Tag: Somerset County Tournament

by Mike Pavlichko

Throw out the records: Immaculata will need to get past tough Bridgewater-Raritan for chance to defend Somerset County title

It’s one of the oldest cliches in sports, but the reason it’s a cliche is because it’s true.

Throw out the records.

The entire Somerset County Tournament semifinals Monday afternoon at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater consists of Skyland Conference Delaware Division teams, ranging from first place to last. That’s how good the division is.

In the second game of Monday’s doubleheader, there’s the top seed Immaculata. At 18-4, the defending champion Spartans never lost back-to-back games the entire season, and have only one Skyland Conference loss on their resume, a 10-0 shutout at Watchung Hills on the night of the tournament seeding meeting.

On the other hand, there’s Bridgewater-Raritan. Last place finishers in the division, the fifth-seed is 10-4, and had not won more than two games in a row heading into the SCT. But they’ve won four since – two in the tournament, and two non-conference games.

Forget the first 20-plus games for either team. All that matters Monday is that a single win puts that team in Wednesday’s championship game.

Of course, we have you covered for Immaculata and Bridgewater-Raritan in the semifinals live on Central Jersey Sports Radio Monday afternoon. First pitch is set for 4 pm from TD Bank Park in Bridgewater, with pregame at 3:40, That will follow the opener at 1 pm (12:40 pregame) between second-seed Watchung Hills and third-seed Ridge.

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 second semifinal game of the day:

(1) Immaculata (18-4) vs. (5) Bridgewater-Raritan (10-14)
at TD Bank Park, Bridgewater
4 pm on Central Jersey Sports Radio
Audio Stream: (LISTEN LIVE)
Video Stream: (WATCH LIVE)

PROBABLE STARTERS:
Immaculata: Cole Raymond (5-1, 2.36)
Bridgewater-Raritan: Gavin Butch (3-0, 2.13)

PREVIEW INTERVIEWS:

Immaculata head coach Kevin Cust with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko
Bridgewater-Raritan head coach Max Newill with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel

HOW THEY GOT HERE: As top four seeds, each team got a bye to the quarterfinals, which were held last Thursday afternoon.

Immaculata: The Spartans were 11-1 winners over eight-seed Montgomery in six innings in the quarterfinals, taking a 7-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth, and putting up a four-spot to end it via the ten-run rule. Ryan Auten got the start, fanned 16 Cougars, and improved to 6-0 with the win, with a 0.83 ERA. Should Immaculata get to Wednesday’s title game, Auten would get the nod.

Bridgewater-Raritan: The Panthers, on the other hand, needed one extra inning to knock off the four-seed, Rutgers Prep, on the road, 10-5. Bridgewater trailed 4-0 after two innings, but sent it to extras at 5-5, with Josh Moore’s double in the eighth breaking the tie. This is the Panther’s fourth trip to the semifinals in the five SCTs since COVID.

TOP HITTERS:

Immaculata: It’s a mix of veterans and younger players for Immaculata throughout the lineup, and among their top hitters as well. Sophomore Luca Catanzerite is perhaps their biggest clutch hitter, also leading the team, batting .432 with 13 runs batted in. He also has a team-leading six doubles and two triples, along with one home run. Senior Owen Schilling is hitting a shade under .400 (at .397), and has a team-best 17 RBIs and three home runs.

Bridgewater-Raritan: The Panthers are only hitting .272 as a team, the only one of the four semifinalists in this year’s SCT hitting below .300 as a team. But at the top, it’s two juniors: Kevin Kelly is hitting .344 with 11 RBI, while Nick Spirra is batting .350 with 15 RBI and a team-high 24 singles. Two younger players are next: freshman Jon Cozine at .333, and freshman Cody Rible, hitting .316 on the year. He’s the younger brother of Cory Rible, BR’s lockdown closer from the 2024 team that won swept the Skyland Delaware, SCT, North 2, Group 4 and the state Group 4 title.

LAST FINALS BERTH:

Immaculata: A tradition-rich program that has the most titles in SCT history (15), the Spartans are the defending champs, beating Ridge in last year’s final. It was their first appearance since COVID, but they won the last two titles prior to the pandemic, in 2018 and 2019, the second of which is the last time a final has gone to extra innings; the second-seeded Spartans beat fifth-seed Ridge, 6-5 in 12 innings.

