Fifth-ranked Spotswood got a 10-strikeout, complete-game effort from Carter Cumiskey – who also hit a solo home run to help his cause – in a 7-3 non-conference road win against Somerville on Monday, April 15, 2024.
Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko call all the play-by-play from the Torpey Athletic Complex in Bridgewater, as heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio:
Seton Hall commit Carter Cumiskey pitched a complete game, striking out ten, for his third win in as many starts this season, while hitting a solo home run to help his cause, in a 7-3 non-conference win for No. 5 Spotswood over Somerville.
In a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio at Torpey Athletic Conference in Bridgewater, the Chargers continued their torrid start, now 7-0 on the year, after last year’s team began the 2023 campaign with nine straight wins.
Spotswood got on the board first, scoring a run in the top of the second. Brandon Rivera led off with a double, a groundout to first got him to third, and a groundout by Colin Pfeiffer to short scored him.
The Chargers added another run in the third when Cumiskey hit a solo homer to right center.
Somerville cut the lead in half in the bottom of the inning. Jacob Nash singled with one out, and nine-hitter Chase Insabella scored him with a triple, but he and Chase Koplitz – who followed with a single – when Cumiskey struck out the next two hitters.
Spotswood added three in a fourth inning where they sent nine men to the plate. Four-hitter Mason Bitalla led off with a single. After Rivera grounded out, Ryan Orth knocked him in with a single to make it 3-1. After Pfeiffer struck out, nine-hitter Seb Saracino singled to make it 4-1, and Breckyn DeAngelis followed with an RBI single of his own to make it 5-1. But Somerville limited the damage when starter Ryan Chiesla got Will Buchan to ground out to end the inning after intentionally walking Cumiskey.
From there, Cumiskey seemed to get stronger, at one point recording seven Ks out of eight outs spanning the third, fourth and fifth innings.
Spotswood added two more in the top of the sixth. Lubin and Saracino began the inning with back-to-back walks. Lubin advanced to third on a wild pitch, and later scored on another. Mason Bitalla singled home the seventh run.
Somerville got back two in the bottom of the inning, but that was as close as they would get. Ethan Flynn reached on a ball to short bobbled by Buchan, then Robbie Wright reached on a single. After Dylan Hornick lined out to first, Nash reached on a fielder’s choice that erased Wright at second, but Chase Insabella doubled to right driving in two.
At that point, Cumiskey bore down yet again and struck out Koplitz to end the threat, and he got Somerville (2-3) 1-2-3 in the seventh to close out the game.
The win was No. 299 for Spotswood head coach Glenny Fredricks, who has been the Chargers’ mentor since 2005. He’ll go for 300 Thursday when the Chargers host Marlboro.
Click below for postgame reaction from Spotswood junior Carter Cumiskey and head coach Glenny Fredricks, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:
The last time Spotswood and Somerville met on a baseball diamond, it was a thriller: a 1-0 game played in Branchburg that gave the Chargers the Central Jersey Group 2 championship. It was the best season in Spotswood history, and they had to beat the Pioneers’ ace, Nick McNamara to do it. Closer Mike Hohman finished it off on the mound.
Fast forward 17 years later, the Chargers are still coached by Glenny Fredricks, and Chris Banos is in his 10th season as coach of Somerville. The two know each other even longer than that, back to their days coaching American Legion ball for posts in Milltown (Fredricks) and Edison (Banos).
Spotswood (6-0) and Somerville (2-2) will meet up Monday afternoon at 4 pm at Torpey Athletic Complex in Bridgewater for a non-conference matchup that can be heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Mike Pavlichko has the call with pregame at 3:40. Click here to listen.
The Chargers are ranked No. 5 in this week’s Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten. They have a pair of wins each over Metuchen, North Plainfield and Piscataway, sweeping their Blue Division home-and-homes. They have scored ten runs or more in four of those games, outscoring their opponents 68-13, and pumping out 46 runs in the last three games.
Of players with at least ten at bats, junior and Seton Hall commit Carter Cumiskey is leading the team, hitting .556, knocking in 13 runs already. He had two home runs, but if you count preseason scrimmages? Coach Fredricks says he’s hit it out of the yard six times already. Cumiskey will be on the mound Monday, where he’s thrown 10 2/3 innings in two games, striking out 18, walking two, and giving up exactly zero earned runs.
Somerville, meanwhile, is still trying to get in a groove at the plate. Ajay Cray – who’s expected to be the DH today for starting pitcher Ryan Ciesla – leads the team with a .429 batting average, and the coach’s son, C.J. Banos, leads the team with for runs batted in, but no one else is hitting above .300 yet.
Chiesla won his first start, a going the distance in a 4-1 season opening win over Voorhees (Glen Gardner).
Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with both head coaches!
Though in the end, they fell just a few points short of a fourth state championship, Rutgers Prep’s Somerset County title, Non-Public South B title, and sheer dominance over area opponents have garnered them the No. 1 ranking in the final Bellamy & Son Paving girls’ basketball rankings of the 2023-24 season.
Rutgers Prep finished the season 24-5, and steamrolled though New Jersey competition much of the year. The Argonauts’ lone loss of the year to a New Jersey school came in the Non-Public Group B final Friday afternoon at Rutgers, a 52-49 defeat at the hands of Morris Catholic, which won its second straight state championship. Still, Prep’s sectional title was its third straight, coming after they beat Gill St. Bernard’s to win its fourth straight Somerset County Tournament championship.
Rutgers Prep is the only team to be No. 1 in the four-year run of the Bellamy & Son Paving/Central Jersey Sports Radio girls’ basketball top ten, holding the top spot for 37 straight weeks, with no sign of slowing down. The Argonauts have not lost a game to a Somerset County or Skyland Conference opponent since the 2019 SCT final, a loss to Franklin.
Coming in second was St. Thomas Aquinas, which went 22-8, sweeping the GMC Red Division to the tune of a 13-0 mark, then ran through the GMC Tournament for its fifth straight county title, this one under first-year head coach Tim Corrigan. The Trojans reached the Non-Public South A quarterfinals, before falling to Our Lady of Mercy.
Coming in at No. 3 was Gill St. Bernard’s, which finished 24-5, lost by three to Prep in the SCT final, and lost at Montclair-Immaculate in the Non-Public North B semifinals.
In fourth is Hillsborough (21-9), which had a solid regular season despite losing three times to Gill St. Bernard’s, twice to Rutgers Prep and once to Franklin. The Raiders went on a magnificent run in the North 2, Group 4 finals, claiming their first-ever sectional championship with a 59-46 win over Elizabeth.
At No. 5 is Colonia (22-9), which reached its second straight GMC Tournament championship game, a year after making its first-ever appearance, and that despite the loss to graduation this year of all-time leading scorer Matti Chiera, who was replaced at the top of the list this year by senior Taylor Derkack.
Checking in at No. 6 South Brunswick, which finished 16-12 and scored a quarterfinal knockout of Monroe in the Central Jersey Group 4 state tournament on a buzzer-beater by Avery Jenne. Monroe (18-10) came in right behind them in seventh place. The Falcons reached the semifinals of the GMC Tournament
Middlesex (17-4) is No. 8, as the Blue Jays had a fantastic run in the county and state tournaments. In the GMC Tournament, they upset third-seed JP Stevens in the first round, then knocked off six-seed South Brunswick in the quarterfinals, and took Colonia to overtime before falling in the semis. They also reached the Central Jersey Group 1 title game in the states, falling to Shore Regional for a second straight season.
Somerville (23-5) finished ninth, and reached the quarterfinals of both the Somerset County and NJSIAA state tournaments, JP Stevens (20-6) came in tenth.
Below is the final Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten for the 2023-24 season:
There were no real surprises – at least not seed-wise – in the girls’ Somerset County Tournament second round Saturday afternoon.
All four higher seeds – Ridge, Franklin, Somerville and Mount St. Mary – advanced, meaning it’ll be all chalk matchups in Tuesday’s quarterfinal round, which will be played at the higher seeds, the top four seeds who have yet to begin play in the tournament, earning the coveted double-byes.
(7) Somerville 49, (10) Bound Brook 47: The Pioneers and Crusaders were locked in a low-scoring game the first eight minutes, with Somerville holding a 6-5 lead after one quarter. But the offense opened up, and the Pioneers had a 21-17 lead at the half. Bound Brook rallied to up 38-33 after three, but Somerville used a strong fourth-quarter to come out with the two-point win. Kaylee Lauber led The ‘Ville (20-3) with 20 points, while Emily Kolodziej chipped in 10 and had six rebounds. Bound Brook fell to 13-8. It’s Somerville’s first 20-win season since 2020, when they finished 20-8m lost to Bound Brook in the SCT semis, and went to the North 2, Group 3 quarterfinals before bowing out to West Morris. They’ll try to make it 21 on Tuesday at second-seed Gill St. Bernard’s (21-3), a mark they last reached in 2018 with a team that went 22-7 and won the North 2, Group 3 title over Warren Hills.
(8) Ridge 57, (9) Watchung Hills 43: The Red Devils fell behind 18-14 after one quarter, but stepped on the gas the rest of the way for a 14-point win, after taking a 28-24 lead into halftime. Three players finished in double-figure scoring, the top two both recording double-doubles of 13 points and ten rebounds apiece – Sofie Squizziato and Olivia Holiday. Emily Grigonis kicked in 11 for Ridge (10-14), while Watchung Hills dropped to 5-16. Next up for Ridge is top-seed Rutgers Prep (18-4) – one of the top teams in all of New Jersey – in Tuesday’s quarterfinals. Mary Klinger earned her 700th career coaching win against Ridge on January 18th in an 85-42 victory, their only meeting this year. The Argonauts have won the last five matchups with Ridge by an average 59 points.
(5) Franklin 67, (12) Bernards 35: The Warriors dominated this one wire to wire, holding Bernards to just four points in the opening quarter, leading 21-4 after the first eight minutes and 37-11 at halftime. Franklin improves to 13-11, while Bernards drops to 11-13. The Warriors will visit fourth-seed Pingry on Tuesday in the SCT quarterfinals, a team they rarely face. Their lone meeting this year, a 64-51 Pingry win, was their first head-to-head matchup since 2011.
(6) Mount St. Mary 37, (11) Immaculata 25: The Lions were superb on defense, even if at the sacrifice of scoring early. Mount blanked the Spartans in the first quarter, but only led 5-0, then took a 15-5 lead into halftime before closing out ‘Lata in the second half. Mount St. Mary (13-10) got 11 points apiece from top scorers Calleigh Kreitz and Rachel Castela. Immaculata drops to 9-13 with the loss. Next up for Mount is third-seed Hillsborough in Tuesday’s quarterfinals. The Raiders won their lone meeting this year, 72-54, just two days ago, this past Thursday, in a regular season game; now they meet again in the tournament.
The run continues for the Rutgers Prep girls’ basketball team, and – if anything – the Lady Argonauts further bolstered their resume with a big win over a state-ranked team this weekend.
Rutgers Prep (17-4) holds the top spot for a 36th straight week – the only team to be No. 1 on the girls’ side in the four years we’ve run it. They beat Franklin and Blair this week, then topped state No. 3 (Prep is No. 2) Red Bank Catholic in the Coaches’ Choice USA Shore Classic on Sunday.
Gill St. Bernard’s (19-2) also had a solid week, going 3-0, with wins over Trenton Catholic, Ridge and St. Rose of Belmar in the Coaches’ Choice showcase.
Staying put in third is St. Thomas Aquinas (17-6), which beat North Brunswick, then lost to national power Long Island Lutheran, but came back for a win at Colonia before falling Saturday to Ocean Township in the Coaches’ Choice event.
Colonia (16-7) moves up a spot to fourth this week. The Patriots went 2-1 with wins over Piscataway and Paterson Eastside surrounding a home loss to Red Division rival St. Thomas Aquinas.
Hillsborough (13-6) also is up a spot, now at No. 5, with a 3-0 week, taking wins from Morristown, South Plainfield and Watchung Hills.
JP Stevens (17-2) made a big jump after a 3-0 week, which included wins over South Plainfield, Woodbridge, and finally, North Plainfield.
As a result, North Plainfield (16-4) dropped to seventh. They had a 1-1 week, with their win coming over Middlesex.
In eighth is Somerville (18-2). The Pioneers held steady with a 3-0 week that saw wins over Belvidere, American History, and Bound Brook.
Monroe (13-8) drops to ninth, going 2-1 this week with wins over North Brunswick and Woodbridge, but they closed out with a loss to South Brunswick.
And East Brunswick (13-8) falls one spot to tenth after a 2-1 week with wins over Edison and South River bookending a loss at South Brunswick.
Below are the full Week 8 Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball rankings:
The powerhouse that is Rutgers Prep girls’ basketball shows no sign of slowing anytime soon, as the Lady Argonauts maintain their position at No. 1 in the Week 7 Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, the 35th strtaight week they’ve been atop the rankings. They’re the only team to hold that position in the nearly four-year history of the CJSR/Bellamy Top Ten.
In fact, none of the teams in the rankings moved at all this week.
Rutgers Prep (14-4) split its week, with a win over Roselle Catholic Monday, but a loss at the Mecca Showcase Sunday to Bishop McNamara of New York.
Holding in second is Gill St. Bernard’s (15-4), which went 3-0 in the week gone by, notching victories over Pingry, at Hillsborough, and at Mendham.
In third is St. Thomas Aquinas (15-4). They also were unbeaten in the past week, with wins at Notre Dame (NY), over East Brunswick, at Monroe, and over Piscataway.
Holding in fourth at 15-3 is North Plainfield, which had wins at Middlesex and South Plainfield sandwiched around a home loss by four to Woodbridge on Tuesday.
Colonia (14-6) holds at No. 5, going 3-1 this past week. While they opened with a home loss to Piscataway, they came back for three Red Division wins, topping Old Bridge, East Brunswick and Monroe.
Hillsborough (10-6) remains in sixth after a 2-1 week with wins over Watchung Hills and Randolph, followed by a two-point loss to Gill St. Bernard’s.
Monroe (11-7) held in seventh, despite an 0-3 week. They opened with a loss to Piscataway, then took losses to a pair of Top Five teams in St. Thomas Aquinas and Colonia.
Somerville (15-2) stays at No. 8 on a 4-0 week. They beat Union, Manville, Delaware Valley and Bridgewater-Raritan.
East Brunswick (11-7) holds in ninth. They split a four-game week, starting with a road win against West Winsdor-Plainsboro South. They then dropped two back-to-back, at Aquinas and home to Colonia, before closing the week out Saturday with a home win over North Brunswick.
And JP Stevens (14-2) holds on to the No. 10 spot. The Hawks went 3-0 this past week, with wins over Perth Amboy, at Edison, and back home over Sayreville on Saturday.
Below is the full Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 7:
None of the top nine teams in the Week 5 Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten saw any change in their ranking, but a new team joined the group in Week 6.
JP Stevens is 11-2 on the year, and has won four straight games, with its only divisional loss coming to White Division leader North Plainfield, with a rematch on tap next week.
In the meantime, Rutgers Prep remains in the No. 1 spot with a 13-3 record following a 3-0 week that saw wins during the week over Hillsborough and Ridge – the second of which earned head coach Mary Klinger her 300th coaching win – as well as over Montclair-Immaculate in the More than a Highlight showcase Saturday.
That’s 34 straight weeks at No. 1 for Prep, which is the only team to hold the spot in the three-plus year history of the CJSR/Bellamy & Son rankings.
Gill St. Bernard’s (13-2) played in the same event Saturday, beating St. Mary’s-Manhasset (NY) following an earlier win during the week over Watchung Hills, keeping them at No. 2 in the rankings.
Third is St. Thomas Aquians (11-4), which also had an unbeaten week, including a home victory over South Brunswick and a road win at Old Bridge.
Checking in at No. 4 is North Plainfield (13-2). The Canucks went 3-0 this week, beating Perth Amboy, Edison and Sayreville, and have won eight straight games, the longest current streak among CJSR-area teams.
Colonia (11-5) holds in fifth despite a 1-2 week, which began with an MLK Day loss at the Jarel Lowery Showcase to Newark Central, and a mid-week non-conference loss to Chatham. The Patriots regrouped with a three-point road win over South Brunswick.
In sixth is Hillsborough (8-5), which fell to Rutgers Prep Wednesday, but bounced back with wins over Immaculata and Pingry.
Holding at seven is Monroe (11-4). The Falcons split a pair this week, beating East Brunswick, but losing an out-of-conference game to Plainfield.
Somerville (11-2) holds in 8th, bookending a mid-week loss to Voorhees with wins over Belvidere and Linden.
In ninth, it’s East Brunswick (9-5), which lost to Monroe Wednesday, but beat Piscataway Saturday afternoon.
Dropping out was Bound Brook (8-4), which went 1-2 this past week with losses to Piscataway and Westwood sandwiched around a victory over Manville.
Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 6:
There weren’t too many changes in the Week 5 Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten.
Gill St. Bernard’s moved up to second, and East Brunswick’s win over ranked South Brunswick knocked the Vikings (6-5) out of the top ten, with the Bears joining the rankings this week.
Rutgers Prep (10-3) is now at 34 weeks and counting at No. 1, after a 2-1 week that saw wins over Franklin and at Watchung Hills, but a loss Saturday to nationally-ranked Long Island Lutheran (No. 2 in MaxPreps’ rankings). Head coach Mary Klinger is two wins away from 700, sitting at 698 with the next two games set for Tuesday at Hillsborough, then Thursday night at home against Ridge.
Gill St. Bernard’s (11-2) moved up to second this week after going 3-0, with a pair of wins during the week against Union City and Franklin, then picking up a 93-69 win over St. Joseph by the Sea in the College Choice USA Showcase on Saturday.
That puts St. Thomas Aquinas (9-4) at third. The Trojans beat Colonia 72-59 on Thursday, but then fell to Neumann Goretti 69-52 at the College Choice USA Showcase Saturday.
Teams four through six stay the same. North Plainfield (10-2) swept two games this week from JP Stevens and JFK; Colonia (10-3) split with a win over Passaic Charter, but a loss at Aquinas Thursday; and Hillsborough (6-4) lost at North Plainfield Thursday, then beat Scotch Plains-Fanwood Saturday.
Monroe (8-3) and Somerville (9-1) moved up one spot each to seventh and eighth, respectively. The Falcons went 2-0 this past week, with a couple of non-conference wins over Central Regional and Allentown. The Pioneers beat South Hunterdon Thursday, then won at Bound Brook Saturday in a make-up of Tuesday’s game, postponed due to stormy weather and heavy rains.
East Brunswick (8-4) makes its debut at No. 9, after knocking off No. 7 and Red Division foe South Brunswick, 59-53 on Thursday. The Bears also beat Old Bridge Saturday, 62-49, and have won three straight.
And holding in tenth is Bound Brook (7-2), which split a pair this week, winning at Belvidere Thursday 51-43, then falling at home to Somerville Saturday.
Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving Week 5 Girls’ Basketball Top Ten:
Kaylee Lauber scored 19 points while Charlotte Taylor added 11, and Somerville beat Bound Brook on the road Saturday, 36-28, in a battle of the top two teams in the Skyland Conference Mountain Division on Central Jersey Sports Radio.
Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko call all the play-by-play on January 13, 2024.