Delaware Valley's baseball team, despite a 6-9 record, is playing with a lot of confidence heading into this weekend's quarterfinal round of the fourth annual Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament.
And why not? The Terriers have won three of their last four -- coach Marty White's team saw its three-game win streak snapped on Thursday with a 6-2 loss at Somerville -- and by all accounts, the offense appears to be clicking at the right time.
On Saturday, fifth-seeded Del Val travels to No. 1 North Hunterdon in one of three quarterfinals.
Vernon, a No. 6 seed, visits No. 2 Newton, while No. 3 Pope John makes the trek to Flemington for a showdown with No. 2 Hunterdon Central, a three-time finalist. No. 5 seed Wallkill Valley travels to No. 1 Sparta on Friday, due to SATs being conducted on Saturday.
"We really we want to play North," said Del Val's senior third baseman Ryan Hann, who was batting a team-high .385 through the first 14 games this season. "We didn't get to play them in the preseason. Hopefully, we'll have a nice game with them. We've got a lot of momentum right now."
Hann was one of the offensive heroes in Tuesday's 10-0 win over Warren Hills -- going 2-for-4 with three RBIs, including a solo walk-off homer in the bottom of the sixth. Senior first baseman Scott Skripko also homered and is second on the team with a .367 average. Skripko also has a team-high three homers and 17 RBIs.
Junior right-hander Chris Fiaschetti and Skripko are the aces of Del Val's pitching staff. Fiaschetti (3-2, 0.81 ERA) fired a four-hit shutout on Tuesday, and will be available to throw on Saturday. White is likely to start Skripko (1-1, 1.00 ERA), who has 20 strikeouts in 14 innings.
"It should be a fun game," Fiaschetti said. "From what I hear, [North] is a very good team. We'll try to keep the momentum up."
North Hunterdon (10-6) is coming off back-to-back losses to Hunterdon Central (7-5 on Tuesday) and Montgomery (8-5 on Thursday) following a four-game win streak. Coach Mike Kane's Lions are paced offensively by senior first baseman Mike Ragozine and senior outfielder Shane Brown. Second baseman Robbie Young also has been hot lately at the dish. On the mound, senior Justin Trinity (3-2) leads the Lions in wins.
Here's a closer look at the quarterfinal matchups (seeds precede teams). Records through Thursday:
5A-Delaware Valley (6-9) at 1A-North Hunterdon (10-6), 2 p.m. -- Del Val is making its first appearance in the quarterfinals. Shortstop Reed Williams is a slick defender, while catcher Chris Pilone is solid behind the plate. The key for Del Val will be to get an early lead and ride the wave of their recent success. For some reason, the Terriers have played up to their competition with close losses to Skyland Conference Raritan Division frontrunners Ridge and Somerville, yet they have two losses to Voorhees (4-10). North is coming off back-to-back semifinals appearances and has never been to the championship game. Trinity started on Tuesday against Central, so Tyler Smith (2-2) should get the ball for this one. Ragozine is on fire at the plate, with two doubles and six RBIs in the three games prior to Thursday's loss. Sophomore catcher Andrew Meiners logged two doubles and five RBIs during that same stretch.
Coaches: Marty White (94-109, 10th season); Mike Kane (22-22, second season).
All-time HWS records: Delaware Valley 1-3; North Hunterdon 6-3.
How they got here: Delaware Valley beat Lenape Valley, 9-6. North Hunterdon defeated Kittatinny, 14-4.
The Pick: North Hunterdon, 6-3.
6B-Vernon (7-8) at 2B-Newton (11-3), 2:30 p.m. -- Rematch of Monday's independent clash -- won by Vernon, 6-5. Hopatcong is the only other Sussex County team to beat the Braves this season. Newton center fielder Ben Cramer is one of the top players around, batting .440 with seven doubles coming into this week. He added to his totals by going 2-for-3 with an RBI against Vernon and 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs in Tuesday's 8-6 win over Lenape Valley. First baseman Anthony Morro (.333, 16 RBIs) and catcher Charlie Grotyohann (.353, 13 RBIs) are the other offensive leaders. Lefty Nick Grant (3-0, 1.47 ERA) went 3 2/3 innings on Tuesday, so he could see action on Saturday. Look for right-hander Chris Branham (2-0, 2.52 ERA) to get the start. Vernon will likely counter with Ryan Duvall (3-2, 4.38 ERA) on the hill. Duvall (.405, 11 RBIs) and junior Mike Harboy (.294, 10 RBIs) pace the offense.
Coaches: Scott Berge (35-65, fifth season); John Selitto (59-114, eighth season).
All-time HWS records: Vernon 2-3; Newton 2-3.
How they got here: Vernon beat North Warren, 7-3. Newton defeated Warren Hills, 11-1.
The Pick: Newton, 6-2.
3B-Pope John (9-9) at 2A-Hunterdon Central (9-8), 3 p.m. -- Rematch of the 2011 championship game won by Pope John, 8-1. That's the last time these schools met on the diamond. Lions aren't having one of their typical strong seasons, but they have good arms -- Dan Cunico and Ethan Collins -- and both junior infielder Axel D'Addario (.417, 19 RBIs) and center fielder Mike Young (.359) are leading the offense. PJ played Delbarton tough in a 4-3 loss on Wednesday. Central has been the team to beat in the previous three tournaments, but is also having an uncharacteristic season. Coach Mike Raymond's Red Devils had won three in a row, including a 7-5 win over North Hunterdon on Tuesday, until Thursday's 3-1 loss to Immaculata. Sophomore second baseman Brett McManus (.381) is red-hot, going 7-for-7 with a double and four RBIs in wins over High Point and North Hunterdon, while adding an RBI on Thursday. Freshman third baseman Matt Toke homered and had six RBIs during the recent win streak. Ace Billy Maier (2-1, 2.86 ERA) will start this one.
Coaches: Vin Bello (224-143-1, 14th season); Mike Raymond (256-97, 13th season).
All-time HWS records: Pope John 6-2; Hunterdon Central 11-2.
How they got here: Pope John beat Phillipsburg, 11-3. Hunterdon Central defeated High Point, 5-4.
The Pick: Hunterdon Central, 4-2.
5B-Wallkill Valley (6-7) at 1B-Sparta (11-5-1), 3:45 p.m. -- Rangers are playing in their first quarterfinal, knocking off NJAC Freedom Division rival Hackettstown, a semifinalist in 2010 and '11, in the first round last weekend. Junior outfielder Brandon Grabkowski is having a phenomenal season -- batting .600 (21-for-35) with six doubles entering the week. Senior shortstop Casey Jervis (.375) doubles as one of the Sussex County school's offensive stars and its ace on the mound. Jervis (2-2, 5.47 ERA) should get the ball for this one. Senior Rob Stecher (3-1. 2.95 ERA) could also see action. Spartans reached the final in 2010, losing to Hunterdon Central, and have not advanced past the quarterfinals since that run. This group is loaded with talent, including junior outfielder Thomas Ruddy (.475, 14 stolen bases), junior second baseman Austin Unglaub (.397, 19 RBIs) and senior outfielder Jon-Karl Widuch (.315, nine RBIs). On the mound, Kevin Foulds (5-0, 1.20 ERA, 44 K's, 41 IP) and Dillon Mendel (4-1, 1.27 ERA) have been outstanding.
Coaches: Kevin Lukich (53-64, fifth season); Sam Slobodzian (262-167-3, 17th season).
All-time HWS records: Wallkill Valley 4-3; Sparta 6-3.
How they got here: Wallkill Valley beat Hackettstown, 4-3. Sparta defeated Voorhees, 10-3.
The Pick: Sparta, 5-2.
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