Bridgewater-Raritan: The Panthers last made it to the SCT final two seasons ago. They were the top-seed and beat third-seed Ridge 10-7 in the highest scoring regulation SCT final since 1986, when Bernards beat Somerville 14-10. They went on to win the North 2, Group 4 final, as well as the program’s first-ever state title, wining Group 4.

PAST COVERAGE:

Immaculata

Bridgewater-Raritan

by Mike Pavlichko

Ridge seeks sixth straight SCT title game bid, while Watchung Hills looks to get back to the party

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:

Watchung Hills head coach Joseph Tremarco with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko
Ridge head coach Tom Blackwell with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Three of four go to chalk in Somerset County Tournament, as Bridgewater, Montgomery, Hillsborough advance to quarterfinals, while Franklin gets there with upset of Somerville

Three of the four higher seeds won Monday in the Somerset County Tournament’s second round, as fifth-seed Bridgewater-Raritan, sixth-seed Hillsborough and eighth-seed Montgomery all advanced, while 10th-seed Franklin picked up a 10-8 upset over seventh-seeded Somerville.

That sets up Thursday’s quarterfinal round, all to be played at the higher seeds of the top four teams that earned byes to the quarters.

Read through for a recap of all four games, plus the schedule for the remainder of the Tournament.

(5) Bridgewater-Raritan 8, (12) Pingry 4: The Panthers (7-14) gave up an early 2-0 lead after one and fell behind 4-1 after the Big Blue (8-10) put up a four-spot in the fourth, but it was all Bridgewater from there on out, as they pulled ahead with five in the bottomof the fourth and added an insurance run in the fifth.

All those runs in the decisive fourth came with two outs, as the first two hitters were retired. After a walk to Anthony Lorino, courtesy runner Matt DeLucia took his place and scored on a single by Josh Moore. Moore went to second on a wild pitch to Cody Rible, who then singled to drive him in, tying the game at four. Rible then stole second, and Kellan Komline singled to make it 5-4. Komline then stole second and advanced to third n a bad throw then scored on a single by Nick Spirra. And Michael Lobosco then doubled to drive in Spirra, giving the Panthers a 7-4 lead they’d never relinquish.

Gavin Butch got the win for Bridgewater-Raritan, going five innings, allowing one earned run, striking out three – and he did that all in an efficient 67 pitches.

Next up, the Panthers will travel to fourth-seed Rutgers Prep (12-4) in Thursday’s quarterfinals. The Argonauts took a 12-8 decision from Bridgewater last Monday in a Skyland Conference crossover game.

(6) Hillsborough 3, (11) Bernards 0: Raider head coach Matt Mosko picked up his 50th win as the Raiders got back to the .500 mark with the victory. Hillsborough (9-9) got one run each in the first, third and fifth, while Gavin Glazewski, Jonathan Feltra and Aidan Murphy combined to blank the Mountaineers, with Glazewski getting the win, tossing the first four innings, allowing just two hits, striking out five. Those wre the only two hits Bernards could muster.

Tommy Kester scored the first run on a wild pitch with Elijah Dawes at the plate. The second run came on an Anthony Guerrero ground ball to first that was misplayed and went into the outfield, scoring a run. Shane Khurana also scored on a wild pitch with Guerrero at the plate in the fifth.

Click hear to listen to Hillsborough head coach Matt Mosko talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko about the Raiders’ win over Bernards.

The Raiders will now play at third-seed Ridge (13-7) in Thursday’s quarterfinals. Sklyand Conference Delaware Division foes, the teams met just once this year, with the Raiders taking a 9-5 decision in Basking Ridge last Tuesday. Their second meeting, scheduled for last Thursday, was postponed due to a scheduling conflict, and a makeup has not yet been set.

(8) Montgomery 11, (9) Gill St. Bernard’s 4: The Cougars (9-11) trailed 2-0 after three and 4-1 through four-and-a-half innings before rallying for ten runs in the fifth and sixth innings to come up with the win.

Gill went ahead 2-0 in the third on a two-RBI single by Niko West. Montgomery got one back in the fourth on an Evan Puleio sac fly, then the Knights got an RBI single from West and and RBI double by Ian Quinn to make it 4-1.

But things turned Montgomery’s way in the bottom of the fourth. Alex Bender walked with one out, then Quinn did the same, and Mason Nefueld got plunked to load the bases. That set up Henry Maddox for a bases-clearing double to tie the score at 4-4, while Liam McDonnell singled to drive in pinch-runner Like Awadalla, giving Monty its first lead of the game.

And the fifth went mostly the same way. Spencer Harris got plunked to lead off, and Kenta Komatsu walked. Alex Bender followed with a single for one run, and Quinn did the same to make it 7-4. After a Neufeld single, Maddox singled to drive in Quinn, and after a fly out for the first of the inning, Puleio reached on an error, with pinch-runner Evan Petronella scoring the tenth and final run.

Jake Hayes went the distance, allowing ten hits and four runs, but throwing just 88 pitches through seven, striking out four to get the win.

Next up, Montgomery will visit top-seed and defending champion Immaculata (14-4) at Diamond Nation in Flemington in Thursday’s quarterfinals. The two haven’t met this year, nor did they play last year. The Cougars and Spartans split a pair in 2024.

(10) Franklin 10, (7) Somerville 8: The Warriors (6-7) gave up an early 6-0 lead after two innings and trailed 8-1 after five, but rallied for five in the fifth to take the lead and held off the Pioneers (9-12) for the victory.

Franklin got all six runs in the second with one out. The first two came on an error by the shortstop on a ground ball by Christian Jacas. Then, two more scored on a single by Kevin Heuston. Two more came in on a double by Stanley Madera.

But Somerville cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the third on two bases loaded walks and a groundout, and Franklin went up 7-3 on a ground out by Dylan Shaw in the top of the fourth.

The Pioneers finally took the lead in the bottom of the fifth. A Peter Keller double cut with nobody out cut it to 7-5, pinch-hitter Brett Meyers reached on an error to cut it to one, and a bases loaded balk brought in a run to tie the game. Somerville took an 8-7 lead on a four-pitch walk with the bases loaded by Travis Binkley.

But Franklin went ahead for good on a two-out, three-run homer by Elijah Zavatsky to make it 10-8, and Shane Rooney closed out the next two innings to get the win.

Next up, the Warriors are at second-seed Watchung Hills (11-5) Thursday in the quarterfinals, a battle of the Warriors. This will be their first meeting this year; the “Hustlin’ Warriors” – the baseball program’s nickname – took two of three from Franklin last year, but Franklin won their matchup in the SCT quarterfinals 12-10.

THURSDAY, MAY 14 – SCT QUARTERFINALS

(8) Montgomery at (1) Immaculata
(5) Bridgewater-Raritan at (4) Rutgers Prep
(6) Hillsborough at (3) Ridge
(10) Franklin at (2) Watchung Hills

MONDAY, MAY 18 – SCT SEMIFINALS (at TD Bank Park, Bridgewater)

Semifinal #1: 1 pm (LIVE on CJSR)
Semifinal #2: 4 pm (LIVE on CJSR)

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20 – SCT FINAL (at TD Bank Park, Bridgewater)

Finals: 6 pm (LIVE on CJSR)

by Mike Pavlichko

Bernards, Pingry advance in first round of SCT

Both higher seeds advanced Friday afternoon in the opening round of the Somerset County Tournament, with 11-seed Bernards and 12th-seed Pingry both coming up with wins.

They’ll both move on the the second round, scheduled for Monday, with eight games on tap, and winners heading to Thursday’s quarterfinals, with all games at higher seeds.

(11) Bernards 13, (14) Bound Brook 3: In a ten-run rule walk-off, the Mountaineers (12-6) scored in every inning, including two in each of the first two innings, five in the third, one in the fourth, and three in the bottom of the fifth to end it when James Renz singled to left field, bringing in Casey Hocekele. Sean Arcelay had a 3-for-4 afternoon with a double, one RBI, two stolen bases and three runs scored in a complete effort; seven different players drove in runs, with James Ferrante and Sonny Liranzo each knocked in in a pair.

On the mound, starter Landon Farmer went four innings, giving up three runs, only one of them earned. He also fanned six, then Tucker Gallagher pitched a scoreless fifth.

Bound Brook falls to 2-11.

Next up, Bernards will visit sixth-seed Hillsborough (7-9) Monday afternoon in the second round at 4 pm. It’ll be their first meeting since 2023, a meeting the Mountaineers won 5-0.

(12) Pingry 8, (13) Manville 1: The Big Blue (8-9) never trailed, scoring one in the second and three in the fourth before the Mustangs (7-9) could get on the board. Freshman Connor Lahey drove in two runs and scored once on a 3-for-3 day, while Langston McDonald also went 3-for-3 on the afternoon, and scored twice.

Zach Zaslow improved to 3-0 with the win, going the distance and scattering four hits over seven innings, giving up one unearned run, while striking out seven.

On Monday, Pingry will head to 5th-seed Bridgewater-Raritan (6-14). The two have not met since at least prior to 2008, the last year for which records are available online.

Here’s the Monday Somerset County Tournament second round schedule, with a look ahead to projected quarterfinal matchups on Thursday, all at higher seeds:

  • (9) Gill St. Bernard’s at (8) Montgomery, winner at (1) Immaculata
  • (12) Pingry at (5) Bridgewater-Raritan, winner at (4) Rutgers Prep
  • (11) Bernards at (6) Hillsborough (4 pm), winner at (3) Ridge
  • (10) Franklin at (7) Somerville, winner at (2) Watchung Hills
by Mike Pavlichko

It’s county tournament time! A look at who could get the GMC’s top seed, plus the schedule for the upcoming Somerset County and GMC Championship and Invitational Tournaments

Planning to take in some county tournament high school baseball over the next couple of weeks? We’ve got you covered as you make your plans to traverse Middlesex and Somerset Counties to see one of the three tournaments featuring teams from the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area.

Of course, there’s the Somerset County Tournament, which gets started first, this Friday. That morning, the Greater Middlesex Conference will seed its tournaments: the Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament and the Ray Cipperly Invitational. Of all the conference teams, the first 20 go into the championship bracket, with the remainder in the invitational.

The SCT has been seeded already, with Immaculata getting the No. 1 seed, and the rest of the top four – with all getting byes to the quarterfinals – going to Watchung Hills, Ridge, and Rutgers Prep.

When the GMC is seeded Friday, there are a few interesting story lines. Chief among them: who will get the top seed?

A Red Division team has been awarded the No. 1 seed in each of the last eight tournaments, with only one “repeat” – St. Joseph-Metuchen in 2022 and 2017.

Division champion Edison has been very good this year playing in the “top” GMC division, considering the league’s new focus on the promotion/relegation model, where division winners from the Blue and White (and sometimes Gold) move up the next year, and last place teams from the Red, White and Blue move down.

The Eagles are the GMC Red Division champs, but GMC White champion Middlesex will at the very least be in the conversation for a top seed, and very well could get it when all is said and done.

Here’s a look at how they compare:

Edison’s Resume:

  • 14-5 overall, 11-3 in the GMC Red, 14-4 in overall conference play
  • Red Division Champions (by 2 games over Old Bridge)
  • Division Sweeps: Old Bridge (2nd place), South Plainfield (3rd), East Brunswick (7th), St. Joseph-Metuchen (8th)
  • Division Splits: Woodbridge (4th), St. Thomas Aquinas (5th), Monroe (6th)
  • Crossover Wins: North Brunswick (6th, Blue), JP Stevens (2nd, Blue), Spotswood (5th, White)
  • Crossover Losses: Metuchen (2nd, White)
  • Non-conference Games: Lost 10-4 to Columbia (Maplewood/South Orange) in Autism Awareness Challenge (10-7, from SEC))

Middlesex’s Resume:

  • 17-2 overall, 13-1 in the GMC White, 15-1 in overall conference play
  • White Division Champions (by 3 games over Metuchen)
  • Division Sweeps: Metuchen (2nd), Colonia (3rd), Spotswood (5th), Sayreville, JFK (tied for 6th), Perth Amboy (8th)
  • Division Splits: South Brunswick (4th)
  • Crossover Wins: East Brunswick (7th, Red), St. Joseph-Metuchen (8th, Red)
  • Crossover Losses: None
  • Non-Conference Games: Beat Voorhees 11-2 in the Autism Awareness Challenge (3-13, from Skyland Conference); Won at Wood-Ridge 15-1 (14-7, from NJIC); Lost at Westfield 2-0 (9-9, from UCC)

Comparison:

  • Middlesex has three more wins, and three fewer losses, with a .895 win percentage, while Edison has a .737 win percentage.
  • Edison has three Division losses to Woodbridge, St. Thomas Aquinas and Monroe, all middle-of-the-pack GMC Red Division teams (four through six in the standings), while Middlesex has just one loss to fourth-place South Brunswick
  • Edison has no out-of-conference wins, while Middlesex has two, with the win over Wood-Ridge coming over a 15-win ball club. Neither OOC loss (Edison to Columbia or Middlesex to Westfield) should be a factor.
  • Edison can’t “play up,” being in the top GMC Division, and went 3-1 in crossovers. That lone loss came to Metuchen, a good apples-to-apples comparison with Middlesex, which swept two games from the Bulldogs in White Division play, with a 6-2 win and a 2-1 victory. The Eagles lost to the Bulldogs 6-5.
  • While the Red Division has taken the No. 1 seed in the last eight tournaments, one “knock” on squads from other divisions has been that they “don’t play up.” But Middlesex did, and won both against GMC Red Division teams. They were 8-7 winners over St. Joseph-Metuchen at home on Monday, and beat East Brunswick on the road, 10-8, Wednesday afternoon.

The other interesting story line is Piscataway Magnet. Coming into the week, they were one of three teams in the entire state of New Jersey to be undefeated. All three – including Doane Academy and Northern Burlington in the BCSL – have taken a loss since then, but the Raiders of the GMC are still 18-1 (their first loss came in a crossover, playing “up” to the Blue, falling 6-4 to North Plainfield).

The general consensus is they have a good shot to make the Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament. To do that, they’d have to be one of the top 20 teams seeded Friday morning by the committee. With two tournaments, there’s no longer a guarantee that the four division winners get seeded in the main bracket, but the question is, what does Piscataway Magnet want?

Not that it matters. The committee will seed the teams from what it deems to be the best on down.

But it’s an interesting debate. They would likely have a better chance at winning the Invitational, but when a team gets hot – and they’ve been on fire all year – anything can happen.

This year, like many in recent years, could be a wide open tournament. And no Number One seed has won the GMC Championship tournament since before COVID. Old Bridge won it as the top-seed in 2019, and St. Joseph did the same in 2017.

But in 2021, top-seed Monroe took an early bow in the first round at the hands of JFK. Top-seed St. Joe’s lost in the 2022 finals, North Brunswick did the same in 2023, and South Plainfield did in 2024, while Woodbridge was knocked out in the first round by South River last season.

How good has Piscataway Magnet been? The six runs they gave up in the loss to North Plainfield is the most they’ve given up all year, and it only happened twice before, in an 8-6 season-opening win over Dunellen, and a 17-6 victory over East Brunswick Magnet in the Autism Awareness Challenge.

They’ve also pitched five shutouts on the year, and have allowed two or fewer runs in 13 of 19 games, while hitting .249 as a team and scoring 11.2 runs per game.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULES:

Somerset County Tournament

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

GMC Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament

  • Play-In Round: Saturday, May 9 at higher seeds
  • First Round: Monday, May 11 at higher seeds
  • Quarterfinals: Wednesday, May 13 at higher seeds
  • Semifinals: Saturday, May 16 at East Brunswick Magnet, 12 and 2:30 pm (LIVE on CJSR)
  • Finals: Saturday, May 23 at East Brunswick Magnet, 2 pm (LIVE on CJSR)

GMC Ray Cipperly Invitational Tournament

  • First Round: Tuesday, May 12 at higher seeds
  • Quarterfinals: Thursday, May 14 at higher seeds
  • Semifinals: Monday, May 18 at higher seeds
  • Finals: Friday, May 22 at Edison HS (LIVE on CJSR)

by Mike Pavlichko

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here’s the full 2026 Somerset County Tournament bracket:

Here’s the fill 2026 Somerset County Tournament Schedule:

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

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

by Mike Pavlichko

With a little more than a week to go before SCT seeding, top two seeds appear set, but what about everyone else? We take a closer look

The Somerset County Tournament seeding meeting will be held on Tuesday, May, 5. And while the top two seeds appear to be set, where will everyone else go?

To begin with, Immaculata should easily be the top seed. They haven’t lost to a Somerset County school yet, and have one more before the seeding meeting, a Tuesday date at Watchung Hills. A loss there could put an interesting wrinkle into things. But even so, it’ll only be one game.

The seeding procedure goes like this: Coaches rank the teams one through 14, the points are tallied, and then coaches can appeal their seed, one spot at a time, if they wish to do so.

The Spartans swept two from Ridge, and Ridge swept Watchung Hills. Immaculata has to be ahead of the Red Devils by virtue of beating them twice, and Hill should be behind Ridge, which beat them twice. Of course, should Immaculata beat the Warriors, the decision is easy.

Ridge also, at present, is the only Somerset County school to beat a non-county state-ranked baseball team in the NJ.com Top 20: West Morris in their season opener. Immaculata has two wins over state-ranked teams – both were against Ridge last week; Immaculata was No. 12, the Red Devils No. 13 in the NJ.com rankings.

So, we project the top three seeds – in order – to be Immaculata, Ridge, and Watchung Hills, simply based on standings and results at this moment.

Here are the overall and division records for Somerset County schools heading into play on Saturday, April 25. But remember, not every team plays every other Somerset County school. Some, like Manville and Bound Brook, are in a division teams from other counties, like Belvidere, South Hunterdon and Delaware Valley, so they’ve played only a couple of county teams.

We’re also including each team’s records against Somerset County schools, and upcoming county matchups before the seeding meeting on May 5th.

And here are the overall winning percentages of all Somerset County teams, ranked:

Rutgers Prep has the best overall winning percentage of all Somerset County schools, but that might not necessarily translate to them getting a top seed.

The real question, is who will get the fourth seed, which would be guaranteed to host a quarterfinal game. After Immaculata, Ridge and Watchung Hills, will it be a Rutgers Prep, 9-2 overall, 7-2 vs. Somerset County? They have one more Somerset opponent left, on Monday, May 4, at Bridgewater-Raritan. A win there could be a difference-maker.

As for the rest, it’s very difficult to predict what the coaches will do. Since not every county school plays all the others, often overall records and opinions on quality non-conference wins will come into play. But each coach votes his own opinion without much discussion among the others.

Typically, larger schools tend to get a little more preference toward the top, especially considering the bilstering schedule in the Delaware Division. So, it’s possible a Hillsborough or Bridgewater-Raritan could be seeded higher than a 7-8 Montgomery squad, or even Somerville at 6-6.

Only the coaches know how they’ll vote, and there’s still a lot of baseball to be played between now and then.

The Somerset County Tournament opens on Friday, May 8. Here’s the schedule:

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

Note: If the semifinals get rained out, they will be moved to Wednesday, May 20, with the finals taking place on Friday, May 22. If the semifinals go on as scheduled, but the finals are rained out, it’ll move to Friday, May 22.

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – Somerset County Tournament Boys’ Final: (1) Gill St. Bernard’s 84, (2) Rutgers Prep 73

Junior Jahmal Dixon had a game- and career-high 25 points, while Connor Junker added 20 and Dorsett Mulcahy 18 to lead top-seed Gill St. Bernard’s to an 84-73 victory over second-seed Rutgers Prep to claim its tenth Somerset County Tournament title, tying Bridgewater-Raritan’s record for all-time tourney wins.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas call all the play-by-play from Montgomery Township High School inn Skillman on February 21, 2026.

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – Somerset County Tournament Girls’ Final: (1) Rutgers Prep 55, (3) Franklin 37

Hailey Benbow had a game-high 32 points – including four three-pointers – while senior Ava LaMonica added 11 and got her third county championship in three tries as top-seed Rutgers Prep downed third-seed Franklin 55-37 to win its eleventh overall Somerset County Championship.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas call all the play-by-play from Montgomery Township High School inn Skillman on February 21, 2026.

by Mike Pavlichko

Somerset County Tournament Boys’ Final Preview: No, it’s not “Groundhog Day,” as Gill St. Bernard’s, Rutgers Prep clash for SCT title for fourth time in five years

You can hear the words coming out of Mergin Sina’s mouth: “It’s gonna be anotha wahhhr.”

No doubt about that.

For the fourth time in five seasons since the COVID year of 2021, it’ll be Gill St. Bernard’s and Rutgers Prep squaring off for the Somerset County championship.

Each team has won a pair since then, with the Knights beating the Argos in 2022 and 20205, while Prep beat Gill in 2023, and Montgomery in 2024.

You can hear Saturday afternoon’s championship game between top-seed and defending champion Gill St. Bernard’s and second-seed Rutgers Prep live on Central Jersey Sports Radio at 3 pm, following the 1:00 girls’ title tilt between top-seed Rutgers Prep and third-seed Franklin, with pregame at approximately 2:45. Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas will call all the action. Click here to listen.

Nearly every meeting between these two teams tends to be epic. In the last eleven meetings between the teams since the COVID-shortened 2021 season, Gill has won seven, Prep has won four. Each team has knocked the other off in the finals, Gill twice, Prep once.

This year’s meetings were both close, if different games entirely. The Knights won the first meeting by six, 90-84, on January 10th, then won the second by five, 73-68 on February 5th. Six of their last eleven meetings have been decided by ten points or fewer.

MORE ON THE SOMERSET COUNTY TOURNAMENT BOYS’ FINAL:

(1) Gill St. Bernard’s (23-2) vs. (3) Rutgers Prep (16-8)
When: Saturday, 3 pm
Where: Montgomery Township High School
Broadcast Team: Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas (LISTEN HERE)

COACHES:

Gill St. Bernard’s: Mergin Sina, 15th season (303-101)
Rutgers Prep: Matt Bloom, 8th season (170-57)

STATE RANKINGS:
Gill St. Bernard’s: #3 NJ.com
Rutgers Prep: #12 NJ.com

PREVIEW INTERVIEWS:

Gill St. Bernard’s head coach Mergin Sina with Mike Pavlichko
Rutgers Prep head coach Matt Bloom with Chris Tsakonas

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

Gill St. Bernard’s: The Knights blew past 8th-seed Ridge in their opening game, in the quarterfinals following a double-bye, 71-55 behind 21 points from Prosper Sonkoua. (Yes, previously-known as Prosper Highlander, he’s now going by another part of his given last name.) He had a double-double 21 points and 11 rebounds, along with three treys in that game. Dorsett Mulcahy had 15 and seven assists, while Connor Junker added 11, with a pair from downtown. In the semis, they beat a very strong fifth-seed in Immaculata, 67-53, getting 26 points and seven rebounds from Dorsett Mulcahy, plus 16 points and six boards from Sonkoua.

Rutgers Prep: The Argonauts – behind a 31-point afternoon from Will Brunson, who nailed six triples in the game – topped seven-seed Bridgewater-Raritan in the quarterfinals, 85-58. Nicolas Nsenkyire added 12 and five boards in the victory. In the semis, Prep beat third-seed Montgomery, 65-57, with four players scoring in double figures, led by a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double from Brunson, who also dished out six assists. Nsenkyire added 15, Logan Franz 12 and Rocco Loomis another 10 points.

TOP SCORERS:

Gill St. Bernard’s: Dorsett Mulcahy (20.1 ppg, 57 treys), Prosper Sonkoua (15.8 ppg, 32 treys), Connor Junker (13 ppg, team-best 58 treys)
Rutgers Prep: William Brunson (23.1 ppg, 50 treys), Rocco Loomis (16 ppg, team-best 67 treys), Nicolas Nsenkyire

TOP REBOUNDERS:

Gill St. Bernard’s: Prosper Sonkoua (7.5), Niko West (6), Jahmal Dixon (5.7)
Rutgers Prep: William Brunson (8.3), Nicolas Nsenkyire (5.4)

MISCELLANEOUS:

Gill St. Bernard’s: Jahmal Dixon (111 assists, 81 steals), Prosper Sonkoua (22 blocks)
Rutgers Prep: Nicolas Nsenkyire (137 assists, 62 steals), William Brunson (29 blocks)

RECENT MEETINGS: These games have always been a battle, generally close and highly competitive. Gill won moth meetings this year – 90-84 on January 10th in Peapack, and 73-68 on February 5th down in Somerset. They also met in the 2023 and 2022 SCT finals. The Argonautus won 69-67 in ’23, while the Knights won the year before, 84-63. Gill also beat Prep in three prior SCT finals meetings in 2011, 2017 and 2018. All three years, Gill was the No. 1 seed; Prep was the two in 2011 and 2018, and the third-seed in 2017.

SOMERSET COUNTY TOURNAMENT HISTORY:

Gill St. Bernard’s (9-4):

  • 2010     (2) Ridge beat (4) Gill St. Bernard’s 63-52
  • 2011:    (1) Gill St. Bernard’s beat (2) Rutgers Prep 68-59
  • 2012:    (1) Gill St. Bernard’s beat (2) Bridgewater 88-72
  • 2013:    (1) Ridge beat (2) Gill St. Bernard’s 69-56
  • 2014:    (3) Hillsborough beat (1) Gill St. Bernard’s 53-52
  • 2015:    (3) Gill St. Bernard’s beat (1) Ridge 48-39
  • 2016:    (1) Gill St. Bernard’s beat (3) Somerville 66-51
  • 2017:    (1) Gill St. Bernard’s beat (3) Rutgers Prep 71-61
  • 2018:    (1) Gill St. Bernard’s beat (2) Rutgers Prep 56-54
  • 2019:    (1) Gill St. Bernard’s beat (3) Watchung Hills 73-53
  • 2022:    (1) Gill St. Bernard’s beat (2) Rutgers Prep 84-63
  • 2023:    (1) Rutgers Prep beat (2) Gill St. Bernard’s 69-67
  • 2025: (1) Gill St. Bernard’s beat (3) Rutgers Prep, 52-46

Rutgers Prep (3-6):

  • 1988:     (1) Bridgewater West beat (2) Rutgers Prep 94-66
  • 2011:     (1) Gill St. Bernard’s beat (2) Rutgers Prep 68-59
  • 2017:     (1) Gill St. Bernard’s beat (3) Rutgers Prep 71-61
  • 2018:     (1) Gill St. Bernard’s beat (2) Rutgers Prep 56-54
  • 2020:     (1) Rutgers Prep beat (3) Watchung Hills 71-57
  • 2022:     (1) Gill St. Bernard’s beat (2) Rutgers Prep 84-63
  • 2023:     (1) Rutgers Prep beat (2) Gill St. Bernard’s 69-67
  • 2024:     (1) Rutgers Prep beat (2) Montgomery 64-61
  • 2025: (1) Gill St. Bernard’s beat (3) Rutgers Prep, 52-46

OTHER NOTES:

Gill is Perfect Again: Last year, Gill hadn’t lost to a Skykland Conference opponent all year. Their four losses came to powerhouses like Don Bosco Prep in the New Year’s Jump Off, St. Peter’s Prep in the Big Jersey Basketball Showcase II, St. Rose in the Hoop Group Boardwalk Showcase, as well as Roselle Catholic and The Patrick School’s national team in standalone contests. This year, same deal, but with only two losses – one to St. Peter’s Prep out of Jersey City, 59-43, in the Big Jersey Showcase on December 20th, while also falling to Linden on December 29th at the Jingle Bells Jubilee, 73-52. That gives them a 27-game win streak against the Skyland Conference and 23 straight against Somerset County competition since their loss to Rutgers Prep in the 2024 SCT final. Back to the beginning of that 2023-24 season – in which they split with Prep in the regular season – Gill is 30-2 against Somerset schools, 36-2 against the Skyland Conference over the last three years.

Non-Publics Always In It: This will be the 17th straight season the Somerset County Tournament championship game will have at least one parochial school participating. The last time two public schools square off, it was 2008, when third-seed Watchung Hills beat fourth-seed Ridge for the title, 58-49. Since then, at least one parochial has been in it every year – all featuring Gill or Rutgers Prep except 2009, when top-seed Immaculata beat second-seed Ridge, 58-49. And in those 17 years, six of those meetings have seen the Knights and the Argonauts face off, including five of the last eight.

From One Finalist to Another: Junior Andrew Kretkowski was a big loss for Rutgers Prep in the off-season, as he transferred to St. Joseph-Metuchen. But he would have been just fine in Somerset, too. Both schools have made their respective conference/county tournaments, as St. Joe’s faces Piscataway Friday night at 8 pm in the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament final, which you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

No sweep? Gill St. Bernard’s swept the girls’ and boys’ Somerset County titles last season, but with the girls knocked out in the semifinals this year by Franklin, we won’t get a chance at it again this year. Rutgers Prep swept in 2024 and 2020, while Gill did it previously in 2012, and Bridgewater-Raritan did it in 1995. There also was another quasi-sweep in 1998, with different high schools, but from the same district. The Bridgewater-Raritan West boys won the title that year, while the Bridgewater-Raritan East girls won as well.

Rare loss for Prep: When Rutgers Prep lost at Hillsborough on February 10th, 82-79, their lone game in between the Saturday-schedule SCT quarterfinals and semifinals, it was their first regular season loss to a Somerset County public school since 2019, when they lost to Montgomery twice. That snapped a 34-game win streak. Head coach Matt Bloom said of that game: “Any game in this league is tough. We have to have a short memory and get over it. Give credit to Hillsborough, they take advantage of our weaknesses.” Short memory indeed, as they bounced back with a 65-57 win over Montgomery in the county semifinals to get to Saturday’s championship against Gill St. Bernard’s