Nico Moore pitched a complete-game three-hitter, while six different Panthers drove in runs as fifth-seed Bridgewater-Raritan was a road winner at four-seed JP Stevens in the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 sectional quarterfinals.
READ THE FULL GAME STORY HERE!
Click below to listen to Alec Crouthamel call all the play-by-play live from JP Stevens High School in North Edison on May 22, 2026.
We started with 32, and after two rounds, we’re down to seven. (At least among the publics.)
Seven teams are all that remain from the Greater Middlesex and Skyland Conferences after the first round and quarterfinals of the NJSIAA state tournament, and all will have an opportunity to reach the section finals in their respective sections next Friday, if they can win semifinal games next week.
Only one team remains in Central Jersey Group 4, where top-seed old Bridge advanced, but fifth-seed Monroe lost, on the eve of their meeting in the Jim Muldowney GMC Tournament championship game Saturday at Ray Cipperly Field in East Brunswick. First pitch of that game is at noon with Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe calling the action. Pregame is set for 11:40, and you can either listen to the game on Central Jersey Sports Radio the usual way, or watch our live YouTube stream by clicking here.
In other sections, second-seed Piscataway Magnet earned its 25th win – for the second straight state tournament game in walk-off fashion – leading the Raiders into one semifinal, while top-seed Middlesex won again by the mercy rule and also will play for a title game berth.
Top-seed Ridge, third-seed Watchung Hills and fifth-seed Bridgewater-Raritan advanced in North 2, Group 4 action, making it three of four teams in the semifinals from the Skyland Conference Delaware Division, while defending North 2, Group 3 champion South Plainfield also moved on to the semis in its section, and will seek a third straight trip to the finals.
Scroll through for section-by-section game recaps, interviews, links and more, followed by the schedule for the next round – which resumes next week after a weekend break – for the non-public sections (Tuesday) and publics (Wednesday).
CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 4
(1) Old Bridge 8, (8) Freehold Twp. 0: The Knights (20-8) got a complete game, one-hit shutout from Mason Mule, who only needed 66 pitches to get through seven innings, facing the minimum 27 batters, despite only striking out three. In fact, the only hit he allowed was a third-inning single by Julian Polo, who was thrown out at second by right fielder Michael Chiarella when he tried to turn it into a double.
Old Bridge got two RBI’s apiece from Nicholas Agonstino and Matt Chin, while Jared Volpe scored twice. They went up 1-0 in the second on an Adrian Lutomski double, then got two more in the fourth when Chiarella, with the bases loaded, lined a ball to short, but an error allowed two runs to score. And while that was all they’d need, the Knights added four more for insurance in the fourth, and one more for good measure in the fifth.
Perhaps the biggest thing about Mule’s performance is that head coach Matt Donaghue elected not to go with his top pitcher, Brady Meyer, and it paid off. That leaves Meyer in line to start the GMC Final Saturday afternoon against Monroe. (See the Falcons’ game summary from today for their pitching situation.) And he could come back Wednesday in the semifinals if he throws under 90 pitches Saturday, or in a potential final Friday regardless of his Saturday pitch count.
(4) Hightstown 10, (5) Monroe 2: The Falcons (14-14) were down 2-0 early in this one, as the Rams (18-7) scored twice in their first at bat, on a bases loaded single to center by Dylan Stables and a bases loaded ground out by Manny Gonzalez. And Monroe kept Highstown in check until the fourth, when they exploded for eight runs to take a 10-0 lead. That chased starter Aadi Shah from the game after 3 2/3, allowing seven hits and seven runs, only four of them earned.
With neither Ben Faigin nor Andre Love pitching in the game, both are available to Saturday in the GMC final against Old Bridge, with nearly their full complement of pitches: Faigin will be capped at 105 and Love at 96.
(7) Jackson Twp. 12, (15) Franklin 0 (5 inn.): The Warriors (8-12) got nine hits through five innings, but failed to get anything across in a mercy-rule shortened game. The Jaguars (12-15) took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, but piled on eight runs in the second – aided by three Franklin errors – and added three more in the fourth. Dylan Shah, Mason Bonds, Shayne Rooney and Christian Jacas each had two hits in the losing effort.
CENTRAL JERSEY GROUP 1
(1) Middlesex 11, (8) South Hunterdon 1 (6 inn.): The Blue Jays (22 -5) look very much like the team that won the Group 1 state championship last year, and might even be better. Once again, it was Dominic Long on the mound, striking out six and allowing just five hits and one earned run in six innings of work.
Middlesex never trailed in the game, but they did find themselves tied 1-1 heading into the home second inning. But they took the lead back with one in the second, the first of ten unanswered runs over the final five innings. After taking a 2-1 edge into the third, they scored two in the third, then got three more in the fifth and walked it off with a five-spot in the bottom of the sixth.
Dylan Ianiero and Chris Kozak each drove in two runs, while Long scored three times, and Ianiero and Marcus Lavornia each scored twice.
The Blue Jays will host 5-seed Shore (19-8) next Wednesday in the semifinals, but the Blue Devils first have the Monmouth County Tournament Ted Jarmusz Division title game at 4 pm Monday at Colts Neck.
(2) Piscataway Magnet 5, (10) Delaware Valley 4 (9 inn.): For the second straight game in the state tournament, the Raiders won 5-4 in their final at bat, this time needing two extra innings to prevail. Freshman shortstop Trey Lyerly drove in Vincent Canavan with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth, after Canavan walked to leadoff the inning and stole second to get into scoring position. You can read the full game story, complete with postgame audio from Lyerly and head coach Greg Sampson at the link.
The Raiders (25-3) will face third-seed Point Pleasant Beach (16-6) – a CJ1 finalist last year and the winners of three straight sectional titles before that – Wednesday in the semifinals, back at home.
(5) Shore 4, (4) Metuchen 0: The Bulldogs’ season ends at 19-8, as the Blue Devils managed five hits and four runs (three earned) off starter James Fenton in his six innings of work, getting two runs in the second and adding two more in the fifth for insurance. Metuchen managed just four hits off Blue Devils’ (19-8) starter Ryan Barham, who struck out seven and walked just one.
NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 4
(1) Ridge 10, (8) Phillipsburg 0 (6 inn.): The Red Devils (17-0) jumped on Phillipsburg (14-10) with four runs in the bottom of the first, then walked it off with three in the bottom of the sixth to end the game by mercy rule.
Lucas Grob and Jake Dolan stroked back-to-back one-out singles in the first, and another by Casey Kucerka got Ridge all the runs they turned out to need. After a walk to Casey Kucerka, Dimitri Romer singled score two, and Aiden Kerrigan hit a sac fly to right to make it 4-0.
Kucerka drove in three runs for Ridge, while Grob and Dolan each had two RBIs. Romer went all six innings for the win, striking out five, scattering just three hits to improve to 5-2 on the season.
The Red Devils will meet Skyland Delaware foe and five-seed Bridgewater-Raritan (13-16) in the semifinals – a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio – next Wednesday at 4 pm. The teams split their two game set this year, both winning by 4-3 scores.
(5) Bridgewater-Raritan 10, (4) JP Stevens 0 (5 inn.): The Panthers (13-6) have now won four of their last six after a mercy-rule win over the Hawks, their second by the run rule in two state tournament games. Nico Moore got the win, allowing just four hits in his five innings of work. Read Alec Crouthamel’s game story, and hear postgame reaction from Nico Moore, Michael Lobosco and head coach Max Newill at the link.
The Panthers will visit top-seed Ridge Wendesday at 4 pm in the semifinals, in a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Ridge and Bridgewater split their two game set this year, each winning by a 4-3 score.
(3) Watchung Hills 8, (6) Westfield 6: The Hustlin’ Warriors hung on for dear life in this one, nearly seeing an 8-1 lead after five innings slip away.
Westfield led 1-0, opening the scoring in the top of the fourth on an RBI single by Andrew Lisnok, but Watchung Hills took the lead in the bottom of the inning. After a walk and hit batsman to lead off the inning, pinch-hitter David Begarney singled to tie the game. Brody Girffith stole home for the second run, and Jacob Jaconski makde it 4-0 with a line drive single to left.
Then, it was a five-spot in the fifth. Max Payne led off, reaching on an error on the shortstop, Landon Pudlak Walked, and Griffith reached on a bunt down the third-base line. After BRady Simo popped out – with the infield fly in effect – Bennett Dealaman reached on a fielder’s choice to make it 5-0 Warriors. A walk to pinch-hitter Lucas Ricci loaded the bases again, and a Jaconski walk scored the sixth run.After another fielder’s choice, this one by Stef DeGeronimo, Rob Centamore singled to drive in two, giving Watchung Hills what looked like a commanding lead.
But, Westfield would chip away. They got a two in the top of the sixth on and RBI single by Jack Doherty and a two-RBI double by Liam Sullivan to make it 8-4. And they came back for more in the seventh. After a leadoff error, a groundout, another error and a walk, Max Payne came in for Hills and walked Doherty to make ti 8-3, then gave up a single to Alex Lawrence to score two and make it 8-5. All that came with one out, but Payne then induced a pop up for the second out, and fanned Owen O’Connor on strike three swinging to end the game.
The Warriors will travel up to second-seed Bayonne (21-8) to play the Bees in the semifinals next Wednesday afternoon.
(2) Bayonne 3, (10) Woodbridge 1: The Barrons’ season ends at 16-11, dropping a pitchers’ duel in Hudson County Friday afternoon in which Woodbridge actually outhit their hosts, 5-3. The Bees opened the scoring in the first on a groundout by Cody Guthrie, and Woodbridge tied it in the fifth with a double by Hogan Boyd. But Bayone got two to go ahead for good in the bottom of the inning, one on an error on a grounder to Gavin Slicner off the bat of Brayden O’Connor, and another on a sac fly to center by Carmelo Isler.
NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 3
(4) South Plainfield 7, (5) North Plainfield 0: Andrew Bena – the second half of a formidable 1-2 starting pitcher punch for the Tigers (16-11) was outstanding, allowing just four hits while striking out ten in a six-inning effort. Jayden Jiminez closed it out.
South Plainfield got on the board with four runs in the bottom of the second. Andrew Cicenia and Ed Bundzinski opened with back-to-back singles, and after a strikeout, Andrew Burns walked, and Joe Stanzione cleared the bases with a double to make it 3-0. Stanzione scored after a second strikeout when Aiden McCarthy hit the ball to second and reached on an error.
The defending North 2, Group 3 champion Tigers – who added another run in the fourth and two more int he sixth for insurance – move on to play at top-seed Chatham (20-6) Wednesday in the sectional semifinals.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
Tuesday, June 3 (all games 4 pm unless otherwise noted)
Non-Public North B Semifinals
Non-Public South A Semifinals
Wednesday, June 4 (game times TBA)
Central Jersey Group 4 Semifinals
Central Jersey Group 1 Semifinals
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 Semifinals
North Jersey, Section 2 Semifinals
Thursday, June 5: Non-Public Sectional Finals (at higher seeds)
Friday, June 6: Public Sectional Finals (at higher seeds)
For a group that has been tight-knit their entire careers, freshman Trey Lyerly fit right in.
And after Friday afternoon’s Central Jersey Group 2 semifinal game, he’s now officially a hero.
After a leadoff, five-pitch walk by Vincent Canavan in the bottom of the ninth, then a stolen base with Lyerly at the plate, the shortstop singled to drive him in from second with the game-winning run, setting off a wild celebration, and giving second-seed Piscataway Magenet a 5-4 win over ten-seed Delaware Valley in the Central Jersey Group 1 quarterfinals.
The Raiders’ first-round win over Henry Hudson Monday – also by a 5-4 score, and in walk-off fashion, with a four-run bottom-of-the-seventh – is believed to be their first ever, at least as far as head coach Greg Sampson has been able to figure out by combing through records and talking to former players and coaches. If that was the first, that would make this just the second.
And now, they are one win away from the title game. Next Wednesday, they’ll be in the semifinals, hosting third-seed and perennial contender Point Pleasant Beach (16-6). The Garnet Gulls have made the last five CJ1 title games, winning three straight from 2022 through 2024.
Piscataway Magnet (25-3) took a 3-0 lead in its first at bat. Canavan walked on four pitches, then Lyerly singled, and after a strikeout of Kyle Malchiodi, Colton Lyerly – Trey’s older brother, a junior – walked to load the bases. Derek Mejias then singled to center on a 1-1 pitch to score two, and a groundout by Elvis Rodriguez made it 3-0 Raiders.
Del Val would take a 4-3 lead in the top of the fourth. After two singles to start the winning, a walk loaded the bases and another drove in the first run. A fielder’s choice and an error allowed two more runs to score, and the fourth came in on a passed ball.
After that, Jack Garrison came on in relief, and threw the final five innings, allowing just four hits and no runs, giving the Raiders a chance to come back.
And they did, tying the game 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth on a one-out single by Adam Morales, driving in pinch-hitter Rodhen Santos, who walked to leadoff the inning.
Then the teams played scoreless until Magnet walked it off in the ninth.
Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko with Piscataway Magnet freshman Trey Lylerly and head coach Greg Sampson:
There was an “immaculate inning” in the second, and it wasn’t a perfect game, but it was pretty close.
Rutgers Prep senior Li Perez allowed just one-hit and struck out 15 Pope John hitters Thursday afternoon in Non-Public North B quarterfinal action, as the second-seeded Argonauts (17-7) routed the 10th-seeded Lions 16-0 in a five-inning, ten-run rule win. All 15 outs recorded by Perez coming via strikeout. And he did it with just 59 pitches thrown.
Meanwhile, the offense pumped out its second-biggest run total of the year, one shy of the 17 Rutgers Prep scored in a 17-10 win over Union Catholic in the Autism Awareness Challenge on April 17th. Fellow senior Maddox Chu drove in five runs on a 2-for-2 day, which included a three-run homer to center in the first inning, and a two-run homer to right in the second, giving the Argos an 8-0 lead they would extend to 10-0 by the time the inning was over.
And just to make sure the ending was not in doubt, Rutgers Prep added a five-spot in the third, and one more in their final at bat, in the fourth, just for good measure.
The Argonauts move on to the North B semifinals next Tuesday, where they’ll play third-seed St. Thomas Aquinas in a Skyland Conference-GMC crossover. The Trojans (13-14) were 7-0 winners over Morris Catholic (13-11) Thursday in North Edison, and Louis Rizzolo (9 Ks in 6 innings) and Nikash Patel combined for a one-hit shutout.
Aquinas opened the scoring with three runs in the bottom of the third, and added three more in the fourth and another in the fifth. Patel stole home for the third run in the third, then drove in a run with a single in the fourth. Adrian Sanchez went 3-for-4 with two runs scored.
Non-Public South A:
Top-seed Immaculata (22-5) won its playoff opener Thursday, 7-0 over Paul VI of Haddonfield. The Spartans picked up a run each in the first and second off the bat of Luca Catanzerite – with a solo home run to right (his second of the year) to leadoff the bottom of the first, then a groundout in the second – before exploding for five in the third, all coming with two outs. Bryson Auten had the big blow in that inning, a three-run homer for his third of the season.
His older brother, Ryan, struck out 14, and allowed just one-hit in a complete-game shutout, to improve to 7-1 on the season.
The Spartans will host fifth-seed Christian Brothers Academy (17-8), in the first meeting between the teams in 15 years, at Diamond Nation in Flemington next Tuesday in the semifinals. CBA beat four-seed Union Catholic 9-2 in Thursday’s quarterfinals.
On the other side of the bracket, 10-seed Pingry (11-15) lost 8-0 down at second-seed St. Augustine (20-7). The Hermits did their damage early, with one in the first and three in the second, then another in the third and three more in the fourth. The Big Blue were held to three hits by Aug’s starter Alex Weingartner, who went five innings, with two other relievers combining for two innings of no-hit ball.
UPCOMING SCHEUDLE:
Friday, May 29 (all games 4pm unless otherwise noted)
Central Jersey Group 4 Quarterfinals
Central Jersey Group 1 Quarterfinals
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 Quarterfinals
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 Quarterfinals
Tuesday, June 3 (all games 4 pm unless otherwise noted)
Non-Public North B Semifinals
Non-Public South A Semifinals
The first round of the NJSIAA state baseball playoffs had a number of intriguing matchups, but there were probably more surprises than anyone bargained for.
Starting with the top-seeds, Middlesex and Ridge rolled, but Jim Muldowney GMC Championship Tournament finalist Old Bridge – the top-seed in Central Jersey Group 4 – survived with a 1-0- win, as did their opponent in this Saturday’s county final, Monroe.
Meanwhile, second-seed Edison – still reeling from injury issues with its starters – got upset in the first round by 15-seed Franklin, 5-4, while North Plainfield won its first playoff game in 15 years, and JP Stevens won its first in seven, in its first home game since 2019 as well.
Piscataway Magnet also got its first playoff win in at least a quarter century, maybe more. (More on that later.)
Here’s a rundown of every section in which Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area teams played – although one, Hillsborough at Jackson in CJ4 was postponed to Thursday due to rain – along with the upcoming schedule for Thursday’s non-public sectional quarterfinals, and Friday’s public sectional quarters.
Central Jersey Group 4:
The big story here was second-seed Edison (19-8) going down, 5-4, to 15-seed Franklin (8-11). The Eagles came into the season with three Division 1 starting pitchers: Connor Murphy (Monmouth) and Dom Innocenti and Rob Roma (Wagner). Those last two, however, have been limited over the last month or so, with Roma limited to under 40 pitches a game most of the year and Innocenti having not pitched in a month. Ray Tavarez took the first round start, and gave up five runs – though only two were earned – and eight hits in 6 1/3 innings, and took the hard-luck loss as the defense committed three errors. As big a loss as it was for the Eagles, it was a huge win for Franklin, and you can read more about that game from Alec Crouthamel, who also talked with first-year head coach Grant Neary after the game.
GMCT finalist and CJ4 top-seed Old Bridge (19-8) escaped with a 1-0 home win over 16-seed East Brunswick, taking the rubber match of three meetings this year. Chris Crosta’s single in the third inning drove in the lone run of the game. And the other of Saturday’s GMCT finalists – CJ4 fifth-seed Monroe (14-13) – also escaped with a 1-0 win, this one over 12-seed Montgomery, and on a walk-off. After a single by Tyler Bacon to start the home seventh, a sac bunt by Rob Profaci, another single from Justin Mangano, and an intentional walk to Ben Faigin loaded the bases, Alex Marcus got hit on the very next pitch, bringing home Bacon with the winning run.
Of note were the starting pitchers. Old Bridge went with Blake Dunleavy, who threw 6 2/3 innings of four-hit shutout ball. Brady Meyer finished it off, but just threw eight pitches, so he would have 110 in the tank for either Friday’s quarterfinal home game against eight-seed Freehold Twp., or Saturday’s noon GMCT title game against Monroe. The Falcons mixed it up with their two aces. Ben Faigin started and went three innings, throwing 45 pitches and striking out six. Andre Love finished it off and allowed just one hit, also striking out six, throwing just 54 pitches. That means Faigin could come back Friday – in the quarterfinals at four-seed Hightstown – or Saturday in the GMCT final, and throw 105 either day (but not both), while Love would have to rest Friday, but could come back Saturday in the GMCT title game and would have 96 pitches available.
Central Jersey Group 2:
Sixth-seed South River (17-10) fell before 4-0 before they could even get on the board, scoring their lone run in the bottom of the second on a Travis Maloney ground ball to third, with an error on the play allowing Noah Barrero to score. But that was all they’d get, as the Ravens scored no more than two runs in any inning, but did so in every inning but the third. The Rams were held to just three hits.
And ninth-seed Spotswood (14-13) saw its season end with a 4-1 loss at eight-seed Allentown. Brady DeStefano had a 3-for-4 day and drove in the lone run for the Chargers, who committed four errors, although only one of the four runs allowed by losing pitcher Jack Korneski was unearned.
Those were the only two CJSR-area teams in the section.
Central Jersey Group 1:
Top-seed Middlesex (21-5) rebounded from a 7-1 regular season tune-up loss to South Plainfield with a first-round laugher, scoring 21 runs in their 21st win of the season to defeat 16-seed Highland Park (5-17) by the final of 21-1. Sean Hughes led the offensive onslaught with a 4-for-5 day and four RBI and three runs scored, while Luke Jones scored four times and Lucas Blanco was 2-for-2 with three runs batted in. The Blue Jays also worked out nine walks, while senior Chris Kozak got the start and threw 50 pitches in four innings, striking out seven, walking one in a two-hit effort. The Blue Jays get eight-seed South Hunterdon (12-10) in Friday’s quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, fourth-seed Metuchen (19-7) advanced with a 12-2 five-inning win over 13-seed Somerset Tech (11-10). Lucas Malamung and Jon Nugent – who got the win – combined on a two-hitter in the win; Malamung gave up both runs, but they were unearned. Nugent, Sean Dereka and Mason Messina each knocked in three runs for the Bulldogs, who will host five-seed Shore Friday in the quarterfinals.
And on the other side of the bracket, two-seed Piscataway Magnet topped 15-seed Henry Hudson, 5-4, in what is believed to be its first playoff win since at least the 1990s, according to head coach Greg Sampson – who tells CJSR he’s still researching it at press time! And they almost didn’t get it, as the Raiders (24-3) trailed the Admirals (8-11) 4-1 heading into the final inning. But they got four runs in the seventh. After getting within a run, Colton Lyerly hit a sac fly to score his brother, Trey, and tie the game at 4-4. That left runners at the corners after an Elvis Rodriguez single moved Kyle Malchiodi to third, and an infield error on a grounder by Rodhen Santos brought home Malchiodi for a 5-4 win, and the first walk-off victory of the season for Piscataway Magnet, which now will host 10-seed Delaware Valley (12-8) Friday afternoon in the quarterfinals.
In other games, 12-seed Manville (9-14) was shutout at five-seed Shore, 4-0, while 14th-seed South Amboy (9-11) got walked-off in five by third-seed Point Pleasant Beach, 10-0, and sixth-seed Dunellen (18-8) lost 11-1 at home to 11-seed Florence.
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4:
All went to chalk here except for one game, with 10-seed Woodbridge (16-10) getting past seven-seed Scotch Plains-Fanwood (14-12) on the road, 8-5. The Barrons led 1-0 after one, but then exploded for a six-spot in the third, and held off the Raiders the rest of the way. Senior Gavin Slicner was 3-for-4 in the win, driving in three, scoring three, and hitting a blast of a home run. He now has 45 hits on the season, setting a new school record, and got his 100th career hit in the win. Nick Lukachyk also homered, hitting a solo shot. The Barrons will travel to second-seed Bayonne Friday afternoon at 4:30 for a quarterfinal game; the Bees (20-8) beat 15-seed Piscataway 5-2 in the opening round.
Top-seed Ridge (16-10) advanced with a 13-3 five-inning win over 16-seed Barringer (5-14) out of Newark. Sawyer Paul drove in a game-high three runs on a 4-for-4 day – all singles – while Casey Kucerka, Toby Nicholson and Colin Newcomb each drove in two runs. Lucas Listen went the distance, scattering six hits and three earned runs over five innings, striking out six. The Red Devils face Skyland Conference foe and eight-seed Phillipsburg (14-9) at home Friday in the quarterfinals.
Five-seed Bridgewater-Raritan – who were 6-14 just three weeks ago – now has won six of its last eight games after blitzing 12-seed Plainfield (14-5) by an 11-0 score in five innings. Starter Jack Braswell got the win, and flirted with a perfect game through 3 2/3 before giving up a two-out single in the fourth. He finished out five innings, allowing just that one hit, striking out eight, and doing it all in just 56 pitches. Read more about the Panthers’ win and hear from head coach Max Newill at the link. The Panthers will visit four-seed JP Stevens (18-8) in the quarterfinals, after the Hawks were 11-2 winners over 13-seed Ferris at home Wednesday. It was their first home playoff game in the states since they hosted Barringer in the first round in 2019, a game they won, and it was their first state playoff win since then, as well. Read more about the Hawks’ big win and hear from head coach Tyler Jackow at the link.
And third-seed and 2026 Somerset County Tournament champion Watchung Hills (16-8) also advanced, picking up a 10-0 five-inning win over Elizabeth (8-17). Landon Pudlak was 5-for-5 with a walk-off three-run homer in the fifth that ended the game with the mercy rule. He also plated runs with a walk in the third and a sac fly in the first. Rob Centamore scattered two hits and struck out nine in five innings to improve to 7-0, and the Hustlin’ Warriors will host six-seed Westfield (14-11-1) Friday in the second round.
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3:
We’re going to get an all-Plainfield surburb quarterfinal matchup in this one Friday, as both fourth-seed South Plainfield and fifth-seed North Plainfield were the only two area teams to advance. The Tigers (15-11) blanked 13-seed JFK (18-8) by a score of 5-0, behind a complete-game, 89-pitch effort from Aiden “The Bull” McCarthy, who allowed just three hits and struck out 12. The Tigers scored in each of the first four innings – one each in the first three, two in the fourth – as Andrew Bena knocked in two runs, while Dom Massaro and McCarthy each scored twice. As for the Canucks, it was their first playoff win in 15 years, a 2-1 win over 12-seed Matawan (9-13-1). Both runs came in the fourth, and it started with Jake Zotollo getting plunked, then a single by Victor Ceda, putting runners at the corners. Ian Lamiera grounded out to short, scoring the first run of the game, and after another groundout, Victor Ceda stole home on a 2-2 pitch to make it 2-0. In the top of the seventh, the Huskies got to within 2-1 after a leadoff single, a couple of stolen bases and a groundout to third, but Bennie Sokolowski – who went the distance, allowing just two hits, fanning nine – got two strikeouts to end the game.
Elsewhere, 8th-seed Colonia (14-10) lost 5-1 at home to nine-seed Middletown North (15-10), cutting a 2-0 deficit in half in the bottom of the sixth only to see the Lions get three in the top of the seventh to take a 5-1 lead they’d hold on to. Sixth-seed Carteret (17-7) was upset at home, 9-6, by 11-seed Summit (9-15-1). And ten-seed Somerville (9-17) was beaten on the road by seven-seed Millburn (13-14), 4-1.
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 1:
The only area team in this section was 11-seed Bernards and the Mountaineers (13-11) were beaten 4-1 by six-seed Lyndhurst on a four-hitter by Tyler Herman, who struck out ten and scattered four hits over seven innings.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
Thursday, May 28 – Non-Public Sectional Quarterfinals (all games 4pm unless otherwise noted)
Non-Public South A
Non-Public North B
Friday, May 29- Non-Public Sectional Quarterfinals (all games 4pm unless otherwise noted)
Central Jersey Group 4
Central Jersey Group 1
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3
In first state playoff home game since 2019, JP Stevens picks up first playoff victory in seven years, with 11-2 win over Ferris
Getting a first round state playoff game at home was one big accomplishment for JP Stevens, a program that hadn’t done so in seven years.
Well, Wednesday night, not only did the fourth-seeded Hawks open the third season with an 11-2 victory over 13th-seed Ferris in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 first round – their first playoff win since 2019 – they’ll get a chance to host a second state game at home Friday afternoon.
They’ll take on fifth-seed Bridgewater-Raritan, an 11-0 winner over 12-seed Plainfield in five innings Wednesday, at home at 4 pm this Friday.
For the previous three years, Stevens (18-8) has been in the boat Ferris (8-19) was in Wednesday: a single-digit win team, playing on the road, no one expecting them to win.
But wth eleven seniors on the club, head coach Tyler Jackow – now in his fourth season – says the program has been building to this moment during his entire tenure, with seniors that were freshman when he came over to North Edison after a season at Perth Amboy Magnet.
To wit, it was senior Nolan Overmyer who had four RBIs against the Bulldogs (who hail from Jersey City, by the way). Senior Arav Patel had three hits on the day. And senior starting pitcher Soham Prajapati went the distance, allowing just four hits and two runs while striking out 13, to give him 102 on the season.
The Hawks were the higher seed Wednesday, expected to win. And everything came together as they planned and hoped.
It’s nice when that works out. One more, and they’re a win away from an appearance in the sectional finals.
Click below to hear JP Stevens head coach Tyler Jackow talk about the win with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:
With a full slate of baseball games on tap Wednesday across New Jersey as the NJSIAA state tournament gets underway for public schools – although a shower could pass through the area, with highs expected around 80 – there are 32 teams from the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area in action.
Here’s a look at the full schedule for today for all sections with area teams participating, as well as Thursday’s non-public sectional quarterfinals. All games are at 4 pm unless otherwise noted.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 27 – PUBLIC FIRST ROUND
Central Jersey Group 4
Central Jersey Group 2
Central Jersey Group 1
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2
THURSDAY, MAY 28 – NON-PUBLIC QUARTERFINALS
Non-Public South A
Non-Public North B
Hard to believe, but it’s already state tournament time in high school baseball.
The county tournaments are (mostly) done – with the GMC still to be decided this coming Saturday after rain throughout Memorial Day weekend – and everyone non-public schools began play on Tuesday afternoon.
Today, we continue a look at each and every matchup involving Central Jersey Sports Radio teams with the 13 qualifiers in three North Jersey, Section 2 sections: Groups 2, 3 and 4. You can catch our Non-Public preview, which dropped Sunday, here. And our preview of the 19 teams in the Central Jersey sections dropped Monday.
NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 4:
(16) Barringer (5-13) at (1) Ridge (15-9), 4 pm Wednesday: Barringer has lost nine of its last ten games – it’s only win in that stretch being a 1-0 win over Belleville in the first round of the Greater Newark Tournament – while the Red Devils are a Somerset County Tournament semifinalist who went 4-5 in the Skyland Conference Delaware Division, with four of those losses coming to the SCT champion Watchung Hills, and two more to runner-up Immaculata, both of whom are now state-ranked. This one really shouldn’t be close, but that’s why they play the games, of course. Guys like Jake Dolan (.435, 32 RBI) and Kieran Callanan (.406, 16 RBI) are killing it at the plate, but the pitching staff needs to cut down on the runs allowed. These teams have no recent history, having not played at least in the last 15 years.
(12) Plainfield (14-4) at (5) Bridgewater-Raritan (11-16), 4 pm Wednesday: Don’t let the Panthers’ record fool you. They’re in a very tough division, and even now at five games below .500 were good enough to reach the Somerset County Tournament semifinals. Plainfield, meanwhile, started the year 7-0, and has won five of six coming in. They’re hitting .325 as a team, better than BR’s .288, and have a team ERA that’s a little more than a point lower, but the Panthers play a more challenging schedule, which is why they’re seeded as high as five. Bridgewater has the parts to make a run here with still a fairly young squad. These teams also have not met in the last 15 years.
(13) Ferris (8-18) at (4) JP Stevens (17-8), 4:30 pm Wednesday: The Hawks are having a fantastic year, their first time with ten more more wins since 2021. They’ve won six of eight coming into the states, and twice beat a pretty good Carteret team this year with a similar record (17-6). They also swept North Plainfield (now 17-8) to start the year. And they’re led in hitting by two sophomores: Chase Sullivan (.415, 14 RBI) and Collin Casey (.407, 18 RBI), and have gotten some solid pitching from senior ace Soham Prajapati (7-3, 0.92 ERA), who has 89 strikeouts on the year. Ferris, meanwhile, has had an up and down year, only winning back-to-back games once, and that came last week, with wins over Hoboken and McNair. They’re hitting .291 on the year; Stevens is at .344 on the season, with a team ERA of 3.01. Ferris is giving up nearly seven earned runs a game. This is also their first meeting in the last 15 years.
(14) Elizabeth at (3) Watchung Hills, 4 pm Wednesday: This will be the first meeting between the schools since the middle of the last decade, with the Warriors earning wins in 2014 and 2013. But that won’t matter this year. Watchung Hills has two great starting pitchers, including Rob Centamore (6-0, 1.26 ERA), who got the win in the SCT semifinals last Monday over Ridge with a career-high 13 strikeouts, and Lucas Sheehan (6-2, 4.50 ERA), who became the first sophomore to earn a win in the SCT final on Friday when Hills beat top-seed Immaculata, 1-0, for the crown. Jacob Jaconski is the big hitter in the lineup, hitting .458 with 12 RBI, while Rob Centamore delivers the power, with three home runs and 18 RBI. The Minutemen have won two straight heading in, but lost eight in a row before that. The Warriors get the pitching and hitting edge in this one.
(10) Woodbridge (15-10) at (7) Scotch Plains-Fanwood (14-11), 4 pm Wednesday: Here’s another one where the records could be misleading, with Woodbridge playing in the GMC Red Division, the league’s top grouping. And the Barrons went 7-7 with that schedule, rebounding from a 1-5 start to the season to go a solid 14-5 the rest of the way. Gavin Slicner has been an absolute beast for Mike Monaco’s gritty squad, hitting .506 while driving in 29 runs and hitting eight home runs, while stealing 23 bases; the kid does it all. And of the five pitchers who have thrown over 15 innings this year, only one has an ERA over three, and that’s Kevin Arroyo at a highly-respectable 3.11 with a record of 5-2. The Barrons have the hitting and pitching to get this done, and a win would be an upset by seed only. The Raiders won the most recent meeting between the teams, 3-2, two years ago.
(15) Piscataway (11-10) at (2) Bayonne (18-8), 4:30 pm Wednesday: The Chiefs have won five straight heading int the states, most recently a 3-0 decision over Dunellen Friday to win the Ray Cipperly GMC Invitational Tournament. Sumedh Shingala got the start there and could get the ball again here in the first round. Senior Dominick Summonte (.436, 15 RBI) and junior Jason Mann (.432, 20 walks) are the top hitters for the Chiefs going up against a Bees ballclub that won ten of its first eleven games. They’re both hitting in the .280s, but the Bayonne pitchers have been stingy this year, with a team 1.96 earned run average. Whoever gets the ball should present a challenge for Piscataway, going up against a team with a legit shot to win the section.
NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 3:
(9) Middletown North (14-10) at (8) Colonia (14-9), 3 pm Wednesday: The Patriots beat the Lions last year in the sectional quarterfinals, 5-0, behind a 16-strikeout no-hitter from senior Cory Pascarella. But starter Colin Kroner missed a good chunk of May, including the first round of the GMC Tournament, and the Patriots were eliminated in their opening game. He came back this past Saturday – after nearly three weeks on the shelf – to pitch the final inning of a 6-3 win over Dayton, giving up no hits, walking one and striking out one. How much he’ll be available in the stretch run is probably an inside secret at this point, but if not – or if not yet – they’ll have to piece it together, at least for the first round. And that’ll be a challenge against an offensively-blessed team in Middletown North.
(12) Matawan (9-12-1) at (5) North Plainfield (17-8), 4 pm Wednesday: These teams haven’t played at all in the last decade-and-a-half, so no recent history to go off of here. The Canucks have had a great season under first-year head coach Ben Donaghy, whose 17 wins are the most they’ve had in at least a couple of decades. While they’ve lost three of their last five – a combo of crossovers, the GMC tournament, and some non-conference games, they did win nine straight from mid-April through early May, and are led offensively by seniors Jake Zotollo (.438, 21 RBI, 2 HR) and Victor Ceda (.400, 20 RBI), while senior Bennie Sokolowski (7-0, 0.47 ERA) and junior Ian Lameira (5-1, 2.17 ERA) are the kind of one-two punch this kind of tournament is made for, with every other game a week apart. The Huskies, meanwhile, have given up more runs, and are hitting about 40 points lower that North Plainfield, and are coming off the rare tie, 4-4, last Wednesday at Pemberton in a state tournament tuneup.
(13) JFK (7-18) at (4) South Plainfield (14-11) , 4 pm Wednesday: The Tigers won an earlier matchup this season, back on May 7th, as Dom Massaro led an offensive onslaught, going 4-for-4 and hitting for the cycle with three RBIs in a 14-4 win. South Plainfield is coming off a 7-1 win over Middlesex today (Tuesday) and has a very balanced lineup. Hitting .296 as a team, Massaro is smoking the ball, hitting an unheard of .552 on the year, with 25 RBI and two home runs. For the defending champs – who have a chance to win it every year – we’ll see if the Tigers go with “The Bull,” ace Aiden McCarthy, or hold him to the semis and put big Andrew Bena or Jayden Jiminez in to start. Kennedy, meanwhile, was 5-4 smack dab in the middle of April, but has tumbled since, losing 14 of its last 16 games. Senior Grant Lorentzen (.470, 18 RBI) makes the offense go, and is their ace pitcher (4-4 record, but a 1.76 ERA) and this year achieved the rare milestones of reaching 200 career strikeouts as a pitcher and 100 career hits as a batter – in addition to becoming a 1,000-point scorer in basketball.
(11) Summit (8-15-1) at (6) Carteret (17-6), 4 pm Wednesday: This one could be interesting. Besides having no recent history (last 15 years), the Ramblers bounced back nicely from a late-season two-game skid – falling to Colonia and Edison by a combined 22-1 – with an 11-2 thumping of Rahway back on Friday. Carteret is hitting .318 on the year, led by Gatik Nhardwaj (.424, 14 RBI, 1 HR) and Erick Martinez (.407, 15 RBI), both seniors. Somehow, they’ve used just five pitchers all year. Summit, meanwhile, is a tough one to figure. Though they are seven games below .500, if you take out their 1-11 record in the Union County Conference’s Watchung Division, they are 7-4-1 otherwise. Problem is, they’re giving up about two unearned runs per game, and that won’t win you many.
(10) Somerville (9-16) at (7) Millburn (12-14) , 4 pm Wednesday: The only time these two teams have played in the last 15 years was last season, in the sectional quarterfinals, with the Millers taking a 1-0 win on a three-hitter from then-sophomore Leo Dalton. This year, he’s come back down to earth a bit, with his ERA up from 1.77 to 3.76, with a 2-2 record. As for the Pioneers, they’ve had a rough go the last few weeks, losing six straight after a three-game early-May win streak that included a two-game sweep of Montgomery. Senior Jordan Snow leads the way for The ‘Ville offensively, hitting .370 with ten runs batted in. Both teams are hitting around the same, with similar team ERAs around four, but Somerville has scored just 108 runs in 25 games, while Millburn has scored 148 in 26.
NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2, GROUP 2:
(11) Bernards (13-10) at (6) Lyndhurst (15-12), 4 pm Wednesday: The most recent meeting between the teams came in 2021, with the Mountaineers taking a 10-4 decision in the North 2, Group 2 first round. A first round Somerset County Tournament win over Bound Brook had given Bernards a six-game win streak, their longest of the year, but they got shutout 3-0 in the second round by Hillsborough, then lost 7-0 to Phillipsburg, and have lost four of five overall heading into this one. The Mountaineers are a light-hitting club at .245, and are led by Sean Arcelay, a junior hitting .327 with seven runs batted in. James Ferrante (.309) leads the team with three home runs. Lyndhurst, meanwhile, has won two straight, and his hitting a solid .318 as a team, led by seniors Tyler Herman (.442, 29 RBI) and Max Gonzalez (.423, 21 RBI, 2 HR), the Golden Bears’ slugging catcher. Herman also is the ace on the mound, at 5-3, with a 1.58 ERA. Expect him in the opener.
Of the three non-public schools from the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area to begin play in the NJSIAA state tournament Tuesday afternoon, only Pinrgy came out a winner.
The Big Blue advanced in Non-Public South A first round action, while St. Joseph-Metuchen lost in the same section, and Gill St. Bernard’s was ousted in Non-Public North B.
Read through for a rundown of Tuesday’s light action – with many non-public teams getting first round byes – along with all scores, and look ahead for the upcoming schedule in the non-public brackets.
NON-PUBLIC SOUTH A
(10) Pingry 5, (7) Notre Dame 2: On paper, this looked like a winnable game for Pingry – we essentially said so in our preview Sunday – and the Big Blue certainly delivered. Tied at 1-1 after three innings, Pingry scored four times in the final three frames, and survived a threat in the bottom of the seventh.
In the top of the first, a one-out ground out by Aaron Wu scored Riley Wong, who’d led off the game by reaching on an error. But The Irish got it back in the bottom of the third when Tommy Swietek grounded into a fielder’s choice to plate a run and tie the game at one.
Pingry took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth on a sac fly by Shane Varenckas, scoring Zach Zaslow. Then, they went ahead 3-1 in the sixth on a Langston McDonald double to centerfield, bringing home Wu from first.
Then, they got some insurance in the top of the seventh, when three straight batters reached via error. Varneckas hit a ground ball to first that got booted. Pinch hitter Vivaan Gandhi reached on an error by the shortstop, and Wong reached on an error by the third baseman. After Andrew Crowley struck out, Wu hit a ground ball to shortstop that resulted in another error and brought in Wong and Ghandi to make it 5-1.
Notre Dame would threaten in the home half, getting a single, ground out and single before Swietek drove in another run with a single, but reliever Michael Cardona got a fly out and pop out for the final two outs of the game to seal the deal.
Starter Zach Zaslow got the win, scattering eight hits over five innings, striking out three and walking just one.
Next up, the Big Blue visit second-seed St. Augustine (19-7) at 4 pm Thursday in the sectional quarterfinals.
Click below to hear Pingry head coach Anthony Feltre talk about the win with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:
(6) St. John Vianney 10, (11) St. Joseph-Metuchen 7: The Lancers built up a 4-0 lead over the first three innings before the Falcons got two in the top of the fourth on an RBI single by Walter Christian and a passed ball that allowed John Boyke to score. But St. John Vianney got five back in the bottom of the inning to take a 9-2 lead.
St. Joe’s would chip away, though. They got one in the fifth on a sac fly by Luke Baranauskas, but give it right back in the bottom on a home run and trailed 10-3 heading into the sixth. Nick Yacykewych then hit a two-out, two-run homer in the top of the sixth to get it back to 10-5, then scored two more to cut it to 10-7 in the seventh, on a Boyke two-RBI double. But that was as close as they get.
St. Joseph finishes its season at 6-17.
Other results…
NON-PUBLIC NORTH B
(10) Pope John 4, (7) Gill St. Bernard’s 1: The Lions scored twice in the top of the seventh inning to keep the Knights at bay in pulling off the upset. Pope John got a run in the first and another in the fourth to take a 2-0 lead before Gill scored in the bottom of the inning on a Niko West leadoff home run to left. But that was all they would get, as Pope John’s Patrick Black went 6 2/3, allowing just five hits, striking out eleven. And they added two insurance runs in the top of the seventh on a single and a sac fly.
Joey Fava started for Gill St. Bernard’s and allowed just three hits and two unearned runs through five innings of work, striking out six. West pitched the final two innings, allowing one unearned run on three hits, as the Knights’ season ends at 9-12.
Other scores…
UPCOMING NON-PUBLIC SCHEDULE:
Thursday, May 27
Non-Public South A:
(8) Montclair-Kimberley at (1) St. Mary-Rutherford
(5) Morristown-Beard at (4) Newark Academy
(6) Morris Catholic at (3) St. Thomas Aquinas
(10) Pope John at (2) Rutgers Prep, 4 pm
Non-Public North B:
(8) Paul VI at (1) Immaculata (at Diamond Nation, Flemington)
(5) Christian Brothers at (4) Union Catholic
(6) St. John Vianney at (3) Red Bank Catholic
(10) Pingry at (2) St. Augustine, 4 pm
Sure, the Greater Middlesex Conference hasn’t crowned its postseason tournament champion yet, beset by rain all Memorial Day weekend, but it’s time for the NJSIAA State Tournament.
The third season begins today across New Jersey with non-public first round games, while public schools start tomorrow, on Wednesday.
Here’s the schedule for the next three weeks, all the way through the state championship games, which will be held at Rutgers University’s Bainton Field in Piscataway this year.
Non-Public Sectionals (all games at higher seeds):
Public Sectionals (all games at higher seeds):
State Tournament: