinals, sending the Spartans to the title game where they will try to become the first team to repeat since they did it in 2018 and 2019.

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 22, 2026.

by Mike Pavlichko

Tremarco’s steady hand guides Watchung Hills to promised land in SCT final at TD Bank Park

“We’re built to play.”

Those four words from Watchung Hills head coach Joseph Tremarco sum up perfectly his Hustlin’ Warriors.

The certainly came to play Friday night, as the second seed in the Somerset County Tournament, with a tall task at hand: beating not only the top-seed and defending champion Immaculata, but doing it with Ryan Auten on the mound for the Spartans.

Because, heck, all he’s doing next year is going to play in the ACC at Wake Forest.

But a funny thing happened as he and Warriors’ starter Lucas Sheehan – just a sophomore by the way – locked up in a pitchers’ duel.

GAME STORY: Watchung Hills takes down defending champ Immaculata, 1-0 in extras, to win first Somerset County title in 17 years behind Lucas Sheehan three-hitter

They made Auten work, and worked out several deep counts, eventually chasing him as the game went to extra innings, with two out in the eighth, already up 1-0.

Turns out that was all Hills would need.

And behind it all was Tremarco. He is never too up, never too down, and his team feeds off that. Even if they were very, very up when the final out was recorded, a force play at second base to end the game with Immaculata threatening.

While the win gave the Hustlin’ Warriors their sixth SCT championship overall – and first since 2009 – it was the very first for Tremarco, and well-deserved.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel talk with Watchung Hills head coach Joseph Tremarco:

by Mike Pavlichko

Watchung Hills takes down defending champ Immaculata, 1-0 in extras, to win first Somerset County title in 17 years behind Lucas Sheehan three-hitter

Without looking at who was even on the mound for Watchung Hills, the initial thought would be the edge to Immaculata, with perhaps the top pitcher in the county, Wake Forest-bound Ryan Auten on the mound, coming into the game with an ERA of just 0.83 on the season.

In the end, he only allowed just six hits and one earned run, but sophomore Lucas Sheehan of the Warriors did the senior one better.

Sheehan went the distance in an eight-inning game, allowing just three hits, shutting out the Spartans (19-8) en route to a 1-0 victory, and the Hustlin’ Warriors’ first title in the Somerset County Tournament since 2009.

A pitchers’ duel all the way, Watchung Hills (15-7) finally broke through in the top of the eighth in a game where each time had just a handful of real opportunities.

Pinch hitter David Begarney came in for eight hitter Bennett Dealaman and led off the top of the eighth with a single, with Dealaman re-entering to run the bases. But when James Esposito tried to bunt him over, the Immaculata infielders were right on top of it, and charging second baseman Luca Catanzerite snared it before it hit the ground for the first out. Jacob Jaconski struck out, and it looked like another scoreless inning was in the offing.

READ MORE: Tremarco’s steady hand guides Watchung Hills to promised land in SCT final at TD Bank Park

But Dealaman had reached third base with Jaconski at the plate; he stole second and when the throw bounced to the shortstop position off his leg, he took off for another base. Stef DeGeronimo singled to drive him in and give Hills a 1-0 lead. Rob Centamore reached on an infield hit, the last batter Auten could face with the pitch count. And his brother Bryson came in and got a strikeout to end the inning.

A baseball pitcher in a striped uniform preparing to throw a pitch, with a catcher in the background and various advertisements on the outfield wall.
Watchung Hills sophomore Lucas Sheehan works in the third inning of the Somerset County Tournament title game at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater on May 22, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

And with Sheehan back out for the eighth, Immaculata threatened to tie it. Jackson Lewis hit a one-out single, then Catanzerite grounded out, putting Lewis at second. Justin Labrador got plunked, but now the Warriors had a force at any base. And they took advantage when Owen Schilling grounded to short, and DeGeronimo tossed to second after bobbling the ball to get the force and end the game.

Sheehan got the win to improve to 6-2, the first sophomore to get a win in the SCT title game since Casey Cahill did it in 1998. Ryan Auten took his first loss of the year against six wins.

The championship is the first under head coach Joseph Tremarco, in his 12th year and 11th season as head coach. It’s the Warriors’ sixth overall, third most in SCT history, and first since they beat Montgomery – also as the two-seed – in 2009.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel with Watchung Hills’ Stef DeGeronimo, Brody Griffith and Lucas Sheehan, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Troublesome forecast, scheduling conflicts force changes to Somerset County, GMC Invitational schedules

Weather forecasts and scheduling issues have now resulted in two of the three baseball county championship games in the Central Jersey Sports Radio Coverage area being moved, and a third could be on the way.

The first of those – the Somerset County Tournament championship game between top-seed and defending champion Immaculata and second-seed Watchung Hills – has been postponed due to the threat of thunderstorms tonight. The Somerset Patriots, who play at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater, the site for tonight’s final, told CJSR the final has now been moved to its pre-determined rain date, this Friday at 4 pm.

Central Jersey Sports Radio will have live coverage of the game, with an audio feed here, and a video stream as well on our YouTube channel. Both are free, and not behind a paywall.

Friday was supposed to be the Ray Cipperly GMC Invitational title game, originally scheduled for 2 pm, featuring second-seed Piscataway and fifth-seed Dunellen. But due to a scheduling conflict at Edison High School, which was hosting the game, the GMC announced today it would pushed two hours later to 4 pm.

CJSR was supposed to broadcast that game as well, but with it falling in direct conflict with the new date and time for the SCT final in Bridgewater, we will no longer be able to bring you a live broadcast of the game.

According to AccuWeather, the 6 pm (original game time) forecast for Wednesday night is 85 degrees, with a 47 percent chance of rain, and slightly higher in the 7 pm hour, with a chance of thunderstorms around 51 percent, all the way up through the 9:00 hour. And at 2 pm, the National Weather Service issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch effective immediately through 9 pm, along with a Heat Advisory through 8 pm. A “Watch” means severe thunderstorms are possible, but not necessarily imminent.

The current Friday forecast at 4 pm is a lot cooler, with temps in the mid- to low-60s, mostly sunny skies, and just a two percent chance of rain, good for both title games.

Meanwhile, Saturday’s Jim Muldowney GMC Championship game set for 2 pm at Rutgers University’s Bainton Field in Piscataway between third-seed Old Bridge and nine-seed Monroe, also could be affected.

Saturday’s forecast is for a 75 percent chance of rain most of the day, with temps in the mid 50s. Sunday doesn’t look much better either: 59 with a 91% chance of rain throughout the day.

This Sunday had always been the rain date when the game was scheduled for Ray Cipperly Field at East Brunswick Magnet School, which has natural grass. Rutgers has turf, but with the final now there, the University has told the league that Bainton Field is not available Sunday. The forecast might make have made that a moot point anyhow.

GMC President Mike Pede – tournament co-chair with Middlesex Athletic Director Mike O’Donnell – said Wednesday afternoon that if the finals can’t be played this Saturday, they will be held a week later on Saturday, May 30 at Ray Cipperly Field at East Brunswick Magnet School at noon.

While playing a county final in the middle of the state tournament is not without precedent, that would be the day after a potential state sectional semifinal game for both teams. The NJSIAA state tournament starts next Wednesday for public schools with sectional quarterfinals, and the semis would be Friday.

Old Bridge is the top-seed in Central Jersey Group 4, and will host 16-seed East Brunswick in the opening round, while fifth-seed Monroe is in the same section, and hosts 12th-seed Montgomery. Both would be considered favorites to move on to Friday, meaning they may have to choose which tournament to prioritize: winning a county championship, or advancing in the states.

TD Bank Park in Bridgewater will host the 2026 Somerset County Tournament championship game tonight. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
by Mike Pavlichko

SCT Finals Preview: Immaculata seeks back-to-back titles, while Watchung Hills aims for first since 2009

Who will win the 2026 Somerset County Tournament baseball championship – two days later than originally scheduled, due to inclement weather – is anyone’s guess.

Sure, Immaculata, the top seed, is the favorite. They’ve won more titles than any other school in Somerset County history with 15, the bulk of them during an amazing run from the late 1990s through the 2000s.

But Watchung Hills, the second-seed, is quite the talented, resilient group, too. And they split with the Spartans in their two meetings this year, with the Warriors taking a 10-0 decision on the day of the seeding meeting, which likely helped propel them to the No. 2 seed, even though they were third in the Skyland Conference Delaware Division behind Ridge, which they lost to twice.

And the Hustlin’ Warriors proved the coaches in the seeding meeting right, knocking out third-seed Ridge in the semifinals Monday, with a 4-2 win, behind a two-hitter from ace Rob Centamore, who struck out a career-high 13 in the win.

Immaculata didn’t have an easy time in the semifinals either, needing three in the bottom of the sixth to pull out a 7-6 victory over the fifth-seed Bridgewater-Raritan.

And now, it’s time for the championship.  Once again, it’ll be No. 1 vs. No. 2

SOMERSET COUNTY TOURNAMENT FINALS AT-A-GLANCE

Teams:
(1) Immaculata Spartans (19-4, 9-1, Skyland Conference Delaware Division Champions)
(2) Watchung Hills Warriors (14-7, 7-3, Skyland Conference Delaware Division, 2nd place)

Head Coaches:
Immaculata: Kevin Cust, 14th year, 13th season (187-142)
Watchung Hills: Joe Tremarco, 12th year, 11th season (168-146)

Probable Starters:
Immaculata: Ryan Auten (6-0, 0.83 ERA)
Watchung Hills: Nick Minetti (3-2, 3.82 ERA) or Lucas Sheehan (5-2, 5.96 ERA)

Date and Time: Friday, May 22, 4 pm (Pregame at 3:40 pm)
(Note: Game was postponed from Wednesday, due to thunderstorms in the forecast)
Location: TD Bank Park, Bridgewater
Listen: Central Jersey Sports Radio
Watch: CJSR’s YouTube channel
Announcers: Mike Pavlichko & Alec Crouthamel

PREVIEW INTERVIEWS:

Immaculata head coach Kevin Cust
Watchung Hills head coach Joseph Tremarco

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

Immaculata:
Double-bye to quarterfinals
Quarterfinals: def. (8) Montgomery, 11-1
Semifinals: def. (5) Bridgewater-Raritan, 7-6

Ridge:
Double-bye to quarterfinals
Quarterfinals: def. (10) Franklin, 9-5
Semifinals: def. (3) Ridge, 4-2

TEAM LEADERS:

Immaculata:

  • Batting Average: Luca Catanzerite (.449); Owen Schilling (.394); Brian Cilento (.372)
  • RBI: Owen Schilling (19); Bryson Auten (15); Luca Catanzerite, Owen Rivenbark (14)
  • HR: Owen Schilling (3); Luca Catanzerite, Andrew Wheeler, Owen Rivenbark, Bryson Auten (1)
  • Walks: Justin Labrador (13); Owen Rivenbark (12)
  • Stolen Bases: Luca Catanzerite (16), Jackson Lewis (12)
  • Wins: Ryan Auten (6); Cole Raymond (5)
  • ERA (min 12 innings): Ryan Auten (0.83); Jackson Trego (2.33)
  • Strikeouts (Pitcher): Ryan Auten (85); Cole Raymond (40)

Watchung Hills:

  • Batting Average: Jacob Jaconski (.485); Rob Centamore (.353); Chris Dorsi (.341)
  • RBI: Max Payne (22); Rob Centamore (13); Jacob Jaconski (12)
  • HR: (Rob Centamore (3); Chris Dorsi, Max Payne (2)
  • Walks: Brody Griffith (11); Brady Simo, Jacob Jaconski Rob Centamore (8)
  • Stolen Bases: Landon Pudlak (14); Stefano DiGeronimo (11); Brody Griffith (10)
  • Wins: Rob Centamore (6); Lucas Sheehan (5)
  • ERA (min 12 innings): Jacob O’Sheal (1.11); Rob Centamore (1.26)
  • Strikeouts (Pitcher): Rob Centamore (54); Lucas Sheehan (24)

TEAM NUMBERS:

  • Runs Scored: Watchung Hills 139, Immaculata 134
  • Runs Allowed: Watchung Hills 110, Immaculata 61
  • Batting Average: Immaculata .324, Watchung Hills .317
  • Home Runs: Watchung Hills 8, Immaculata 7
  • Stolen bases: Watchung Hills 70, Immaculata 55
  • ERA: Immaculata 2.72, Watchung Hills 3.91

PREVIOUS COVERAGE

Immaculata

Watchung Hills

NOTES AND NUGGETS:

Among the winningest SCT programs…

Last year’s final was between the two teams that had won the most Somerset County titles: Immaculata and Ridge, combining for 14 and seven, respectively. This year, it’s between the Spartans and Watchung Hills, and the Warriors third on the all-time list with five championships.

Immaculata has won 15 times in 23 appearances, with ten of those coming in a 12-year span from 1998 to 2008, the most successful run in school history. They won from 1997 through 2002, again in 2004, and three more from 2006 through 2008. Watchung Hills

A little history between them…

These two teams have met twice before in the Somerset County Tournament, in back-to-back years: 1993 and 1994. And in both meetings, the lower seed won.

The Warriors were the third seed in 1993, and upset the top-seeded Spartans, 5-4. Starting pitcher Ben Matsil went the distance striking out the side in the seventh to secure the win, and the offense benefitted from nine walks in the first five innings, with four of those resulting in runs. Brett Chuffo’s two-run double in the fifth gave the Warriors a three-run lead, and some insurance they would need after Immaculata got two in the fifth on a pair of RBI singles.

With the seeds reversed in 1994, Immaculata returned the favor, winning 5-2. Spartans’ ace Jason Ryan was the star that night, giving up three hits and striking out 14, tying the record for strikeouts in an SCT title game. And it was a sloppy game on a night that was dry, but the field was wet from earlier rain, and each team scored two unearned runs in the contest. Immaculata became the sixth team in tournament history at that point, to lose in the final one year, then win it the next.

Also notable, the 1994 final was the first time in Somerset County Tournament history that the same starting pitchers rematched the following year: Ryan for Immaculata and Matsil for Watchung Hills.

’94 SCT meeting was overshadowed by another big game…

Surely, both of those games were huge to anyone who played in it, or had an interest in it, but it wasn’t the biggest game of the sports night by far. Just 30 miles away at Madison Square Garden was a pretty big hockey game: Game Seven of the NHL’s Eastern Conference Finals between the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers, the one Valeri Zelepukin of the Devils tied up at three with 7.7 seconds left in regulation, and which the Rangers won in overtime on Stephan Matteau’s goal.

Aces went in regular season meetings…

In the first regular season meeting between the teams, Watchung Hills took a 10-0 victory on the day of the SCT seeding meeting, propelling them to the second-seed over Ridge, the second-place team in the Delaware Division of the Skyland Conference. The Red Devils had been swept by the Spartans, and Hills had lost both meetings with Ridge, but that was Immaculatta’s only conference loss. Rob Centamore got the win for Hills, but a few days later, when ‘Lata’s ace Ryan Auten got the nod, they picked up a 6-0 win.

In eleven meetings since COVID, Watchung Hills has won eight meetings, all in regular season play, while the Spartans have won only three.

CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

Immaculata (15-8):

  • 1981: Manville def. Immaculata, 4-1
  • 1984: Ridge def. Immaculata, 2-0
  • 1985: (2) Ridge def. (1) Immaculata, 5-0
  • 1991: (1) Immaculata def. North Plainfield, 11-3
  • 1993:  (3) Watchung Hills def. (1) Immaculata, 5-4
  • 1994: (3) Immaculata, def. (1) Watchung Hills, 5-2 
  • 1996: (6) Bridgewater-Raritan def. (1) Immaculata, 7-5
  • 1997:  (2) Immaculata def. (1) Bridgewater-Raritan, 2-0
  • 1998:  (3) Immaculata def. (1) Bridgewater-Raritan, 3-2
  • 1999:  (1) Immaculata def. (6) Hillsborough, 8-0
  • 2000:  (1) Immaculata def. (2) Ridge, 2-0
  • 2001:  (2) Immaculata def. (5) Montgomery, 6-1
  • 2002:  (1) Immaculata def. (2) Ridge, 10-0
  • 2004:  (3) Immaculata def. (1) Hillsborough, 1-0
  • 2005:  (2) Hillsborough, def. (1) Immaculata 5-1
  • 2006:  (1) Immaculata def. (7) Pingry, 8-0
  • 2007:  (1) Immaculata def. (3) Hillsborough, 12-11 (10 inn.)
  • 2008:  (1) Immaculata def. (2) Hillsborough, 9-1
  • 2010:  (2) Montgomery def. (1) Immaculata, 13-3 (ten-run rule)
  • 2013:  (6) Bernards def. (5) Immaculata, 6-5
  • 2018:  (3) Immaculata def. (9) Montgomery, 6-5
  • 2019:  (2) Immaculata def. (5) Ridge, 6-5 (12 inn.)
  • 2025: (1) Immaculata def. (2) Ridge, 3-0
Immaculata poses for a team photo after claiming its record 15th county championship in a 3-0 win over Ridge at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater on May 21, 2025. (Photo: Alec Crouthamel)

Watchung Hills (5-5):

  • 1975: Watchung Hills def. Hillsborough, 6-4
  • 1976: Ridge def. Watchung Hills, 4-3 (10 inn.)
  • 1982: Watchung Hills def. Bridgewater-Raritan West, 15-0 (ten-run rule)
  • 1983: Watchung Hills def. Hillsborough, 2-0
  • 1992: (2) Somerville def. (1) Watchung Hills, 9-2
  • 1993: (3) Watchung Hills def. (1) Immaculata, 5-4
  • 1994: (3) Immaculata, def. (1) Watchung Hills, 5-2 
  • 2009: (2) Watchung Hills def. (9) Montgomery 4-0
  • 2015: (6) Hillsborough def. (9) Watchung Hills, 3-1 
  • 2016: (1) Montgomery def. (6) Watchung Hills, 2-1

The Last Time…

  • The top-seed won the SCT was in 2024, when Bridgewater-Raritan beat third-seed Ridge, 10-7.
  • The second-seed won the SCT was last year, when Immaculata knocked off top-seed Ridge, 1-0, in a battle of Skyland Conference Delaware Division co-champs.

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – Somerset County Tournament Semifinals: (1) Immaculata 7, (5) Bridgewater-Raritan 6

Top-seed and defending Somerset County Tournament champion Immaculata rallied with three runs in the sixth to beat fifth-seed Bridgewater-Raritan, 7-6, in the SCT semifinals, sending the Spartans to the title game where they will try to become the first team to repeat since they did it in 2018 and 2019.

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.

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – Somerset County Tournament Semifinals: (2) Watchung Hills 4, (3) Ridge 2

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.

by Mike Pavlichko

Three-run sixth powers top-seed Immaculata to 7-6 win in see-saw battle with Bridgewater-Raritan, sending Spartans to Wednesday’s SCT title game

It was one of those type of games that in football, you might say the last team to have the ball will win, or in basketball the team with the last shot will win.

In a back-and-forth second Somerset County Tournament semifinal of the day at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater – as heard and seen live on Central Jersey Sports Radio – top-seed Immaculata scored three runs in the sixth, then ended the game catching a Bridgewater-Raritan runner stealing, picking up a 7-6 win in the SCT semifinals, and sending the Spartans to the finals for a second year in a row, with a chance to defend their 2025 title.

The Spartans (19-4) will face second-seed Watchung Hills (14-7) Wednesday at 6 pm at TD Bank Park in the county final. You can hear that game live on cjsportsradio.com, or watch live on our YouTube channel.

The two teams split a pair in the regular season this year.

Immacualata got two on the board in the bottom of the first, when Luca Catanzaraite led off with a single and Justin Labrador followed with one of his own. Owen Schilling then hit a ground-rule double to make it 1-0, and Owen Rivenbark followed with a ground ball to short, driving in another run to make it 2-0 Spartans.

But the Panthers would tie it up with two in the top of the second. Kevin Kelly got aboard with a leadoff single, and Connor Price quickly knocked him in with an RBI double to cut the deficit to 2-1. Stephen Pikulin walked, and Josh Moore reached on an infield hit to load the bases; Rivenbark at third fielded it, and tried to tag Price heading to third, but missed, and his throw to first was late to catch Moore. Cody Rible, the nine hitter, then tied it at 2-2 with a fielder’s choice to short.

Immaculata would get the lead back in the bottom of the second, though. DH Bryson Auten singled to lead off the inning, and moved to second on a sac bunt to the third base side by Jackson Lewis. Catanzarite knocked him in with his second single of the afternoon, making it 3-2 Spartans, and that would be all for Bridgewater starter Gavin Butch, as head coach Max Newill brought in Nico Moore, who ended the inning, getting a fly out to right and a 4-3 groundout.

And then, it was Bridgewater’s turn for some more runs.

Andrew Schmeider started the rally with a single, then Michael Lobosco walked and Nick Spirra reached on a 6-4 fielder’s choice, but Kevin Kelly got plunked to load the bases with one out. After Connor Price struck out, Pikulin came up with the bases loaded, and roped a double to clear the bases, putting the Panthers up 5-3.

They had a chance for more after Josh Moore got hit by a pitch, putting runners at the corners with two out, but Raymond saw Moore breaking for second on a decoy for the runner at third. He tossed to first, Pikulin broke for home, and first baseman Andrew Wheeler threw home to Owen Schilling, who applied the tag for the final out of the inning.

No one would score again until the bottom of the fifth. Rivernbark struck a one-out double for Immaculata, then was brought in on an RBI single by Andrew Wheeler. Conor Quinn, though, grounded into a fielders’ choice to end the inning, but the Panther lead was cut to 5-4.

Bridgewater-Raritan would get its two-run lead back in the top of the sixth, when Kellan Komline worked a one-out walk, and was driven in by a Schmieder triple to the wall in left. But that was all they’d get, as Lobosco followed with a ground ball to first, reaching on a fielder’s choice as Wheeler threw home and Schilling got the tag down to get Schmeider. Spirra grounded to short to end the inning.

And then came the decisive bottom of the sixth. After Bryson Auten struck out to end the inning, nine-hitter Jackson Lewis singled, and Catanzerite reached on a sharp liner to third that went off Kevin Kelly’s leg. Justin Labrador then delivered a triple to the the gap in left center that went all the way to the wall, bringing in two to tie the game at six. Schilling then scored Labrador on a sac fly to right to take a 7-6 lead, before Rivernbark grounded to second to end the inning.

Still, it got tense in the seventh, with Immaculata holding a precarious one-run lead. Kelly struck out to start the inning, but Price singled to left center. Brandon DeMatos came in to pinch run, and stayed at first while Pikulin struck out. Then, on an 0-2 pitch to Josh Moore, DeMatos took off for second. But Schilling made a great throw to second, Catanzerite applied the tag, and the game was over, sending the Spartans back to the title game to defend their title.

Reliever Bryson Auten got the win for the Spartans, while Nico Moore took the loss. Auten went 3 1/3 innings, and allowed just two hits and one run, walking one and striking out three.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel with Immaculata head coach Kevin Cust, senior Owen Schilling and freshman Bryson Auten, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Centamore fans career-best 13, helping send Watchung Hills to Somerset County final for first time in a decade with 4-2 semifinal win over Ridge

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: