Tag: South Plainfield

by Mike Pavlichko

Big day for No. 8 South Plainfield, as McCarthy no-hits No. 7 Old Bridge in 4-1 win, Massaro sets Tiger all-time hit record

Put this one under the category of the old adage “Nobody cares how, just if.”

The South Plainfield baseball team didn’t have the best day in the field, committing four errors, one of them leading to a run, but the Tigers still won their GMC Red Division matchup against Old Bridge Tuesday afternoon at home, 4-1 – and they did it in style.

Aidan McCarthy threw a complete game no-hitter with nine strikeouts, while Dom Massaro went 3-for-4 and set the school’s all-time hit record, with the 127th of his career.

For McCarthy, it was his first no-no that he could recall – at least at the high school level – while Massaro broke a record that stood for 14 years, set by Steven Petriello in 2012.

The 8th-ranked Tigers took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on a passed ball that scored Massaro, and a sac fly by Ed Budzinski. Massaro scored again in the fourth on a ground out to short by McCarthy to make it 3-0, then made it 4-0 in the fifth on a bases loaded walk to Joe Stanzione that scored Andrew Bena.

The 7th-ranked Knights got their lone run in the top of the sixth. Matt Chin hit a grounder to short that got behind Anthony Cicenia, allowing Nicholas Agostino to score.

And despite the fourth South Plainfield error in the game coming with two outs in the top of the seventh, allowing Brady Meyer to get to second, McCarthy got Harry Denney to fly out to Massaro in center field to end it.

South Plainfield (7-5, 6-4, tied for 2nd GMC Red) and Old Bridge (5-6, 5-4, 3rd) split their series, with the Knights winning 9-3 on their home field back on Friday.

Click below for postgame reaction from South Plainfield seniors Aidan McCarthy and Dom Massaro – as well as head coach Scott Gleichenhaus – with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

Top teams roll on again in Week Three, but bottom-half turmoil brings Old Bridge, Rutgers Prep into Bellamy & Son Paving baseball rankings

For a second straight week, the top four teams continued to win – leaving Immaculata, Ridge, Middlesex and Edison right where they’ve been – but everyone else keeps beating each other up, and two new teams join the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten for Week Three.

Immaculata (7-2) remains in the No. 1 position after a 2-1 week. In Skyland Conference play, the Spartans swept Bridgewater-Raritan – 13-3 at home, and 5-2 on the road – Tuesday and Thursday, before falling 7-3 to Delsea in a non-conference game on Saturday.

Holding at No. 2 is Ridge (10-1), which went 3-0 in the week gone by. They swept a Tuesday-Thursday series from Watchung Hills – 12-10 on the road, and 13-3 at home – before an 8-3 win over Bernards Saturday completed the perfect week.

Immaculata and Ridge square off this week in a huge two-game set that will have a lot of say in which team – at least at this point – takes the inside track for the top-seed in the Somerset County Tournament. The seeding meeting is Wednesday, May 6th.

Middlesex (10-1) continues to roll as well. The Blue Jays went 5-0 this past week, sweeping Metuchen 2-1 on the road Tuesday, and 6-2 at home Thursday. Middlesex then beat Voorhees Saturday, 11-2, in their Autism Awareness Challenge game at North Brunswick Community Park, and took a 13-2 decision over JFK Saturday, before beating Wood-Ridge (Bergen County) on the road Sunday, 15-1.

Edison (7-2) holds at No. 4 this week, going 2-1 in the week gone by. The Eagles opened the week in fine fashion with a complete-game, 13-strikeout no-hitter from Connor Murphy in a 4-0 home win over St. Joseph-Metuchen heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. They beat the Falcons again in Metuchen on Thursday, 5-3, before falling 10-4 to Columbia Sunday in their Autism Awareness Challenge game.

WATCH: The final out of Connor Murphy’s no-hitter against St. Joseph-Metuchen

Holding at five is Monroe (7-4). While the Falcons went just 2-3 this week, they closed the weekend with a huge win. After falling to Hightstown in a non-league game on Monday, they then got swept by Woodbridge, 8-0 and 2-1. But they rebounded nicely with an 8-4 win over St. Thomas Aquinas in North Edison on Saturday, then Sunday, in their Autism Awareness Challenge game, Monroe knocked off the No. 18 team in the state, perennial power Red Bank Catholic, 5-2. To date, it’s the only win by a GMC school over a team ranked in the NJ.com statewide Top 20.

(Ridge has the only other one, a 7-4 Opening Day win over West Morris, currently ranked No. 14).

Staying in sixth is Colonia (7-2), which split four games this week. They started with a 14-4 win at Metuchen Monday, in a makeup from earlier in the year, then split with South Brunswick, taking an 8-6 home loss Tuesday before winning on the road Thursday, 13-4. The Patriots then lost to Spotswood on Saturday, 3-1.

Back in at No. 7 is Old Bridge (5-5), which was ranked in the preseason, but fell out in Week One. The Knights went 2-2 last week with a tough schedule. After beating East Brunswick 11-10 Tuesday, they came back Friday and beat South Plainfield 9-3 in a game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Saturday, they lost to state No. 4 Seton Hall Prep, 3-2, then fell 4-3 to Westfield Sunday in the Autism Awareness Challenge.

Down one spot to eight is South Plainfield (6-5), which also went 2-2 last week. The Tigers split with St. Thomas Aquinas, winning 6-4 on Tuesday, but losing on the road Thursday, 7-5. After Friday’s loss at Old Bridge, the Tigers rebounded with a 4-2 win over Millburn in the Autism Awareness Challenge in North Brunswick on Saturday.

Making its season debut at No. 9 is Rutgers Prep (7-2). The Argonauts climb into the rankings on the strength of a 4-0 week, which began with a pair of 10-0 wins over Montgomery Tuesday (away) and Thursday (at home). On Friday, they beat Union Catholic in the Autism Awareness Challenge, 17-10, then won at Hopewell Valley on Saturday, 12-4.

Carteret (9-1) holds in tenth, on the strength of a 3-0 week. The Ramblers swept Piscataway in a Monday-Wednesday two-game set – 9-2 at home on Monday, then 10-9 away in the second game – before beating North Brunswick 13-0 Saturday in the Autism Awareness Challenge at Community Park.

Two teams dropped out this week. No. 8 Watchung Hills beat Cranford Saturday 5-4, but took a pair of losses to Ridge, 12-10 and 13-3, while South Brunswick also went 1-2 in the week gone by. The Vikings split a pair with Colonia – winning an 8-6 road game Tuesday, but losing 13-1 at home Thursday – then lost Saturday to Metuchen, 8-3, in their Autism Awareness Challenge game.

Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving H.S. Baseball Top Ten for Week Three:

by Mike Pavlichko

Timely hitting, pitching, send Old Bridge past No. 7 South Plainfield, 9-3, and put Knights ahead of Tigers in GMC Red

Matt Chin and Adrian Lutomski each knocked in three runs and Erich Schikschneit pitched 4 2/3 solid innings in his first start of the season Thursday, as Old Bridge got past South Plainfield, 9-3, in a GMC Red Division game at Fred Cole Field heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

It was that mix of the big hit in the right spot – including a four-run fourth where the Knights batted around – and pitching out of jams that gave the Knights the win, moving them just ahead of South Plainfield in the division with three weeks to go before the GMC Tournament seeding meeting on May 8th.

There’s a lot of baseball to be played between now and then, but in the Red, every win counts, and this one was a big one to open a two-game set between the teams that will finish in South Plainfield Tuesday afternoon.

The first inning was a prime example of getting big pitches in big spots, as South Plainfield got runners on first and third with two out before Schikschneit got a ground ball to second to end the inning.

In the bottom, Old Bridge pounced. Chris Crosta led off with a single, Brady Meyer followed, and Chin drove in his first two runs with an RBI double down the left field line for a 2-0 lead.

The Tigers got one back in the bottom of the third on a groundout to second by Aiden McCarthy, scoring Dom Massaro to make it 2-1, but Old Bridge made it 3-1 during their turn at bat on a single by Chin.

Then, the Knights broke the game pen in the fourth, when they sent nine men to the plate.

Nick Natale hit a one-out single, Michael Chiarella did the same then Lutomski doubled down the left field line – just like Chin’s – to drive in both runs and make it 5-1 Knights. After a strikeout by Ryan Bannerman, Old Bridge added two more runs with two out. Crosta made it 6-1, scoring Lutomski with a triple, and Meyer knocked him in from third with a sac fly to right, giving Old Bridge a 6-1 lead.

South Plainfield got one back in the fifth on a single by Andrew Bena, who started the game on the mound for the Tigers but was lifted with two on and two out in the bottom of the fourth. But Old Bridge added two more in the bottom of the fifth, on back-t0-back sac flies by Lutomski and Bannerman.

The Tigers added one more in the top of the sixth, when Joe Stanzione scored from third on a 6-4-3 double-play ball hit by Gabe Garcia.

But all through the game, Schikschneit faced some tough situations and got out of them, stranding nine South Plainfield baserunners. Facing first and third with two out in the third he struck out eight-hitter Alex Pigna. And the rest? He made numerous Tiger hitters miss, chasing a wicked breaking ball.

Schikschneit got the win for Old Bridge (5-3 5-3 GMC Red) to improve to 2-1, while Bena took the loss for the Tigers (5-5, 5-4), falling to 1-1.

The win moved the Knights into second in the GMC Red Division by a half game over South Plainfield, tied with Monroe, both at 5-3 in Red play.

Click below for postgame reaction from Erich Schikschneit, Matt Chin and head coach Matt Donaghue, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

As GMC Red beats each other up, Old Bridge and South Plainfield tussle in Friday matchup at Fred Cole Field

With the exception of Edison – which is playing some excellent baseball right now – the entire Red Division in the Greater Middlesex Conference has been beating itself up.

After the first-place Eagles at 7-1, the next five games are no more than one or two games over or under .500 as we near the end of Week Three of the season. And the last two teams over .500 will meet Friday afternoon at Fred Cole Field off Route Nine, as Old Bridge entertains No. 7 South Plainfield.

You can hear that game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio at 4 pm, with pregame set for 3:45. Mike Pavlichko has the call, and you can listen by clicking this link.

Old Bridge (4-3) took two losses to start the season to Edison, but is 4-1 since, their lone loss coming to St. Thomas Aquinas last Thursday, 3-2. But they split the series with the Trojans, picking up an 11-10 win in eleven innings last Friday, then won by the same score in East Brunswick on Tuesday in eight.

In fact, all but the Knights’ season opener have been decided by one or two runs, and they are 3-1 in one-run games, 2-1 in extra innings.

South Plainfield (5-4) had won three straight before a 7-5 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas on Tuesday. It’s been a series of streaks for the Tigers, who swept St. Joseph-Metuchen 11-1 and 6-2 to open the season, but they lost their next three: two to first place Edison, with a defeat at the hands of Cranford sandwiched in between.

They then swept Woodbridge and won the opener against St. Thomas at home before dropping Thursday’s matchup in North Edison, 7-5.

And all of that is just about what you expect in the GMC Red Division: quality teams, duking it out, all week long.

Click below to hear preview interviews with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko and both coaches:

South Plainfield head coach Scott Gleichenhaus
Old Bridge head coach Matt Donaghue
by Mike Pavlichko

Top four stay the same, led by Immaculata, Ridge, in Bellamy & Son Paving Week 2 baseball rankings

There was much more stability in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten for Week 2 of the high school baseball season, with the top four teams remaining right where they are. There was minimal movement below that, with Monroe rising and Watchung Hills joining the rankings after a 3-0 week, knocking out Bernards.

Immaculata (5-1) holds at No. 1 after 1 2-1 week down in Florida playing teams from around the country. The Spartans beat Riverdale Baptist (MD) 6-0 on Tuesday, fell 7-2 to Winter Park (FL) Wednesday, then beat Proctor (NY) 13-12. They’ll return this week for a Tuesday/Thursday home-and-home with Bridgewater-Raritan.

Holding in second is Ridge (7-1), which got in five games this week, and won four of them. After a 6-4 win over Randolph at home on onday, the Red Devils lost 12-7 to Hunterdon Central on Tuesday. But they rebounded to split the Delaware Division series with a 9-5 win in Flemington Thursday, followed by a 12-8 win Saturday at Warren Hills. Sunday, they beat New Providence, 11-8

Middlesex (5-1) is the top GMC team in the rankings, holding at No. 3, and the first of three straight league teams all with the same record. The Blye Jays were 15-4 winners Tuesday at Perth Amboy, then split with South Brunswick. They lost 3-2 to the Vikings at home Thursday, but came back to win on the road Saturday, 6-2.

Next is Edison (5-1), holding at four. The Eagles went to 5-0 with a 10-8 win at South Plainfield Tuesday and a 7-1 home win Thursday over Monroe, but lost 2-0 to the Falcons on Saturday to split the season series, taking their first loss of the season.

Monroe (5-1) – which is tied with Edison for first in the GMC Red Division after their split – moves up a spot to fifth. Besides their games with Edison, they finished off a two-game sweep of St. Joseph-Metuchen on Tuesday with a 4-3 win, helping them go 2-1 in the week gone by..

Colonia (5-0) also moves up a spot – to sixth – as the GMC White Division leader went 3-0 in the past week. Tuesday, the finished off a two-game sweep of JFK with a 12-2 home win, then swept two from Sayreville with a 7-1 home win Thursday and a 13-3 road win on Saturday.

Down to seventh is South Plainfield (4-3), which went 2-2 in the week gone by. After taking their first loss of the season at Edison two Saturdays ago (before the most recent rankings) they lost their next two, 9-2 to Cranford, and then 10-8 at home again to Edison. But they bounced back with a two-game sweep of Woodbridge, including a 4-3 home win Thursday and an 8-5 road win Friday.

New to the rankings this week, Watchung Hills (4-1) enters at No. 8. The Warriors had a 3-0 week, including a 9-1 win at Bridgewater-Raritan on Tuesday, a 7-6 walk-off win over the Panthers at home Thursday, and a 12-2 win at Roxbury on Saturday.

South Brunswick (4-2) is down a spot to nine. After a 3-0 start, the Vikings dropped their first game of the year 5-1 at Sayreville Tuesday, but rebounded with a 3-2 road win Thursday, handing Middlesex its first loss of the year. But the Blue Jays earned a split Saturday, beating South Brunswick, 6-2.

In tenth is Carteret (6-1), which dropped one spot. The Ramblers beat North Plainfield Monday 2-1, then were 5-4 winners at South River Wednesday, before taking their first loss of the season at home to the Rams, 7-2, on Thursday.

Dropping out is Bernards (3-2), which was swept 11-2 and 16-0 by Gill St. Bernard’s in a two-game home-and-home, before rebounding with a 7-3 win Saturday at home over Franklin.

Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving H.S. Baseball Top Ten for Week Two:

by Mike Pavlichko

A new No. 1 baseball team in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, while a tumultuous week adds four new clubs to the mix

There were some great games, big wins, and some pleasant surprises through the first week of the high school baseball season in New Jersey. And while there’s a lot more baseball to be played, there are four new teams joining the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten in Week One, with a brand-new No. 1 team.

St. Joseph-Metuchen – last year’s GMC Tournament champion at 16-7 – has gotten off to a surprising 0-4 start. And while they’ll still likely be in the mix as we get closer to county tournament season, the winless start has made room for a new No. 1, with nine of the ten teams in this week’s rankings being unbeaten

The new No. 1 team is Immaculata (3-0), the defending Somerset County Tournament champs. The Spartans opened upo with a sweep of Hillsborough, wininng 3-0 on the road Tuesday, then 3-0 at Diamond Nation in Flemington Thursday before taking a 5-3 home decision over West Essex on Saturday.

The three teams right behind the Spartans all moved up a notch as well, and all are undefeated.

Ridge (3-0) is in second, picking up victories over three different teams to open 2026. They won 7-4 at West Morris Tuesday, then opened Skyland Conference play with an 11-1, five-inning win over Montgomery Thursday, followed by a 4-0 shutout win at Rutgers Prep Saturday.

In third is defending state Group 1 champion Middlesex (3-0). The Blue Jays avenged a season sweep at the hands of Spotswood last year with a 6-1 Opening Day win over the Chargers at home, then a 12-1 (full seven-inning game) win at “The Swamp” on Thursday. They topped Perth Amboy on Saturday at home, 4-2.

And in fourth is Edison (3-0). GMCT finalists from a year ago, they won their opener Tuesday at Old Bridge, then two straight at home: 2-1 over the Knights on Thursday, and 5-4 in eight innings on Saturday over South Plainfield, rallying with two runs in the seventh to send it to extras.

Moving up two spots to fifth is South Plainfield (2-1). Before the loss to Edison Saturday, they swept a season-opening home-and-home with then-No. 1 St. Joe’s, 11-1 in five in Metuchen on Tuesday, then 6-2 at home on Thursday.

Joining the rankings at No. 6 is Monroe (3-0). The Falcons swept East Brunswick in its first two games – with a 10-7 Opening Day road win on Tuesday, and a 5-2 win at home Thursday – then beat previously-No. 1 St. Joseph Saturday in Metuchen, 6-2.

Up one place to seventh is Colonia (2-0). The Patriots beat Metuchen on Tuesday, 2-1, and after the Bulldogs rescheduled their Thursday meeting for later in the season, beat in-town rival JFK 13-3 in five innings Saturday.

The last three teams all are new to the rankings, starting with South Brunswick (3-0) at No. 8. The Vikings swept Perth Amboy to open the season, 13-2 at home Tuesday, then 8-6 at home on Thursday. Saturday, they picked up a 1-0 win at Sayreville.

At nine is Carteret (4-0) out of the GMC Blue, which scored 40 runs in four games over the first week. After a 4-3 home win Monday over East Brunswick Magnet, the Ramblers beat the Tigers on the road Wednesday, 12-6, then won 13-8 at North Plainfield on Thursday, and 11-1 Saturday at home against Long Branch out of the Shore Conference.

And at ten is Bernards (2-0). The Mountaineers were 8-1 winners on Opening Day Monday against Summit, and beat Del Val at home 4-0 on Wednesday.

Dropping out were No. 1 St. Joseph-Metuchen (0-4), as well as No. 8 Hillsborough, No. 9 Old Bridge, and No. 10 Woodbridge, the last three all 1-3 on the season.

Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving H.S. Baseball Top Ten for Week One:

by Mike Pavlichko

Through first week – and them some – these high school baseball teams have started the season red hot

The high school baseball season is already a week old, though a few got started a little earlier than most, but more than a few have started the 2026 campaign red hot.

Some were expected, others have turned out to be pleasant surprises.

And that could juggle our first in-season Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, the Week One edition of which comes out Monday morning.

Here’s a look at who’s gotten the season off to a great start after the first week or so or play in the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area, with a minimum of three games played..

GREATER MIDDLESEX CONFERENCE

Red Division

  • Edison: The Eagles are 3-0, and may have had the most success with the toughest opening schedule of all. It was their pitching that helped lock down their season-opening series with Central Jersey Group 4 finalist Old Bridge, picking up 5-2, and 2-1 wins last week. Of course, that’s no surprise looking at who Edison has on the mound: three D1 commits including Robert Roma (Wagner) and Connor Murphy (Monmouth) – who pitched against the Knights, and Dom Innocenti (Wagner) who went four solid innings against South Plainfield in a 5-4, eight-inning home win Saturday afternoon. But the bats can do good stuff, too. Murphy is one of then, already 4-for-8 on the year with two doubles, while Isaiah Lutz is hitting .444 with a double and two RBIs, both of which came against the Tigers, and the last of which walked it off with two outs and the bases loaded Saturday. The Eagles are back at it Tuesday at South Plainfield, then play equally red-hot Monroe (3-0) at home Thursday and away Saturday.
  • Monroe (3-0): The Falcons (3-0) already are a third of the way to their win total from last year, when they went 9-13. And they’ve got two wins over East Brunswick – a series sweep with 10-7 and 5-2 wins – plus a Saturday road victory, 6-2, over defending GMC Tournament champion St. Joseph-Metuchen. In the second win over the bears, junior Ben Faigin pitched five no-hit innings before being lifted and got the win. (Don’t forget, it’s early yet, and some pitchers the first few weeks are on fairly strict pitch counts from their coaches.) Faigin is also doing it at the plate, going 6-for-8 in the first three games with three runs batted in, and he’s walked four times, stealing seven bases already. It’s Monroe’s best start since 2022. The Falcons will close their home-and-home in Monroe Tuesday when St. Joe’s visits, before they play a Thursday/Saturday home-and-home with Edison.
  • South Plainfield: Despite a 5-4 loss in extras at Edison on Saturday, the Tigers are 2-1, and those two wins are nothing to sneeze at. South Plainfield crushed St. Joseph in Metuchen on Tuesday in the season opener, 11-1, then took a 6-2 decision at home on Thursday. Aiden McCarthy pitched the full five innings of Tuesday’s ten-run rule game, allowing just four hits and one earned run, while striking out five, and sophomore Andrew Bena, who blew up on the basketball court this winter, continued to shine on the pitchers’ mound in game two, throwing 6 1/3 and allowing just three hits and two earned runs while striking out eight. McCarthy and Dom Massaro also are tearing the cover off the ball, hitting .455 and .500, respectively, with McCarthy knocking in four runs, while the speedster Massaro – an outstanding football player, and the CJSR Special Teams Returner of the Year in 2025 – has four stolen bases already.

White Division

  • Middlesex: The defending state Group 1 champions and GMCT Final Four team swept Spotswood two games last week, 6-1 on Tuesday at home, 12-1 at “The Swamp” on Thursday, then beat Perth Amboy at home on Saturday, 4-2 to start the season at 3-0. Their two main arms are back this year, Chris Kozak for his senior year and Dominic Long for his junior campaign, and both got wins against the Chargers, with Kozak going the distance, Long going seven, with only Kozak allowing a single earned run. Then they got a solid outing from Dylan Ianiero for the win Saturday allowing four hits and just two unearned runs in six innings pitched. That means the Blue Jays have allowed just one earned run in three wins to start the year. Not too shabby. And, Middlesex is hitting .333 as a team, getting balance from up and down the lineup. Ianiero and Long are both hitting .571 (4-for-7) on the year, with Long also knocking in three runs and walking four times, while Sean Hughes has four runs batted in. After the series finale with the Panthers in the Bay City Tuesday, the Jays get South Brunswick at home, then away, in a Thursday-Saturday two-game set.
  • South Brunswick: New head coach and veteran GMC skipper Lou Urbano has brought a new mindset to the Vikings, and so far, all is looking good at 3-0. They scored a combined 21 runs in their season-opening series against Perth Amboy, which included a 13-2 home win Tuesday, and a n 8-6 road win Thursday. Then, it was a pitchers’ duel Saturday as the Vikings beat Sayreville at home, 1-0, behind four no-hit, shutout innings from starter Collin Perna in his second start of the season. The senior also got the win in Game One against Amboy, and in 8 2/3 innings pitched, has 14 Ks, six walks, and has allowed just three hits and one earned run. The Vikings close out the series with the Bombers in Sayreville Tuesday, before opening a road-home set with Middlesex Thursday and Saturday.

Blue Division

  • Carteret: Off to its best start since 2023, when they went 5-0, the Ramblers have won their first four, sweeping a pair from GMC Invitational finalist East Brunswick Magnet – 4-3 and 12-6 – then picking up a 13-8 win at North Plainfield Thursday, and am 11-1 non-conference win over Long Branch Saturday. As a team, Carteret is in mid-season form at the plate, hitting a scorching .365 as a group, with seven regulars hitting almost .290 or better. Junior Miles Ferreiras is hitting .533 (8-of-15) with six runs batted in, while freshman outfielder/pitcher Jose Parra has knocked in eight. Their pitching is on the younger side, too, with soph Jayden Luciano throwing two scoreless innings at EB Magnet Wednesday, then going the distance in the five-inning mercy-rule win over Long Branch, allowing just two hits and one earned run, while striking out ten. They finish up the home-and-home with North Plainfield Monday afternoon, then open a two game set with South River on the road Wednesday, and home Thursday.

SOMERSET COUNTY

Immaculata visits Hillsborough in a Skyland Conference Delaware Division game on March 31, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

Skyland Conference, Delaware Division

  • Immaculata: A home-and-home sweep of Hillsborough – 3-0 in their opener on the road Tuesday, then 3-0 again at home Thursday – plus a 5-3 win over West Essex – a North 2, Group 2 semifinalist a year ago – has the Spartans 3-0 after the first week of play. They’re not exactly tearing the cover off the ball – yet – but the pitching has dominated in the early going, allowing just the three runs to West Essex. Immaculata is off for Spring Break this week, then gets back into action with two against Bridgewater-Raritan the week after – home Tuesday at Diamond Nation and just up the road in Bridgewater Thursday, before an 11 am non-conference game Saturday morning against Delsea, which opens its season this week.
  • Ridge: The Red Devils are 3-0 after a trio of wins over all different teams last week. They opened Tuesday with a 7-4 non-league win at West Morris, then came “home” Thursday and beat Montgomery 11-1 out at Diamond Nation in Flemington, before getting past Rutgers Prep Saturday in Basking Ridge 4-0. There are some new names on the mound, as Dimitri Romer got the win against West Morris, while Matt Brievogel and Dillon Henderson picked up league wins; all three are juniors. At the plate, Ridge is hitting .299 as a team, but they’ve also worked out 17 walks in three games, adding in six hit batsmen. Four games are on tape this week, including a league home and home with Hunterdon Central Tuesday and Thursday, bookended by a non-conference home game against Randolph Monday and a Saturday morning visit to Warren Hills.

by Mike Pavlichko

No. 5 Edison forces extras, then walks it off on Lutz single in 8th to top No. 7 South Plainfield 5-4, in wild finish to battle of unbeatens

Early on, even though the home team scratched across a run in the first, it looked like No. 5 Edison and No. 7 South Plainfield would be tangled in a pitchers’ duel on a beautiful Saturday morning on the red turf along the Boulevard of Eagles.

Jayden Jiminez settled in for the Tigers, pitching to contact.  Edison’s Dom Innocenti struck out five of the first six batters he faced.

Eventually, South Plainfield got on the board, taking a 3-2 lead with two runs in the sixth, then adding an insurance run in the top of the seventh to give Tigers a 4-2 advantage.

But Edison scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to send it to extra innings.  And after a one-two-theee top of the eighth by Braydon Roma in relief, Isaiah Lutz drove in the game winner in the bottom of the frame with a single to center with the bases loaded and two out.

Darren Tirado got the offense started, as he led off the bottom of the first with a double to the gap in left, and after a strikeout of Robert Roma, starting pitcher Dom Innocenti – who was throwing heat early and struck out the side in the top of the first – singled to make it 1-0 Edison.

South finally broke through in the top of the fourth.  Aiden McCarthy led with a single, took second during the next at bat, and after Chris Loniewksi struck out,  Andrew Bena singled to right to tie the game at one.

Edison went back in front in the bottom of the fifth.  Connor Murphy led off with a double, a sac bunt moved him to third, and Damien Calendra singled him in to make it 2-1 Eagles.

But South Plainfield went ahead in the sixth. Dom Massaro got hit by a pitch to lead it off, stile second, and came around to score on a double by Aiden McCarthy. Chris Loniewski walked to put runners on first and second for Bena, who grounded to short. Ray Tavarez went to second for the first out, but Connor Murphy’s throw went past first, allowing McCarthy to score, making it 3-2 Tigers. Innocenti would get a pop up and stirkeout to end the inning.

The seventh would bring the Tigers a much-needed insurance run. With one out, Joe Stanzione reached on an infield hit up the middle. Pinch-hitter Mike Fiore walked, so did Massaro, and with the bases loaded, McCarthy knocked in a run to make it 4-2 with sacrifice fly to center. A strikeout ended the inning.

But in the bottom of the seventh, Edison would tie it, with a little bit of controversy. Murphy hit a hard ground ball to third, and reached on a throwing error. Lutz hit a double to drive him in and bring Edison within one. That’s when things got interesting.

Calandra was called on to bunt, and it was fielded by pitcher Jayden Jiminez. But the ball was to the first base side, and by the time he fielded it, he chose to make a tag instead of tossing to first, but the umpires ruled he missed the tag. Tigers’ head coach Scott Gleichenhaus came out to argue, saying not only did Jiminez make the tag, but that Calandra went out of the base path to avoid the tag. The umpires discussed, upheld the call, and Gleichenhaus continued to argue, but to no avail.

The play moved Murphy to third, and with Aidan Kaplan on in relief, Tirado grounded to third, scoring Murphy and tying the game at four. But South Plainfield held there. Robert Roma hit a sharp liner to short, which went off Calandra’s shoulder, and he was called out for interference, then with Innocenti at the plate, Roma was thrown out trying to steal second on the first pitch to end the inning.

Braydon Roma, now in his second inning of relief for Edison, got the Tigers in order in the top of the eighth, and the Eagles’ bats did their thing.

Damian Calandra gives Edison a 2-1 lead over South Plainfield in the fifth inning, driving in Connor Murphy from third on April 4, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

Innocenti led with an infield hit to short, where the throw may have pulled the first baseman off the bag, but he appeared to beat it out anyway. After Sam Kentos struck out, Ray Tavarez was intentionally walked after one pitch, and Kaplan retired Brayden Toma with a strikeout. But by now, Edison had second and third on a pair of wild pitches.

That brought Lutz to the plate, and he quickly roped a single to center, scoring Innocenti, and giving Edison a 5-4 win in eight innings.

Braydon Roma got the win in relief in his first appearance of the season for Edison (3-0), while Adian Kaplan took the loss in relief for the Tigers (2-1)

Cllick below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko with Edison senior Isaiah Lutz and head coach Vinnie Abene, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Defending North 2, Group 3 champs South Plainfield will have much work to do to repeat after mass graduations in key spots

This time of year, high school baseball teams throughout New Jersey are figuring out who will replace their graduated seniors for the upcoming season. Maybe a pitcher or two here, or a hitter or two there.

South Plainfield will have to face more than most.

Getting some measure of redemption after a tough, late-inning loss to Ramapo in the North 2, Group 3 finals in 2024, the Tigers took the title last season, beating Colonia in the final, with a veteran group.

Now, much of that core is gone.

Of their top four pitchers by innings thrown, three are gone – Kevin Penny, Mike Castagna, and Ryan Balent – while Aiden McCarthy (1.34 ERA in 52 1/2 innings pitched) and Jayden Jiminez (2.29 ERA, 18 1/3 IP) are back.

On defensive alignment, head coach Scott Gleichenhaus will have to replace catcher Steve Studlack, as well as his middle infield combo of shortstop Dan Kapsch (.323, 24 RBI) and second baseman Nick Irizzary (.3878. 17 RBI). His corner infielders, David Butrico in left, Balent in right) are also gone.

Then again, with a real blue collar group, some is bound to step up. McCarthy will be in the lineup everyday at first base if he’s not on the mount, and he hit .297 last year with 25 RBIs to led the team.

And the Tigers also will look to senior Dom Massaro for major contributions and leadership. Massaro, CJSR’s Special Teams Returner of the Year in football, hit .394 last year – best among the regulars – knocked in 20 runs and stole 38 bases, good for No. 2 on the team last season.

Click below to hear South Plainfield head coach Scott Gleichenhaus talk about the Tigers’ upcoming 2026 season with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko: