HWS baseball: Lions, Tigers.....oh my

Pope John's baseball team has been playing with a collective chip on its shoulders in search of the program's first Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex title. The Lions also remember a 6-1 loss to Voorhees in last year's opening round, a  loss they will get a chance to avenge on Saturday.

Pope John (14-2), ranked No. 1 in West Jersey by Open Mike, squares off with No. 3 Voorhees (13-1) at noon in one semifinal contest at Lions Pride Park in Sparta. In the other matchup, No. 4 Hunterdon Central (15-4) hosts unbeaten and No. 2 Hackettstown (15-0) at 11 a.m.

The winners will square off for the championship on Saturday, May 21 at Diamond Nation in Flemington.

Coach Vin Bello's Pope John team gets another shot to solve Voorhees ace lefty Sean Keselica, who held the Lions to just two hits in last year's contest. Easier said then done, because Keselica (7-0) has been nearly unhittable this season. The hard-thrower struck out a season high 14 in an 8-2 quarterfinal win over Sparta last weekend.

"He's very good," Bello said of the Virgina-Tech bound Keselica, who is the Vikings' leadoff hitter. "The way he attacks the (strike) zone and attacks hitters. And his changeup is nasty. He's one of the top five, six pitchers in the entire state. The name of the game is pitching."

Pope John, which faced and lost to Don Bosco ace Jordan Gross last Friday, will counter with a pretty tough pitcher of its own in ace right-hander Brendan Mayers (6-0). The Rutgers-bound senior also struck out 14 in the Lions' 5-2 quarterfinal win over North Hunterdon.

Mayers is 13-1 over the last two seasons, and like Keselica, is also dangerous with the bat.

Lions also have played top flight independent competition and Bello feels that's a plus for his club. He also hopes standout shortstop Matt Tietz, who missed Monday's game against Sparta, will be back after suffering a pulled chest muscle against Don Bosco.

"I like playing the teams we play," Bello said. "We want to play good teams, that's what we do. Not just because we have a good team."

Voorhees isn't a team that scores runs in bunches, aside from a six-run sixth inning against Sparta. Keselica also leads an offense that averages nearly eight runs per game. Third baseman Tyler Duplaga is 12-for-19 with six doubles and eight RBIs in his last six games.

Coach Spark Mattson's Vikings have won six straight since a 4-3 loss at North Plainfield on April 29 and have outscored their opponents 59-15 during that span.

Hackettstown, which earned a semifinal rematch with Hunterdon Central, also features a top hurler in ace Matt Reynolds. The hard-throwing righty, who is headed to Monmouth University, is 5-0 this season and 18-1 for his outstanding career. The Tigers also have Justin Knight (5-0), who threw a five-inning no-hitter in a 10-0 drubbing of North Warren in the quarterfinals.

Catcher Mark Feci has been on fire at the plate, while Adam Young and Kirby Neuner both collected their 100th hits this week.

Coach Gary Poyer's Tigers are enjoying one of the program's best seasons ever. Hackettstown clinched its second straight Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference Freedom Division crown on Wednesday in a 21-0 spanking of Newton. The Tigers have won 20 of 21 dating to last season, losing 5-0 to West Essex in the North 2, Group 2 sectional final.

Hunterdon Central is one of the hottest teams around having won 10 straight since a 9-8 loss to Watchung Hills dropped the Red Devils to 5-4.

Ace Greg Scassera is 4-1 with a 2.45 ERA. Chris Suseck leads the offense with a .500 average, four homers and 18 RBIs.

Coach Mike Raymond's team won last year's championship, beating Hackettstown 11-3 in the semis before a 10-0 win over Sparta in the final.

The picks:

Voorhees 3, Pope John 2 -- Tough one to call because both pitchers are so tough and the Lions are very good at home. Something just tells me that the Vikings might be a team of destiny this season. Keselica wins it with his bat.

Hunterdon Central 4, Hackettstown 3 -- Red Devils are rolling right now and I feel they have faced better competition this season, although the Tigers did post a nice win over Perth Amboy this season. Suseck is a good bet to do some damage for the offense.