Tag: Vinnie Abene

by Mike Pavlichko

Edison’s Connor Murphy earns redemption with no-hitter, striking out 13, in 4-0 GMC Red Division win over St. Joseph

The last time Connor Muprhy threw a pitch against St. Joseph-Metuchen, J.P. Zayle sent it over the left field fence for a grand slam to walk off with the GMC Tournament Championship.

On Tuesday, he got some measure of revenge, with a complete-game, 13-strikeout no-hitter, in a 4-0 win for his 4th-ranked Eagles over the Falcons.

In a game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, Murphy was simply masterful, mixing his fastball, change and breaking ball to keep St. Joe’s off balance. He allowed just four baserunners the entire afternoon – three on walks, one on a fielder’s choice – with two of them caught stealing by catcher Damian Calandra, the second of which erased Davis Labno to end the game.

Edison catcher Damian Calandra lets out a yell after throwing out St. Joseph’s Davis Labno trying to steal second, ending the game, a no-hitter for pitcher Connor Muprhy. (Photo: Nick Hart)

It was a stellar afternoon for the senior, one of three D1 pitchers on the Edison roster; he’s going to Monmouth, while Robert Roma and Dom Innocenti will be heading to Wagner.

After a one-two-three first without a strikeout, Muprhy struck out the side in the second, got two strikeouts each in the third and fourth, struck out the side with a walk mixed in in the fifth, then added two more strikeouts in the sixth, and one in the seventh.

Ironically, it was seven years ago to the day Murphy also threw a no-hitter, when he was 10 years old playing in the Fords Clara Barton Baseball League. And, he had 13 strikeouts in that game as well.

Meanwhile, Edison – which has gotten balanced offense the first two weeks of the season – continued in that vein Tuesday to support Murphy’s stellar performance.

All four RBIs came from the top two-thirds of the lineup, while the first two runs came from the bottom third. Seven of the nine hitters in the order all figured in at least one run, either scoring or by driving them in.

The Eagles (6-1) got on the board in the third after getting just one baserunner on in the first two innings against Paul Rao, who took the loss for St. Joe’s (2-6). Isaiah Lutz led off with a walk, then went to third on a double by Damien Calandra. Leadoff hitter Darren Tirado scored him with a sac fly to center, and after Calandra went to third on a wild pitch, and a strikeout of Robert Roma, Dom Innocenti knocked him in with a single to make it 2-0.

And, after a walk to Sam Kentos, Ray Tavarez hit a ball through the wickets of second baseman Jon Boyke, allowing Innocenti to score and make it 3-0.

The Eagles added an insurance run in the sixth, when Sam Kentos singled to lead off. He went to second on passed ball, to third on a sac bunt by Ray Tavarez, who beat it out for a hit, then scored on a sac fly by DH Brayden Roma.

Click below for postgame reaction from Edison pitcher Connor Murphy and head coach Vinnie Abene with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Edison seeks bounceback after first loss of season when defending GMC Tourney champ St. Joseph visits in finals rematch

It’s great when you start any season 5-0, but how you rebound after that first loss – whenever it happens – may say more about your team than your first five wins combined.

That will be the mindset for the Edison baseball team Tuesday afternoon – who took their first loss of the season, 2-0, at Monroe Saturday – when the fourth-ranked Eagles entertain St. Joseph-Metuchen in a rematch of last year’s Jim Muldowney GMC Tournament championship game.

You can hear the contest live on Central Jersey Sports Radio with pregame at 3:40 and first pitch at 4 pm with Mike Pavlichko and Nick Hart on the call. Click here to listen.

One the one hand, the Eagles would love to forget that GMC title game, but on the other hand, they also want to remember it, the feeling of unfinished business. The Falcons – which had never led in any of their three prior GMC Tournament games last year – never led in that one either.

That is, until JP Zayle hit a first pitch grand slam to left field to win the game 7-4, completing an improbable run.

That lesson will be even more important since St. Joe’s comes into Tuesday’s game at 2-5. They started the year at No. 1 in the Bellamy & Son Paving Preseason Top Ten, but promptly fell all the way out, following an 0-4 start. They took one more loss, but then swept East Brunswick in a home-and-home and now are on a two-game winning streak.

Edison head coach Vinnie Abene is a veteran. He knows St. Joe’s is better than its 2-5 record. Asked if he’s seen why or how they were “struggling,” or if they actually aren’t, and it’s just life in the stacked GMC Red Division, Abene says – very matter-of-factly – “Mike, they’re not struggling.”

Well-put. And his team will find out when they meet on the red turf Tuesday morning. And what they’ll remember? No game in the Red Division is ever over until the final out is made.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Edison head coach Vinnie Abene about the Eagles’ upcoming game with St. Joseph-Metuchen:

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

With three D1 commits in the rotation, veteran Edison staff should help Eagles soar in 2026

Every year, graduation forces a number of high school baseball coaches to search for a new No. 1, or even a No. 2 or No. 3 pitcher. Or maybe even a great bullpen guy.

That’s one problem, on the whole, Edison baseball coach Vinnie Abene won’t have in 2026.

The Eagles did not have a single senior take the mound last year, but they’ll have three on the bump this season who will play for D1 schools when they’re all done wearing red and gold.

Righty Dom Innocenti and lefty Robert Roma will head to Staten Island to play for Wagner, while Connor Muprhy will head to Monmouth.

Enjoy ’em while you can.

The trio combined for more than half the innings thrown by last year’s team, and none had an ERA over three.

Innocenti (.390, 21 RBI, 3 HR) and Roma (.390, 22 RBI, 1 HR) also are the top hitters in the lineup, and a good chunk of the rest are back, too, including second baseman Ray Tavarez (.263, 7 RBI, 2 triples).

The Eagles made the GMC Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament final last season, falling to St. Joseph-Metuchen. And while getting back there is never a guarantee – after all, the Falcons were a five-seed – the GMC Red does certainly make a team battle-tested.

Click below to hear Edison baseball coach Vinnie Abene talk about the Eagle’s upcoming 2026 season:

by Alec Crouthamel

Edison hangs on, defeats Franklin 4-2 in Central Jersey Group 4 to advance to first sectional semifinal since 2016

Even with a chance to put their ace on the mound, third-seeded Edison knew it was going to have a battle on its hands facing off against 11th-seeded Franklin in the Central Jersey Group 4 quarterfinals.

A battle is what the Eagles got, but ultimately, they powered through on the backs of their veteran stars.

Edison outlasted the Warriors 4-2 in a game that started as a pitching duel, with junior Connor Murphy on the bump for the Eagles and Franklin putting Dafraily Sosa on the mound. It puts Edison in the semifinals of a state playoff section for the first time since 2016, where they lost to Hunterdon Central.

Through three and a half innings, the game remained scoreless, with Murphy working in and out of a jam in the first inning, while Sosa did not allow a hit until the end of the third.

Once the bottom of the fourth inning came around, so did the Eagles’ bats.

They got close in the third. With left fielder Sam Kentos on second base, center fielder Darren Tirado lined a hard-hit ball… right into Kentos’ back. Kentos was ruled out, and the potential scoring situation was squashed.

After another inning from Murphy where two Franklin baserunners reached with two outs without coming around to score, Edison shortstop Anthony Calantoni led off the bottom of the fourth getting plunked in the arm with the first pitch.

First baseman Robert Roma followed, and he dropped a 2-2 fastball into the left-center gap, scoring Calantoni with a double and breaking the scoreless tie. Murphy moved Roma over to third, and second baseman Ray Tavarez lined a ball over the outstretched glove of Warriors third baseman Stanley Madera to score a second run. Sosa got out of the inning with a groundout and strikeout, but not before Edison snatched the momentum with the game’s first two runs.

Franklin did not give in, however.

In the top of the fifth inning, the Warriors put four straight runners on with one out, with two hits sandwiching two walks against Murphy. Shortstop Mike Schiermeyer provided the first run with a bases-loaded ground ball into the outfield for an RBI single, and two batters later Madera beat out a potential double-play ball that would have ended the inning to tie the game.

Even with the game tied, Franklin missed an opportunity. With runners on the corners and two outs, Murphy dialed up the heat and struck out catcher Jacob Gordon swinging to end the inning with the game tied.

Sosa retired the side in the ensuing bottom half of the fifth inning, keeping the momentum in Franklin’s favor.

That would not last long, however, as third baseman Dom Innocenti relieved Murphy in the top of the sixth and threw a 1-2-3 inning of his own with two strikeouts.

In the bottom half, Edison took its chance.

Calantoni singled to lead off the inning, but an errant pickoff attempt from Sosa went all the way to the fence, advancing Calantoni to third base. Roma once again came through, launching a fastball to the wall in left-center field once again. While it did not leave the park, coming just three feet shy of doing so, it was deep enough for Calantoni to score the go-ahead run on Roma’s sacrifice fly.

Edison added another run later in the sixth as Murphy walked, prompting a pitching change with Sosa at his pitch count limit. Left fielder Shayne Rooney relieved him, but Innocenti singled and brought Murphy all the way home from first after a misplay in the outfield. Innocenti was thrown out at third base, but the damage was done.

In the seventh, Innocenti allowed a leadoff single by Rooney. Centerfielder Izaiah Robinson flew out to right with the lineup card flipping over. With one out and second baseman Shaylen Patel up, Rooney was caught stealing at second, and two pitches later Patel grounded out to short to end the game and send the Eagles to the sectional semifinals.

While Murphy did not earn the win – that went to Innocenti in two shutout innings – he had a solid outing, throwing five innings with two earned runs, five hits, three walks, and six strikeouts. Sosa recorded the loss despite a solid outing of his own, going 5.1 innings and allowing four runs, with three hits, three walks, and two strikeouts.

Edison advances to the Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals next Tuesday at second-seeded Old Bridge, which defeated Manalapan 1-0 on Thursday.

Click below for postgame reaction from Edison pitcher Connor Murphy, first baseman Robert Roma, shortstop Anthony Calantoni, and head coach Vinnie Abene, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Murphy, Roma, and Calantoni
Head coach Vinnie Abene

by Mike Pavlichko

Edison vs. Old Bridge home-and-home finale moved to Wednesday due to rain in forecast

Starting the season 0-2 wasn’t ideal for the Edison baseball team, which dropped its first two games to last season’s GMC Red Division champions, South Plainfield.

But the Eagles bounced back Saturday evening, rallying from three runs down in the seventh against defending GMC Tournament champion Old Bridge, then scoring four in the eighth to go ahead.

Junior Robert Roma closed it out for Edison (1-3), which will look to pick up right where it left off when the two teams meet Wednesday afternoon at 4 pm on the Eagles’ red-and-gold field, in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Pregame starts at 3:45 as Mike Pavlichko and Dylan Allen have the call; click here to listen.

The game was originally scheduled for Monday, but moved due to rain in the foreacast. Edison fell 2-1 to Monroe Tuesday in a regularly scheduled GMC Red Divsion affair.

Roma was supposed to go against Old Bridge (2-3), which planned to have its ace, Justin Hascup, on the mound as well. But both went Tuesday, instead, as Roma started against Monroe, and Hascup started what ended up a 4-3 loss to South Plainfield.

Instead, the Eagles will go with Roma’s younger brother, freshman Brayden Roma. Old Bridge has yet to announce a starter.

The Knights and Edison started out on opposite ends of the spectrum. While Edison dropped its first two before picking up a win, Old Bridge started 2-0, with a Red Division win against East Brunswick, then a 7-3 crossover victory against Spotswood. But they’ve lost their last three now, falling to the Bears 3-1 on the road before Saturday’s 10-6, eight-inning loss to the Eagles, and Tuesday’s defeat at the hands of the Tigers.

Click below to hear preview interviews with both head coaches ahead of Wednesday’s game. (Note: Both were recorded Sunday before the originally scheduled game):

Edison head coach Vinnie Abene
Old Bridge head coach Matt Donaghue
by Mike Pavlichko

Edison bats explode against Barnegat to notch 19-9 win in 5 innings at Autism Awareness Classic

With none of Sunday’s games at the Autism Awareness Classic playable at North Brunswick’s Community Park playable due to field conditions after heavy rain overnight, only half the games on the schedule wound up being played, all at alternative locations.

That sent Edison back home to play Barnegat on their red turf at the originally-schedule time of 1 pm, and it had absolutely zero effect on the Eagles, unless maybe they felt emboldened playing on their home field, and sitting in their own dugout.

That’s because they scored 17 runs on 13 hits in the first two innings of their game against the Bengals, ultimately leading to a 19-9 five-inning win over the visitors.

Edison freshman Robert Roma – who’d only thrown 6 2/3 innings all year, got the start Sunday, and promptly mowed down the first three batters he faced, all on strikeouts.

Then he did his real damage.

He had a two-RBI double and a two-RBI single bating in the cleanup spot, to help his team to a 10-0 lead after one inning of play, driving in nearly half those runs, with 4 RBIs.

In the second – when Edison slapped on another seven runs – he scored one of them after getting aboard with a walk.

All that action on offense for Roma may have taken him out of his rhythm a little bit. He allowed a two-out double in the second, then got a strikeout to end the inning.

But in the third, he gave up a two-out, two-RBI double to DH Matt Hwang, then allowed a grand slam in-the-park homer in the fourth on a fly ball to right that went over backup outfielder Ryan Berner’s head after he initially broke in, then stumbled and fell going back for it.

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Barnegat got two in the third, four in the fourth and three more in the fifth to cut it to a nine-run lead to temporarily avoid the mercy-rule ending.

But Edison walked it off in the bottom of the inning, when Darren Tirado walked, Connor Murphy reached on an infield hit, and Noel Pichoco hit a shallow fly ball that should have been caught but appeared to be completely missed by Julian Marfino to drive in the 19th run that gave the Eagles a ten-run lead, and ended the game.

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Jaxon Appelman hit a two-run home in the second inning, his second of the year, while Jordan Martins hit a bases-clearing, three- RBI triple in his second at bat of the first inning.

Roma didn’t pitch long enough – just 3 1/3 – to get the win, as Edison emptied its bench and brought in seven new position players, only keeping third-baseman Dom Innocenti in the game, moving him to short.

The win puts Edison at 8-3 on the year, surpassing last year’s win total in a 7-17-1 season.

Follow Sportsplex at Metuchen on Instagram for the latest on open gym sessions on their courts and turf!

Click below for postgame reaction brought to you by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

Edison freshman pitcher Robert Roma
Edison head coach Vinnie Abene
by Mike Pavlichko

diPasquale’s complete game shutout helps Edison nip JFK, 1-0 in GMC crossover

Both pitchers were pretty much humming along until the fifth inning.

That’s when Edison small-balled its way to the only run of the ballgame, to get past visiting JFK Friday afternoon, 1-0, in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

That turned out to be all the Eagles would need, as senior Paul diPasquale threw seven strong innings – and got out of some late-inning jams to pick up his third win of the season.

Edison (7-2) left five runners on base through the first four innings, but finally cashed in during the bottom of the fifth.

Declan DiCarlo, pinch-hitting for centerfielder Matt Yasko, reached with a leadoff infield hit too deep for Justin Rodriguez – who fielded the ball near the second base bag – to make a throw. Yascko re-entered to run the bases, after after Jaxon Appelman popped out to second, Jordan Martins got aboard with another infield hit, this time to short, again fielded cleanly, but too deep for shortstop Jeremy Ricourt to make a throw.

After Charlie Taub struck out, Paul DiCarlo – the Eagles’ leading hitter at .478 heading into the day, but oh-for-2 coming into the at bat – drove in Yascko with an RBI single.

Yascko was stranded when Anthony Calantoni struck out to end the inning, but again, it was all they would need.

Through the first five innings, diPasquali fanned seven, and had allowed only two baserunners, on a hit and a walk.

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He allowed a leadoff double to Grant Lorentzen for JFK (5-4) in the sixth, got Ricourt to fly out, then walked Gabriel Perez to put runners at first and second. But he got Lerentzen erased on a force out fielders’ choice on a ball hit to third, and the defense bailed him out.

Donovan Claiborne hit a laser up the middle into centerfield. Yascko fielded it and threw a strike to the cutoff man, first baseman Jackson Ferrer, who fired his own strike to the plate where catcher Charlie Taub applied the tag in plenty of time to nail Perez trying to score from second, ending the inning.

https://www.edisonboysbaseball.com/

There would be one more jam in the seventh, as diPasquale stayed in the game to try and nail it down. He gave up a leadoff walk to Justin Rodriguez, but struck out Kevin Portorreal. A single by Braden Mellage led to a sac bunt by Marcus Bullock that advanced Rodriguez to third, but left Matt Cook – a courtesy runner for Mellage – at first.

But with two out and runners on the corners, diPasquale got Lorentzen to fly out to center to end the game.

Follow Sportsplex at Metuchen on Instagram for the latest on open gym sessions on their courts and turf!

Click below for postgame reaction brought to you by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

Edison senior pitcher Paul diPasquale
Edison head coach Vinnie Abene
by Mike Pavlichko

Edison’s improvement at the plate has helped elevate Eagles’ play overall

Nine games into the 2022 season, the Edison baseball team was 4-5, and by the time it was all over, the record was 7-17-1, with a team batting average of .209.

Fast forward a year, and the Eagles are 6-3, and hitting 153 points higher, at .362.

Granted, they saw some really good pitching in the Red Division last year, but a number of players are tearing the cover off the ball this year.

After a slow start, catcher Charlie Taub is hitting .417, shortstop Jordan Martins is hitting .379, and first baseman Jackson Ferrer is at .478 with a team-leading eleven RBIs.

The common thread? They’re all seniors.

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Not to mention, the Eagles are getting good pitching, too. Senior Jaxon Appelman – who is also hitting .414 with ten RBIs – is 1-2 in three starts, having not allowed a run in two of them, in five innings of a 23-0 win over Perth Amboy and a complete game 2-0 shutout at JP Stevens back on Tuesday.

All that points to a solid season for the Eagles, who despite having lost 7-1 at Middlesex Thursday afternoon, come into a Friday afternoon affair with JFK our of the Blue Division having won three of their last four.

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You can hear Friday’s game on Central Jersey Sports Radio, starting with pregame at 3:45, and first pitch against the Mustangs at 4:00. Mike Pavlichko will call all the action; click here to listen

Click below to hear Edison head coach Vinnie Abene talk about the season so far and the matchup with JFK:

by Mike Pavlichko

Let’s play two! Edison, South Brunswick to square off in Tuesday doubleheader

Two games, four solid starting pitchers.

That’s the story heading into Tuesday afternoon’s GMC Red Division doubleheader as Edison (5-7) travels to South Brunswick’s Rowland Park to play two against the Vikings (5-8).

Central Jersey Sports Radio will broadcast both games, with the pregame show at 3:15, and first pitch of game one slated for 3:30. The second game will follow about 20 minutes later. Mike Pavlichko will call all the play-by-play; click here to listen.

Each team has had its share of successes, and each had its share of struggles in 2022, and often for the same reason. Both have some veteran players and good pitching, but sometimes the hits and runs just don’t come.

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It’s one reason both teams have lost three of their last four games.

But the matchup also is a chance for both to right the ship. The GMC Red can be unforgiving – especially for an Edison team playing its first year in the division, moving up from the White – but it’s an opportunity for each team against a similar team. A split may be status quo, but a sweep could turn the tide for whoever can grab both.

Click below to hear both head coaches talk about Tuesday’s doubleheader with Edison visiting South Brunswick.

South Brunswick head coach Tim Sweeney
Edison head coach Vinnie Abene