Tag: Spotswood

by Mike Pavlichko

Piscataway Magnet earns program’s first win in GMC Championship Tournament, outlasting JFK 10-5; Spotswood, Sayreville, South River all advance to Monday’s first round

The “open” format of the Greater Middlesex Conference baseball tournament ended in 2019, when the league split its signature event into the Championship Bracket – now known as the Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament – and the Invitational, now named for former East Brunswick Tech (now Magnet) AD and coach Ray Cipperly.

Now in its seventh year, Piscataway Magnet – having its best year program history – not only made the championship bracket for the first time ever with a record of 18-1, and a Gold Division title (12-0) under its belt, but on Saturday, they picked up their first win ever in the championship tournament.

The 17th-seeded Raiders were 10-5 road winners at 16th-seed JFK in Saturday morning’s preliminary round, making them 19-1. And it may even be their first win ever in a GMC championship bracket – open or otherwise – with the only other victory we could find in readily available online records being a 5-2 decision over Perth Amboy Magnet in the first round of the 2023 Invitational.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko with Piscataway Magnet head coach Greg Sampson and junior pitcher Kyla Malchiodi:

Each team scored twice in the first inning, then the Raiders got one in the top of the second and the Mustangs (6-14) got one in the bottom of the third to make it 3-3 heading into the top of the fourth, when as it turns out, Piscataway Magnet would get all the runs it needed. Kyle Malchiodi drove in a run with a sac fly, Vincent Canavan scored on a wild pitch, and Elvis Rodriguez hit a ground ball to short, reaching on an error, scoring two more runs to make it 7-3 Raiders.

Piscataway Magnet junior Kyle Malchiodi pitches against JFK in the GMC Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament preliminary round on May 9, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

For good measure, Piscataway Magnet picked up three more insurance runs in the top of the seventh. Freshman Trey Lyerly drove in two with a hard single to left, and Malchiodi singled to drive in another run, making it 10-3.

Back out on the mound to try and finish it off in the home seventh, Malchiodi gave up a single and a walk, then another single scoring two runs, cutting the lead to 10-5. Head coach Greg Sampson went to the bullpen and brought in Brody Guthrie, who walked one to put runners at first and second.

That’s when things got interesting.

Myles Ulaki took a 2-2 pitch, getting hit on the elbow. But the home plate umpire quickly stepped in and said Ulaki leaned over the plate with his elbow, and called him out for the first out of the inning.

After a brief argument – to no avail – Michael Rosales came up, and swung and missed at a 1-2 pitch for the second out. Catcher Colton Lyerly dropped the ball, but with runners on first and second, Rosales couldn’t run down to first. But Lyerly saw the runner on second, Fremy Peralta, far off the bag, threw down, and the tag applied by his younger brother, Trey, ended the game.

The victory sends Piscataway Magnet into Monday’s first round, where they will visit top-seed Edison (14-5), with first pitch set for 4 pm.

OTHER PRELIMINARY ROUND RECAPS:

(13) Spotswood 11, (20) North Plainfield 1: The Chargers (11-11) scored early and often in a five-inning ten-run rule win over the Canucks (16-7). Spotswood scored in every inning, starting with five in the first, highlighted by a two-RBI Ryan Orth double and a two-RBI single from Sebby Saracino. They picked up four more in the fourth, two in the third, and one in the fourth, not needing to bat in the bottom of the fifth with a 10-1 lead.

Starter Jack Korneski was efficient, going four innings with six strikeouts, no walks, allowing just one unearned run; he needed only 46 pitches to do it. Jack Abrams needed just seven pitches to lock it down in the fifth.

The win gives Spotswood just its second win streak of the year in an up-and-down season, after having won four straight in mid-April. They advance to Monday’s first round, where they will play at fourth-seed Metuchen (14-5), which swept two White Division games from the Chargers this season: 10-2 on April 4 and 4-0 on April 7.

(14) Sayreville 6, (19) Carteret 1: The Bombers had a 6-0 lead – with a run each in the first and second and two each in the fourth and fifth – before the Ramblers (14-4) could get on the board. Logan Kaufman went 1-for-3 with two RBI, both coming on a single to left in the fourth, while also tossing six four-hit innings, allowing one unearned run, striking out five to improve to 3-4 on the season..

Sayreville improves to 9-10 on the season and will travel to Old Bridge Monday at 4 pm to face the third-seeded Knights for the first time this season. Old Bridge has won two straight against the Bombers, including a 6-5 regular season game last year, and a 4-0 decision in 2024 in the Central Jersey Group 4 quarterfinals.

(15) South River 5, (16) JP Stevens 2: The Rams (16-5) got another solid start from Jullien Borusevic, who needed just 76 pitches to go the distance, allowing just two runs – one unearned – while striking out three to improve to 4-3 on the season.

South River took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first, on a two-RBI Burosevic double and a Noah Barrero single. But Stevens (13-7) cut the deficit to 3-2 in the top of the second, the first run coming on an error of a bunt play, the other on a sacrifice fly by Soham Prajapati.

But the Rams came right back with two more in the bottom of the third, on a Noah Barrero single and a Brendan Lell fielder’s choice. Borusevic would only allow three more JP baserunners the rest of the game, on two singles, and an error.

South River will go on the road in the first round Monday at 4 pm, facing second-seed Middlesex (18-2), which won a regular season game Saturday, topping Rutgers Prep 7-1.

MONDAY’S FIRST ROUND SCHEDULE:

  • (17) Piscataway Magnet at (1) Edison
  • (9) Monroe at (8) Colonia
  • (12) St. Joseph-Metuchen at (5) South Plainfield
  • (13) Spotswood at (4) Metuchen
  • (14) Sayreville at (3) Old Bridge
  • (11) East Brunswick at (6) Woodbridge
  • (10) South Brunswick at (7) St. Thomas Aquinas
  • (15) South River at (2) Middlesex

by Mike Pavlichko

Spotswood’s 2nd annual E4M Showcase features top-notch squads to raise money for scholarship in memory of former teammate Matthew Carlson

None of the members of the Spotswood baseball team played in high school with Matthew Carlson, but they all know his name, and pay tribute to him every home game by going out to touch third base – his position – after they break their team huddle.

On Saturday, they will honor him again – and raise money for a scholarship that goes to an SHS student in his name – as part of the second annual E4M Showcase at the place Charger fans affectionately call “The Swamp.”

“E4M” means “Everything for Matt.” Carlson was just 16 years old when he was tragically killed in an ATV crash down in Georgia on Thanksgiving in 2022. A sophomore at the time, he had already lettered in baseball, and also played basketball. Steve Mate’s Chargers put his jersey on the end of the bench at every home game that season.

Carlson would have graduated last year.

Matthew Carlson’s No. 20 jersey sits at the end of the bench in his memory. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

The event is a jumping off point to raise money for a scholarship that’s given out to a Spotswood High School senior. Donations can be made through Venmo to the account @E4Mscholarshipfund.

And the event is a pretty good one, too.

In the 10 am opener, Spotswood (8-9) will look to get back to .500 after taking a 6-0 loss at the hands of Brearley Friday when they host another Union County school, Jonathan Dayton (5-10) out of Springfield.

The 1 pm game will feature Mainland (10-3) out of the Cape-Atlantic League taking on St. Peter’s Prep (11-6) out of Jersey City, while the 4 pm finale will feature No. 1 Immaculata (11-3) taking on 8th-ranked Old Bridge (9-7).

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Spotswood head coach Glenny Fredricks:

by Mike Pavlichko

No. 4 Middlesex uses solid outing from Long, late offensive outburst to pick up 12-1 win, sweep season-opening series from Spotswood

It was no secret how good the Middlesex baseball team could be this year, coming off a state Group 1 championship with a vast majority of the team coming back.

And in the first two games of the season, the fourth-ranked Blue Jays lived up to that expectation, finishing off a two-game sweep of Spotswood Thursday with a 12-1 road win – heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio to improve to 2-0 on the season.

The game was actually a tight pitchers’ duel for the first five innings. Middlesex took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, as Dylan Ianiero doubled to the warning track in left, then moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a second, which turned out to be ball four to starter Dom Long.

But at least through the fifth, that was it. The Jays threatened a couple of times, while Long no-hit the Chargers through the first five innings, retiring his all of the first 16 batters he faced.

Everything changed in the sixth inning. After a Chris Kozak pop up to short, Diego Marcano walked, and Anthony Melchiorre drove him in with a double to the wall in right. Leadoff hiter Lucas Blanco walked as well, and Dylan Ianiero knocked in Melchiorre with a single. Long walked to load the bases.

Sean Hughes came up and grounded one back to starter Leo Carone, who threw home to get the force. But catcher Dylan Melczer couldn’t handle the throw, it got by him, and two more runs came in to make it 5-0 Middlesex. And after a Marcus Lavornia walk, Devin Jackson knocked in two with an RBI single to make it 7-0.

Spotswood finally broke through in he bottom of the inning. With one out, Carone reached on an infield hit – a hard-hit ball behind the second base bag that Melchiorre fielded, but couldn’t get out of his glove in time to make a play at first – then nine-hitter Mike Palumbo doubled to move Carone to third. He later scored on a sac fly to center by leadoff man Gavin Romeo, but that was all they’d get.

With Carone out of the game for Spotswood, Middlesex added five more in the seventh, with the big highlight a two-run homer by Lucas Blanco, the first of his career.

Carone took the loss for Spotswood, going five innings, allowing eight hits and seven runs, four of them earned. He also struck out four. Long went six innings for Middlesex, allowing two hits and one earned run, striking out eight. Jackson finished off the seventh for the Jays.

Click below for postgame reaction from Middlesex head coach Blaze Iannetti and starting pitcher Dom Long, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

With Cumiskey and Buchan gone, Spotswood leaning on senior trio and young prospects as Middlesex visits

Losing a guy like ace pitcher Casey Cumiskey or Will Buchan, both of whom were among Spotswood’s best hitters a season ago, is tough for any team.

But they’re not all the Chargers lost to graduation after the 2025 season. Six players with 40 ore more at bats are gone from the lineup, and only one – Leo Carone, who only had 14 at bats – hit over .300 on the year.

Don’t get it wrong, veteran head coach Glenny Fredricks isn’t crying in his soup. In fact, he’s excited about a solid core of seniors he has back – second baseman Gavin Romeo, centerfielder Sebby Saracino, and third baseman Ryan Orth – as well as some highly-touted kids from Milltown who decided to stay home, stay public, and play for the Chargers.

All will be on display again as Spotswood loos to earn a split of its season-opening home-and-home with Middlesex, following a 6-1 Opening Day road loss Tuesday. They’ll play Thursday at 3 pm, in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with pregame set for 2:45 as Mike Pavlichko calls all the action; click here to listen.

Those two who stuck with Spotswood rather than a non-public – and they had offers – are Jack Abrams and JoJo Modeste. Abrams will see time at first base, while Modeste is a switch-hitting shortstop with power. Fredricks calls them “help a year early” as they will immediately contribute as freshmen.

Orth is the top hitter back amobg those with more than 40 at bats, swinging it for a .244 average and seven runs batted in. Romeo hit .233 with eight RBIs, while Saracino hit .2176 with nine runs driven in, and a home run, a grand slam which came in a blowout season-opening win last year over South Amboy.

Click below to hear Spotswood head coach Glenny Fredricks talk about the season and Thursday’s game against Middlesex with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

Coming off emotional Opening Day, Middlesex looks to return the favor, sweep Spotswood

To so the Middlesex baseball program – or even the entire town – had a difficult, trying, emotional off-season would be a hideous understatement, and words probably can’t even do it justice.

The death of teammate James Matula in November in a car crash in upstate New York shocked the community, the school, and the baseball program to its core.

Not that you ever put it behind you, but it was surely good to get back on the baseball field in the preseason, but many of those emotions came rushing back Tuesday as the fourth-ranked Blue Jays opened their 2026 season without No. 1, James Matula.

His family was there for an Opening Day ceremony to once again pay tribute to the young man who would have been a senior on a loaded Middlesex team looking to defend its Central Jersey and state Group One championships.

They got through it all, getting on the board early, in a 6-1 home win over Spotswood. Thursday afternoon, they will visit the Chargers for a 3 pm game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with an eye on sweeping the season series, and turning the tables on a Spotswood team that was the only club to beat the Blue Jays twice last season.

You can hear the game live, with pregame at 2:45 and Mike Pavlichko on the call. Click here to listen.

Middlesex loses some key seniors, to be sure, mainly Dom Parenti and Owen Reynolds, but the vast majority of the lineup is back, including top returning hitter Dominc Long (.346, 16 RBI), who also will take the mound Thursday. Long, as a sophomore last season, led the team in innings pitched, and was 12-0 with a 1.37 ERA and 72 strikeouts.

He’s part of a 1-2 punch with Chris Kozak, who last season as a junior was 6-4, but with a 0.90 earned run average.

Click below to hear Middlesex head coach Blaze Iannetti talk about the season and Thursday’s game against Spotswood with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

Central Jersey Sports Radio unveils 2026 High School Baseball Broadcast Schedule featuring a dozen regular season games, plus County, State tourneys

With a dozen regular season games, plus coverage of the GMC and Somerset County Tournaments – as well as state tournament coverage to be announced at a later date – Central Jersey Sports Radio has announced its 2026 high school baseball broadcast schedule.

It all gets started next week, with our opener on Tuesday, March 31 at 4 pm between defending 2025 SCT champion Immaculata and NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 4 winner Hillsborough. Then, after the calendar turns to April mid-week, we get state Group 1 champion Middlesex visiting Spotswood, on Thursday, April 2.

Coverage also includes two regular season games at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater – Montgomery vs Pingry on April 11, and Rutgers Prep against South Plainfield two Saturdays later – as well as the semifinals and finals of the Somerset County Tournament on April 18th and 20th, respectively.

The schedule includes three of last year’s SCT semifinalists, and all four of 2025’s GMC Tournament semifinalists, including a rematch of the title game between Edison and St. Joseph-Metuchen, and a rematch on the Invitational final between New Brunswick and East Brunswick Magnet.

Last year’s North 2, Group 3 winner South Plainfield also is on the schedule, as well as finalist Colonia.

Click here to see the full 2026 broadcast schedule.

by Mike Pavlichko

Dean of GMC Coaches, Steve Mate, claims 500th career victory as Spotswood wins at Dunellen

Spotswood won by 18, Tyler VanLeeuwen scored 17, and the Chargers won their 14th game of the season Thursday.

But the number that really mattered last night was 500.

Spotswood head coach Steve Mate – in his 31st season there behind the bench, and 35th season of coaching overall – won his 500th game when they beat Dunellen, 66-48 at the Faber School.

And the night could be perfectly summed up by this: Mate had no idea.

To be fair, we had talked about it with him earlier in the season, prior to a road game at Highland Park on Central Jersey Sports Radio. That conversation detailed a back-and-forth we had with Athletic Director Mike DelAversano about what Mate’s actual win total was. While it was known beyond a shadow of a doubt what his record is at Spotswood, the four-years he spent at Verona were a question mark, with different numbers reported by different media outlets. A call to the Verona Athletic Department finally cleared it up.

But one would not expect Mate to follow and keep track. That’s just not his way.

But the man they call “Del” knew, so when the final horn sounded, out came the flowers and the balloons, and Mate was taken by surprise.

His overall record now stands at 500-388 – four years with the Hillbillies, nearly 31 complete with the Chargers – and yet, another milestone is right around the corner. He’s 466-339 at Spotswood, and the 500 mark at the school should come up in a couple of years.

Because, as we all know, Steve Mate isn’t going anywhere.

Click below to hear Spotswood head coach Steve Mate talk about his 500th win and 35-year coaching career with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – BOYS: Spotswood 78, Highland Park 43

Getting 21 points from sophomore Tyler VanLeeuwen and 18 more from senior Se’mir Tolbert-Brimage, Spotswood pulled away after a tight first half to a 78-43 win in a Greater Middlesex Conference crossover game at Highland Park.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Dylan Allen call all the play-by-play from Highland Park High School on January 20, 2026.

by Mike Pavlichko

Spotswood pulls away in second half for 78-43 win over Highland Park behind VanLeeuwen’s 21

Last season, Spotswood head coach Steve Mate called newcomer Tyler VanLeeuwen a freshman sensation.

“I see big things for him,” said veteran head coach Steve Mate.

His sophomore year? He’s even better, and what’s best is he knows there’s still a lot of room for improvement.

VanLeeuwen scored 21 points Tuesday night – ten above his average and five shy of a career high he just set Saturday against JFK – in a 78-43 road win over Highland Park in a GMC crossover game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

And he did it almost entirely on two-point field goals, with one three, and a trio of foul shots.

The game was tight early, with two lead changes in the first half, and Highland Park had a three-point lead as they bombed away from three. Evangelinos Kambitsis had 12 first-half points, all from downtown, and of their eight first-half field goals, seven were from beyond the arc, many from two or more feet behind the line.

But Spotswood took an 18 point lead into halftime, 48-30, and never looked back, clamping down on defense in the second half. The Owls only had three triples the rest of the way as the Chargers extended their defense.

Se’mir Tolbert-Brimage finished with 18 and Leo Carone added 15, including three treys. Spotswood (8-6) now has won four straight, their best stretch of the year as they jockey for position in the Central Jersey Group 2 power point standings.

Kambitsis was high scorer for the Owls (4-12) with 16, while Cooper Ballentine added 11, chipping in three treys himself.

While the two former GMC Blue Division rivals hadn’t played in four years, it was the Chargers’ eleventh straight win against Highland Park, dating back to January of 2012.

The victory also was the 494th of Steve Mate’s 35-year coaching career. He was 34-49 in four years at Verona before landing in Spotswood for the 1995-96 season, amassing a 460-335 record. The Dean of GMC coaches is now 494-384 overall.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko with head coach Steve Mate and sophomore Tyler VanLeeuwen, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!