The high school baseball season is rounding the halfway mark in divisional play and the fifth annual Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament kicks off on Wednesday with four preliminary round games:
Belvidere at Hopatcong; Vernon at South Hunterdon; Voorhees at High Point; and Sussex Tech at Phillipsburg.
I have to imagine that will be the first-ever meeting between the Mustangs and Stateliners. Talk about your long bus rides. Vernon to South and Tech to P'burg will be jaunts, while Voorhees to High Point will rack up the mileage. Let's hope the games are entertaining and worth the trips.
Hopatcong, South Hunterdon and Sussex Tech are the only schools that have never won a tri-county game at 0-4.
This year's tournament was seeded using power points for the first time and head-to-head came into play -- unbeknownst to some coaches -- involving teams seeded next to each other and using a ladder format -- for example, a No. 3 which had beaten a No. 1 could not jump up to the top spot unless it had also beaten the No. 2 seed.
In the H-W bracket, Hackettstown jumped Warren Hills for the No. 3 seed by virtue of the Tigers' 4-3 win last Thursday, the day before the cutoff, while Delaware Valley jumped over South Hunterdon for the No. 6 seed with the Terriers' 10-0 win on April 12.
On the Sussex side, Newton, which was the No. 5, jumped over Wallkill for the No. 4 seed and Kittatinny jumped over Wallkill for the No. 5 seed, dropping Wallkill to No. 6.
We will take a closer look at this year's tournament later in the week.
Now onto this week's rankings (records through Saturday's games):
1. Pope John (7-1) -- Lions were idle last week due to weather. Coach Vin Bello's team drew the top seed in the Sussex bracket for the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament that gets underway on Wednesday. The top of PJ's rotation -- Dan Cunico (3-0, 1.17 ERA, 25 K's, 18 IP), Ethan Collins (2-1, 2.33 ERA, 14 K's, 18 IP) and Jack Nelson (2-0, 0.82 ERA, 28 K's, 17 IP) -- is arguably the deepest in the tri-county tournament. Outfielder Mike Young (.478 average, .594 on-base, 11 hits) leads the offense, along with Kyle Malejko (.452, team-high 14 hits) and Axel D'Addario (team-high 15 RBIs).
Up next: at Roxbury on Tuesday; Sparta at home on Wednesday; at High Point on Thursday; Sussex Tech-Phillipsburg winner at home on Saturday in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament.
2. Hunterdon Central (9-1) -- Red Devils move up a spot despite a 6-1 loss to No. 3 North Hunterdon on April 3. Since then, coach Mike Raymond's team has won eight in a row, including back-to-back shutouts of Phillipsburg (12-0 on Wednesday) and Hillsborough (10-0 on Thursday) in a pair of Skyland Conference Delaware Division matchups. Central also won its own tournament on Saturday with wins over Robbinsville (7-3) and South Brunswick (15-1). Brett McManus had a great week at the plate -- going 3-for-3 with a double, homer and three RBIs against P'burg and 2-for-3 with an RBI vs. South Brunswick. Catcher Zac Vacca was 2-for-2 with a double and two RBIs, and 2-for-3 with a homer and five RBIs in those wins.
Up next: Edison at home on Monday; Bridgewater-Raritan at home on Tuesday; Watchung Hills at home on Thursday; Voorhees-High Point winner at home on Saturday in HWS.
3. North Hunterdon (6-5) -- Lions have hit a rough patch -- dropping three of their last four entering this week's slate of games. Coach Mike Kane's club started last week with a 4-2 loss to Watchung Hills before dropping a 2-0 decision to Immaculata in a pair of Skyland Conference Delaware Division clashes. North snapped a three-game skid with Saturday's 9-4 win over rival Voorhees. Outfielder Marc Monks went 3-for-3 with a double and an RBI, while Tom Schumacher had an RBI double. Losing pitcher John Wilson struck out eight in the loss to Immaculata.
Up next: at Phillipsburg on Tuesday; at Bridgewater-Raritan on Thursday; Belvidere-Hopatcong winner at home on Saturday in HWS.
4. Lenape Valley (7-0) -- Patriots jump up a few spots following a 6-3 win over previously-unbeaten Morristown-Beard last Thursday in their only action of the week. Nick Sabatini went 2-for-4 with a double, Pat Togno was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, while David DelSontro went 4-for-4 with three RBIs to lead the offense. Winning pitcher Jim Fluke continued his hot start on the hill with 14 strikeouts in improving to 4-0. In those four starts, Fluke had 38 K's overall. Coach Bob Klinck's club drew the No. 2 seed behind Pope John in the Sussex bracket of the HWS.
Up next: at Mount Olive on Monday; at Kittatinny on Thursday; at Jefferson on Friday; Vernon-South Hunterdon winner at home on Saturday in HWS.
5. Sparta (6-3) -- Spartans went 2-1 last week -- a 9-0 win over Kinnelon last Monday and an 8-4 victory over Goshen (N.Y.) on Saturday. Matt Chemis went 3-for-3 with a stolen base and an RBI, while T.J. Estanislau had an RBI double in the win over Goshen. Kevin Foulds and Nick Makowitz each had two RBIs. In last Wednesday's 7-6 loss to Newton at Memory Park, Makowitz went 3-for-3 with an RBI and both Thomas Ruddy and Austin Unglaub were 2-for-4. Coach Sam Slobodzian's team is the No. 3 seed in the Sussex bracket of HWS.
Up next: Jefferson at home on Monday; at Pope John on Wednesday; at Mount Olive on Thursday; at Morris Knolls on Friday; North Warren at home on Saturday in HWS.
6. North Warren (5-1) -- Patriots capped a 3-0 week with a nice 5-1 win over Warren Hills on Saturday. Earlier, coach Jim Haupt's team rolled to a 13-0 win over Hopatcong on Wednesday in an NJAC Freedom Division clash before an 11-6 win over Notre Dame-East Stroudsburg (Pa.) in an independent clash. Big week for senior outfielder Cam Esposito, who drove in a pair of runs against Hopatcong and NDES. Junior Matt Nicholoff had a double and three RBIs vs. Hopatcong and had an RBI double against Warren Hills. Ace pitcher Alek Hladik (3-0) had 13 K's in beating Hopatcong and added three more in picking up the save vs. Hills -- giving him 37 strikeouts for the season.
Up next: at Wallkill Valley on Monday; at Jefferson on Thursday; at Sparta on Saturday in HWS.
7. Warren Hills (7-4) -- Blue Streaks were rolling along on a four-game win streak -- beating Hopatcong (3-0 on Monday) and Franklin (11-5 on Wednesday) before back-to-back losses to Hackettstown (4-3 on Thursday) and North Warren (5-1 on Saturday) to close the week. Catcher Christian Stagaard had another big week at the plate, with a three-run homer against Hackettstown before going 2-for-3 vs. North Warren. Stagaard also got the win vs. Hopatcong with three strikeouts. Infielder Craig Lawson had three doubles, two against Hopatcong. Coach Mike Quinto's team is the No. 4 seed in the H-W bracket.
Up next: at Somerville on Tuesday; at Voorhees on Thursday; Kittatinny at home on Saturday in HWS.
8. Vernon (1-4) -- Vikings knocked off Newton, 7-2, last Monday in their only action of the week. Winning pitcher Anthony Germinario (1-1) fired six solid innings and helped himself by going 2-for-3 with the bat, including a two-run single in a seven-run first inning as the Vikings sent 12 batters to the plate. First baseman Dave Baxter also had a pair of hits as Vernon beat Newton for the third straight time dating to last year. Coach Scott Berge's team is the No. 7 seed in the Sussex bracket and will be in action in Wednesday's preliminary round.
Up next: at Warwick Valley (N.Y.) on Monday; at South Hunterdon on Wednesday in HWS prelims; Morris Knolls at home on Thursday; at Lenape Valley on Saturday (with a win over South Hunterdon) in HWS first round.
9. Delaware Valley (5-3) -- Terriers went 2-1 last week -- opening with a 10-0 loss at Somerville in a Skyland Conference Raritan Division matchup. Coach Marty White's team rebounded with a 12-3 victory over Bound Brook before posting a 1-0 win at South River on Saturday in a pair of independent games. Joe Chiarino went 3-for-5 with two RBIs vs. Bound Brook and plated a run vs. South River. Nick Perna was 3-for-5 with an RBI vs. Bound Brook. Pitchers Chris Fiaschetti and Logan Brown got the victories, as Brown (3-0) struck out 10 in beating South River.
Up next: Voorhees at home on Tuesday; Ridge at home on Thursday; at Newton on Saturday in HWS.
10. Newton (4-4) -- Surprisingly, Braves enter for the first time this season. After returning six starters from last year's 18-win team, coach John Selitto's club struggled out of the gate. But the Braves may be turning a corner following a 7-6 win over Sparta last Thursday and a 3-0 victory over Kittatinny on Saturday. Against the Spartans, junior Nick Grant went 2-for-3 with an RBI and got the win on the mound with 12 K's against the Cougars. Catcher Charlie Grotyohann went 2-for-4 with an RBI vs. Sparta. Casey Thomas was 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI vs. Kittatinny.
Up next: Wallkill Valley at home on Thursday; Dover at home on Friday; Delaware Valley at home on Saturday in HWS.
On the bubble: Hackettstown (4-4); Kittatinny (3-3); Wallkill Valley (3-4).
Monday, April 21, 2014
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Baseball: HWS weekly schedule for April 21-26
Monday, April 21
(All games 4 p.m., unless noted)
Skyland Conference
North Hunterdon at Ridge
Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference
Lenape Valley at Mount Olive
Jefferson at Sparta
Hackettstown at Kittatinny
North Warren at Wallkill Valley, 11 a.m.
Hackettstown at Kittatinny
North Warren at Wallkill Valley, 11 a.m.
Independent
Edison at Hunterdon Central, 3:45 p.m.
Vernon at Warwick Valley (N.Y.), 3:30 p.m.
Piscataway Tech at Sussex Tech in NJTAC Tournament
Tuesday, April 22
(All games 3:45 p.m., unless noted)
Skyland Conference
Warren Hills at Somerville
Voorhees at Delaware Valley
Bridgewater-Raritan at Hunterdon Central
North Hunterdon at Phillipsburg
Belvidere at North Plainfield
Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference
High Point at Wallkill Valley, 11 a.m.
Pope John at Roxbury, 4 p.m.
Butler at Hopatcong, 4 p.m.
Independent
Sussex Tech at Warren Tech, 11 a.m.
Wednesday, April 23
Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament
(All preliminary round games 4 p.m.)
Belvidere at Hopatcong
Vernon at South Hunterdon
Voorhees at High Point
Sussex Tech at Phillipsburg
Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference
Sparta at Pope John, 4 p.m.
Newton at North Warren, 4 p.m.
(All preliminary round games 4 p.m.)
Belvidere at Hopatcong
Vernon at South Hunterdon
Voorhees at High Point
Sussex Tech at Phillipsburg
Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference
Sparta at Pope John, 4 p.m.
Newton at North Warren, 4 p.m.
Thursday, April 24
(All games 3:45 p.m., unless noted)
Skyland Conference
Warren Hills at Voorhees
Manville at South Hunterdon
Montgomery at Phillipsburg
Watchung Hills at Hunterdon Central
Ridge at Delaware Valley
North Hunterdon at Bridgewater-Raritan
Belvidere at Bound Brook, 4 p.m.
Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference
Pope John at High Point, 4 p.m.
Lenape Valley at Kittatinny, 4 p.m.
Wallkill Valley at Newton, 4 p.m.
Sparta at Mount Olive, 4 p.m.
Boonton at Sussex Tech, 4 p.m.
Morris Knolls at Vernon, 4 p.m.
North Warren at Jefferson, 4 p.m.
Hackettstown at Hopatcong, 4 p.m.
Friday, April 25
(All games 4 p.m.)
Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference
Hopatcong at Madison
Dover at Newton
Lenape Valley at Jefferson
Sparta at Morris Knolls
Lenape Valley at Jefferson
Sparta at Morris Knolls
Independent
Sussex Tech at Notre Dame-East Stroudsburg (Pa.)
Saturday, April 26
Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament
(All first round games 11 a.m., unless noted)
Belvidere at North Hunterdon
Wallkill Valley at Hackettstown (ppd. to 4/28 at 4 p.m.)
Delaware Valley at Newton (ppd. to 4/28 at 4 p.m.)
Vernon at Lenape Valley, 1 p.m.
Phillipsburg at Pope John
Kittatinny at Warren Hills
High Point at Hunterdon Central, 3 p.m.
(All first round games 11 a.m., unless noted)
Belvidere at North Hunterdon
Wallkill Valley at Hackettstown (ppd. to 4/28 at 4 p.m.)
Delaware Valley at Newton (ppd. to 4/28 at 4 p.m.)
Vernon at Lenape Valley, 1 p.m.
Phillipsburg at Pope John
Kittatinny at Warren Hills
North Warren at Sparta (ppd. to 4/28 at 4 p.m.)
Independent
South Hunterdon at Pennington, noon
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Baseball: Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex seeds (official)
Pairings and seeds for the fifth annual Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament were released on Saturday.
The tournament gets underway on Wednesday, April 23 with preliminary round games. Winners advance to first-round action on Saturday, April 26.
Quarterfinals will be played Saturday, May 3 and the semifinals are scheduled for Saturday, May 10. The championship game will be contested at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 17 at Diamond Nation in Flemington.
Hunterdon Central is the defending champion after a 10-0 win over Vernon in the 2013 final. Coach Mike Raymond's Red Devils also won the title in 2010. Pope John (2011) and Phillipsburg (2012) are the other schools to win the tournament.
The official seeds and pairings for this year' tournament were determined using a team's power points through only its first nine games or by Friday's cutoff. According to sources, a last minute use of the head-to-head criteria was also used to construct the brackets, unbeknownst to some coaches.
Preliminary and first-round pairings pit Sussex vs. Hunterdon-Warren in the split brackets. Sussex teams are seeded 1-10 in one pool and Hunterdon-Warren teams are seeded 1-10 in another pool. The groupings are then combined in the two brackets (example: Sussex No. 7 plays Hunterdon-Warren No. 10, etc.).
B-Sussex
Top bracket
9A-Belvidere (4-3) at 8B-Hopatcong (1-8), winner to meet 1A-North Hunterdon (6-5)
5A-Delaware Valley (5-3) at 4B-Newton (4-4)
6B-Wallkill Valley (3-4) at 3A-Hackettstown (4-4)
10B-Vernon (1-4) at 7A-South Hunterdon (3-5), winner to meet 2B-Lenape Valley (7-0)
Bottom bracket
9B-Sussex Tech (1-7) at 8A-Phillipsburg (1-9), winner to meet 1B-Pope John (7-1)
5B-Kittatinny (3-3) at 4A-Warren Hills (7-4)
6A-North Warren (5-1) at 3B-Sparta (6-3)
10A-Voorhees (0-8) at 7B-High Point (1-4-1), winner to meet 2A-Hunterdon Central (9-1)
The tournament gets underway on Wednesday, April 23 with preliminary round games. Winners advance to first-round action on Saturday, April 26.
Quarterfinals will be played Saturday, May 3 and the semifinals are scheduled for Saturday, May 10. The championship game will be contested at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 17 at Diamond Nation in Flemington.
Hunterdon Central is the defending champion after a 10-0 win over Vernon in the 2013 final. Coach Mike Raymond's Red Devils also won the title in 2010. Pope John (2011) and Phillipsburg (2012) are the other schools to win the tournament.
The official seeds and pairings for this year' tournament were determined using a team's power points through only its first nine games or by Friday's cutoff. According to sources, a last minute use of the head-to-head criteria was also used to construct the brackets, unbeknownst to some coaches.
Preliminary and first-round pairings pit Sussex vs. Hunterdon-Warren in the split brackets. Sussex teams are seeded 1-10 in one pool and Hunterdon-Warren teams are seeded 1-10 in another pool. The groupings are then combined in the two brackets (example: Sussex No. 7 plays Hunterdon-Warren No. 10, etc.).
Pairing and seeds
(Current records in parentheses)
A-Hunterdon-WarrenB-Sussex
Top bracket
9A-Belvidere (4-3) at 8B-Hopatcong (1-8), winner to meet 1A-North Hunterdon (6-5)
5A-Delaware Valley (5-3) at 4B-Newton (4-4)
6B-Wallkill Valley (3-4) at 3A-Hackettstown (4-4)
10B-Vernon (1-4) at 7A-South Hunterdon (3-5), winner to meet 2B-Lenape Valley (7-0)
Bottom bracket
9B-Sussex Tech (1-7) at 8A-Phillipsburg (1-9), winner to meet 1B-Pope John (7-1)
5B-Kittatinny (3-3) at 4A-Warren Hills (7-4)
6A-North Warren (5-1) at 3B-Sparta (6-3)
10A-Voorhees (0-8) at 7B-High Point (1-4-1), winner to meet 2A-Hunterdon Central (9-1)
Friday, April 18, 2014
Baseball: Projections for HWS Tourney (UPDATED)
The fifth annual Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament gets underway on Wednesday, April 23 with preliminary round games and the winners advance to first-round action on Saturday, April 26.
Quarterfinals will be played Saturday, May 3 and the semifinals are scheduled for Saturday, May 10. The championship game will be contested at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 17 at Diamond Nation in Flemington.
Hunterdon Central is the defending champion after a 10-0 win over Vernon in the 2013 final. Coach Mike Raymond's Red Devils also won the title in 2010. Pope John (2011) and Phillipsburg (2012) are the other schools to win the tournament.
The official seeds and pairings for this year' tournament will be released in the next few days, using a team's power points through only its first nine games or by today's cutoff. No games are scheduled for Good Friday.
Using the teams' current points, let's take a look at the 20-team field. Preliminary and first-round pairings pit Sussex vs. Hunterdon-Warren in the split brackets. Sussex teams are seeded 1-10 in one pool and Hunterdon-Warren teams are seeded 1-10 in another pool. The groupings are then combined in the two brackets (example: Sussex No. 7 plays Hunterdon-Warren No. 10, etc.).
North Hunterdon and Pope John should be the No. 1 seeds in the H-W and Sussex groupings.
North Hunterdon (5-4), which has made back-to-back trips to the semifinals and in three of the four previous events, had won four in a row, but has since dropped its last three games -- 9-6 to Red Bank Catholic and 4-2 to Watchung Hills and 2-0 to Immaculata in Skyland Conference Delaware Division matchups. Outfielder Marc Monks leads the offense, while John Wilson is 2-0 on the mound.
Pope John (7-1) won its first six games before a 17-5 loss to Bergen Catholic last weekend. Coach Vin Bello's Lions, who lost to Hunterdon Central in last year's semifinals, have the deepest pitching rotation among the field with Dan Cunico (3-0, 1.17 ERA, 25 K's, 18 IP), Ethan Collins (2-1, 2.33 ERA) and Jack Nelson (2-0, 0.82 ERA). The staff had yielded a total of five runs in six games before the loss to BC. Second baseman Axel D'Addario is on fire at the plate -- batting .321 with 15 RBIs -- while shortstop Jay Sanford (.423) and outfielder Kyle Malejko (.452) have been major contributors. Outfielder Mike Young is batting a robust .478 with a team-high 11 hits.
Lenape Valley and Hunterdon Central are in line to be the No. 2 seeds.
Coach Bob Klinck's Patriots are currently 7-0 and on top of the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference Freedom Division standings. Lenape Valley has never been past of the first round of this tournament and is 1-4 overall in county games. But his this year's squad is doing serious damage at the plate, while getting quality efforts on the mound. Outfielder Nick Sabatini (.400, six RBIs) and David DelSontro (.500, seven RBIs) are pacing an offense that's scored 58 runs in six games. Tyler Rogers leads the club with 10 RBIs and is hitting .421. On the hill, ace Jim Fluke is 4-0 with 38 K's in 23 innings. No. 2 Dan Rafferty is 2-0 and hasn't allowed an earned run 12 1/3 innings.
Central (7-1), which is a tournament-best 14-2 in county games, is seeking its third title. The Red Devils are heating up after a bit of a slow start -- reeling off six straight wins since a 6-1 loss at North Hunterdon on April 3. Matt Toke (.389, six RBIs), Zac Vacca (.385) and Christian Carey (.375, 1 homer, seven RBIs) are enjoying hot starts at the plate, as Central has outscored the last five opponents, 31-9. On the mound, Pat Clare (2-1, 2.57 ERA), Mike Novello (1-0, 2.70 ERA) and Toke (2-0, 0.00 ERA) are all quality arms.
Rounding out the top five seeds are Warren Hills and Sparta as the No. 3s, with Hackettstown and Wallkill Valley as the No. 4s. Newton and North Warren look like the No. 5s.
Coach Mike Quinto's Blue Streaks (7-3), who reached the quarters in 2010 and '12, had won four in a row since back-to-back losses to North Hunterdon (11-1 on April 7) and Ridge (8-4 on April 8), but dropped a 4-3 decision to Hackettstown on Thursday. Hills scored a big 4-2 win over Watchung Hills last Saturday and the Warriors did the Streaks a favor with Wednesday's 4-2 win over North Hunterdon -- giving Warren Hills a boost in power points. Catcher Christian Stagaard (.435, 12 RBIs) and infielder Craig Lawson (.393, 11 hits) are pacing the offense, while Nathaniel Capone (1-1, 1.50) and Anthony Veneziano (3-0, 1.80 ERA) have been the top pitchers.
Sparta (5-3), which lost to Central in last year's semifinals and in the 2010 title game, had won four in a row before an 8-1 loss to Minisink Valley (N.Y.) last Saturday. Coach Sam Slobodzian's Spartans rely on the top half of a potent batting order with leadoff man Thomas Ruddy (.381, .480 OBP) and second baseman Austin Unglaub (.333, .391 OBP). Shortstop T.J. Estanislau led the team with seven RBIs through the first six games.
Keep an eye on North Warren, which features ace pitcher Alex Hladik. In three wins, Hladik racked up a total of 34 strikeouts, including 13 in the Patriots' 13-0 win over Hopatcong on Wednesday.
(UPDATE: Records and power point totals through Thursday's games in parentheses):
A-Hunterdon-Warren
B-Sussex
Top bracket
9A-Phillipsburg (1-8, 44) at 8B-Sussex Tech (1-7, 36), winner to meet 1A-North Hunterdon (5-4, 136)
5A-North Warren (4-1, 67) at 4B-Wallkill Valley (3-4, 68)
6B-Kittatinny (3-2, 55) at 3A-Warren Hills (7-2, 125)
10B-Vernon (1-4, 32) at 7A-Delaware Valley (4-3, 64), winner to meet 2B-Lenape Valley (7-0, 124)
Bottom bracket
9B-High Point (1-3-1, 32) at 8A-Belvidere (3-3, 46), winner to meet 1B-Pope John (7-1, 127)
5B-Newton (3-4, 61) at 4A-Hackettstown (4-4, 93)
6A-South Hunterdon (3-5, 66) at 3B-Sparta (5-3, 97)
10A-Voorhees (0-6, 21) at 7B-Hopatcong (1-8, 37), winner to meet 2A-Hunterdon Central (7-1, 135)
Quarterfinals will be played Saturday, May 3 and the semifinals are scheduled for Saturday, May 10. The championship game will be contested at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 17 at Diamond Nation in Flemington.
Hunterdon Central is the defending champion after a 10-0 win over Vernon in the 2013 final. Coach Mike Raymond's Red Devils also won the title in 2010. Pope John (2011) and Phillipsburg (2012) are the other schools to win the tournament.
The official seeds and pairings for this year' tournament will be released in the next few days, using a team's power points through only its first nine games or by today's cutoff. No games are scheduled for Good Friday.
Using the teams' current points, let's take a look at the 20-team field. Preliminary and first-round pairings pit Sussex vs. Hunterdon-Warren in the split brackets. Sussex teams are seeded 1-10 in one pool and Hunterdon-Warren teams are seeded 1-10 in another pool. The groupings are then combined in the two brackets (example: Sussex No. 7 plays Hunterdon-Warren No. 10, etc.).
Top seeds
North Hunterdon and Pope John should be the No. 1 seeds in the H-W and Sussex groupings.
North Hunterdon (5-4), which has made back-to-back trips to the semifinals and in three of the four previous events, had won four in a row, but has since dropped its last three games -- 9-6 to Red Bank Catholic and 4-2 to Watchung Hills and 2-0 to Immaculata in Skyland Conference Delaware Division matchups. Outfielder Marc Monks leads the offense, while John Wilson is 2-0 on the mound.
Pope John (7-1) won its first six games before a 17-5 loss to Bergen Catholic last weekend. Coach Vin Bello's Lions, who lost to Hunterdon Central in last year's semifinals, have the deepest pitching rotation among the field with Dan Cunico (3-0, 1.17 ERA, 25 K's, 18 IP), Ethan Collins (2-1, 2.33 ERA) and Jack Nelson (2-0, 0.82 ERA). The staff had yielded a total of five runs in six games before the loss to BC. Second baseman Axel D'Addario is on fire at the plate -- batting .321 with 15 RBIs -- while shortstop Jay Sanford (.423) and outfielder Kyle Malejko (.452) have been major contributors. Outfielder Mike Young is batting a robust .478 with a team-high 11 hits.
Lenape Valley and Hunterdon Central are in line to be the No. 2 seeds.
Coach Bob Klinck's Patriots are currently 7-0 and on top of the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference Freedom Division standings. Lenape Valley has never been past of the first round of this tournament and is 1-4 overall in county games. But his this year's squad is doing serious damage at the plate, while getting quality efforts on the mound. Outfielder Nick Sabatini (.400, six RBIs) and David DelSontro (.500, seven RBIs) are pacing an offense that's scored 58 runs in six games. Tyler Rogers leads the club with 10 RBIs and is hitting .421. On the hill, ace Jim Fluke is 4-0 with 38 K's in 23 innings. No. 2 Dan Rafferty is 2-0 and hasn't allowed an earned run 12 1/3 innings.
Central (7-1), which is a tournament-best 14-2 in county games, is seeking its third title. The Red Devils are heating up after a bit of a slow start -- reeling off six straight wins since a 6-1 loss at North Hunterdon on April 3. Matt Toke (.389, six RBIs), Zac Vacca (.385) and Christian Carey (.375, 1 homer, seven RBIs) are enjoying hot starts at the plate, as Central has outscored the last five opponents, 31-9. On the mound, Pat Clare (2-1, 2.57 ERA), Mike Novello (1-0, 2.70 ERA) and Toke (2-0, 0.00 ERA) are all quality arms.
Best of the rest
Coach Mike Quinto's Blue Streaks (7-3), who reached the quarters in 2010 and '12, had won four in a row since back-to-back losses to North Hunterdon (11-1 on April 7) and Ridge (8-4 on April 8), but dropped a 4-3 decision to Hackettstown on Thursday. Hills scored a big 4-2 win over Watchung Hills last Saturday and the Warriors did the Streaks a favor with Wednesday's 4-2 win over North Hunterdon -- giving Warren Hills a boost in power points. Catcher Christian Stagaard (.435, 12 RBIs) and infielder Craig Lawson (.393, 11 hits) are pacing the offense, while Nathaniel Capone (1-1, 1.50) and Anthony Veneziano (3-0, 1.80 ERA) have been the top pitchers.
Sparta (5-3), which lost to Central in last year's semifinals and in the 2010 title game, had won four in a row before an 8-1 loss to Minisink Valley (N.Y.) last Saturday. Coach Sam Slobodzian's Spartans rely on the top half of a potent batting order with leadoff man Thomas Ruddy (.381, .480 OBP) and second baseman Austin Unglaub (.333, .391 OBP). Shortstop T.J. Estanislau led the team with seven RBIs through the first six games.
Keep an eye on North Warren, which features ace pitcher Alex Hladik. In three wins, Hladik racked up a total of 34 strikeouts, including 13 in the Patriots' 13-0 win over Hopatcong on Wednesday.
Projected seeds
A-Hunterdon-Warren
B-Sussex
Top bracket
9A-Phillipsburg (1-8, 44) at 8B-Sussex Tech (1-7, 36), winner to meet 1A-North Hunterdon (5-4, 136)
5A-North Warren (4-1, 67) at 4B-Wallkill Valley (3-4, 68)
6B-Kittatinny (3-2, 55) at 3A-Warren Hills (7-2, 125)
10B-Vernon (1-4, 32) at 7A-Delaware Valley (4-3, 64), winner to meet 2B-Lenape Valley (7-0, 124)
Bottom bracket
9B-High Point (1-3-1, 32) at 8A-Belvidere (3-3, 46), winner to meet 1B-Pope John (7-1, 127)
5B-Newton (3-4, 61) at 4A-Hackettstown (4-4, 93)
6A-South Hunterdon (3-5, 66) at 3B-Sparta (5-3, 97)
10A-Voorhees (0-6, 21) at 7B-Hopatcong (1-8, 37), winner to meet 2A-Hunterdon Central (7-1, 135)
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Baseball: Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex standings
(Through Tuesday's games)
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Skyland Conference
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Delaware Division
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Overall
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Division
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Bridgewater-Raritan
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(5-1)
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(3-0)
|
|
|
Hunterdon Central
|
(5-1)
|
(3-1)
|
|
|
North Hunterdon
|
(5-3)
|
(3-1)
|
|
|
Hillsborough
|
(3-2)
|
(2-1)
|
|
|
Immaculata
|
(2-4)
|
(1-3)
|
|
|
Watchung Hills
|
(2-5)
|
(1-3)
|
|
|
Montgomery
|
(1-5)
|
(1-3)
|
|
|
Phillipsburg
|
(1-6)
|
(1-3)
|
|
|
Raritan Division
|
|||
|
Overall
|
Division
|
||
|
Ridge
|
(5-1)
|
(3-0)
|
|
|
Warren Hills
|
(6-2)
|
(3-1)
|
|
|
Delaware Valley
|
(3-2)
|
(2-2)
|
|
|
Somerville
|
(3-3)
|
(2-2)
|
|
|
Franklin
|
(1-2)
|
(1-2)
|
|
|
Voorhees
|
(0-5)
|
(0-4)
|
|
|
Valley Division
|
|||
|
Overall
|
Division
|
||
|
Gill St. Bernard's
|
(5-2)
|
(5-0)
|
|
|
Bernards
|
(6-0)
|
(4-0)
|
|
|
North Plainfield
|
(3-2)
|
(2-2)
|
|
|
Pingry
|
(1-1)
|
(1-1)
|
|
|
South Hunterdon
|
(2-5)
|
(2-3)
|
|
|
Belvidere
|
(2-3)
|
(1-3)
|
|
|
Bound Brook
|
(1-4)
|
(1-4)
|
|
|
Manville
|
(2-3)
|
(0-3)
|
|
|
Northwest Jersey
Athletic Conference
|
|||
|
Freedom Division
|
|||
|
Overall
|
Division
|
||
|
Lenape Valley
|
(6-0)
|
(6-0)
|
|
|
Kittatinny
|
(3-1)
|
(2-1)
|
|
|
North Warren
|
(2-1)
|
(2-1)
|
|
|
Jefferson
|
(4-3)
|
(3-2)
|
|
|
Wallkill Valley
|
(2-4)
|
(2-3)
|
|
|
Hackettstown
|
(3-4)
|
(2-4)
|
|
|
Newton
|
(2-4)
|
(1-3)
|
|
|
Hopatcong
|
(1-6)
|
(0-4)
|
|
|
American Division
|
|||
|
Overall
|
Division
|
||
|
Pope John
|
(7-1)
|
(5-0)
|
|
|
Sparta
|
(5-2)
|
(4-1)
|
|
|
Mount Olive
|
(4-3)
|
(3-2)
|
|
|
Montville
|
(4-2-1)
|
(3-2-1)
|
|
|
Morris Hills
|
(3-5)
|
(2-4)
|
|
|
Morris Knolls
|
(2-4)
|
(2-4)
|
|
|
High Point
|
(1-3-1)
|
(1-3-1)
|
|
|
Vernon
|
(1-4)
|
(0-4)
|
|
|
Independence Division
|
|||
|
Overall
|
Division
|
||
|
Morris Catholic
|
(5-3)
|
(4-0)
|
|
|
Butler
|
(4-3)
|
(3-1)
|
|
|
Kinnelon
|
(4-3)
|
(3-1)
|
|
|
Mountain Lakes
|
(4-2)
|
(3-2)
|
|
|
Pequannock
|
(3-2)
|
(2-2)
|
|
|
Sussex Tech
|
(1-6)
|
(0-4)
|
|
|
Boonton
|
(0-6)
|
(0-5)
|
|
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Baseball: Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex rankings
New season and very different results for Newton's baseball team -- projected by many to repeat as Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference Freedom Division champions.
With the bulk of an 18-win team returning, the Braves' 2-4 start certainly has a lot of people scratching their heads, including coach John Selitto.
Selitto said it certainly hasn't been from a lack of effort during practices.
"The practices have been fantastic. Their preparation is great," the coach said following Monday's 7-2 loss to Vernon at Memory Park. "We've dug ourselves a big hole."
With Lenape Valley atop the standings at 6-0, Newton sits three games back in the loss column at 1-3 in divisional play. The Patriots pounded the Braves -- 14-4 on April 5 in Stanhope.
Selitto said it's been a combination of things -- poor relief efforts and sometimes a lack of offense, which produced just one hit against Vernon. Despite allowing 35 runs in six games, the coach insists the starting pitching has been good.
Ace Nick Grant got the win on Opening Day -- 11-1 over Wallkill Valley, but has curiously pitched very little since. Senior Steve Kelly fired five shutout innings in the Braves' 3-2 loss to Hackettstown on April 3, but the tall right-hander didn't make it through the first inning in the loss to Vernon, which erupted for seven runs in the first. Sophomore Cole Van Luvender, who Selitto is high on, struck out three for the win in the team's 11-3 victory over Boonton on Saturday.
There's plenty of baseball left, but Selitto knows his team has to put it together soon if it expects to make a run at the division title and make some noise in the North 1, Group 2 playoffs.
"We're too talented to play like this the whole year," he said. "But it's getting late. We've tried some things like juggling the lineup a bit. It's more about the approach [at the plate] and trying too hard. You have to be relaxed at the plate."
Now onto this week's rankings:
1. Pope John (7-1) -- Lions went 4-1 last week, dropping a 17-5 decision to Bergen Catholic for their first loss in an independent clash. Pope John trailed, 6-5, before the Crusaders put up an 11-spot in the top of the seventh. Second baseman Axel D'Addario continued his red-hot hitting, with a homer and three RBIs in last Tuesday's 3-0 win over Montville. He also drove in a pair of runs, while ace Dan Cunico (2-0) struck out 11 in a 7-2 win over Morris Knolls in another NJAC American Division matchup. Ethan Collins (2-0) struck out nine in beating Montville. Coach Vin Bello's club, which also scored a 1-0 win in 10 innings over Vernon, closed the week with an 8-4 win over Immaculata.
Up next: at Mount Olive on Tuesday; at West Milford on Wednesday.
2. North Hunterdon (5-3) -- The Hunterdon County Lions also went 4-1 last week, opening with an 11-1 win over previously-unbeaten Warren Hills last Monday which started a four-game win streak as coach Mike Kane's team defeated Montgomery (1-0 on Wednesday), Hillsborough (4-2 on Thursday) and Edison (9-6 on Saturday) before a 9-6 loss to Red Bank Catholic on Sunday at Diamond Nation. Outfielder Marc Monks is on fire at the plate -- going 2-3 with a triple and two RBIs against Warren Hills and belting a solo homer against Montgomery. He was 2-for-4 with two RBIs in the loss to RBC. Senior Austin Arndt went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and struck out six for the win vs. the Blue Streaks.
Up next: at Watchung Hills on Wednesday; Immaculata at home on Thursday; at Voorhees on Saturday.
3. Hunterdon Central (5-1) -- Red Devils rebounded from a 6-1 loss to North Hunterdon with four straight wins, including a 5-1 victory over Westfield on Monday. Coach Mike Raymond's squad opened last week with a 6-2 win over Immaculata in a Skyland Conference Delaware Division showdown. Christian Carey belted a homer and had three RBIs, while Matt Toke went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Toke leads the team in batting average (.389) and RBIs with six. Catcher Zak Vacca, who is hitting .385, went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Toke went 3-for-4 with two RBIs in a 4-3 win over Randolph on Saturday.
Up next: Phillipsburg at home on Wednesday; at Hillsborough on Thursday; Rancocas Valley, Robbinsville, South Brunswick in Hunterdon Central Tournament on Saturday.
4. Sparta (5-2) -- Spartans extended their win streak to four with victories over High Point (5-3 on Wednesday), Morris Hills (8-1 on Thursday) and Montville (8-7 on Friday) before an 8-1 loss to Minisink Valley (N.Y.) on Saturday. Leadoff hitter Thomas Ruddy, the school's career stolen base leader, swiped a pair in the loss. The Yale-bound outfielder is batting a team-best .381 with five stolen bases. Second baseman Austin Unglaub is hitting .333 with seven hits, while shortstop T.J. Estanislau leads the team with seven RBIs. Ace Kevin Foulds is 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA. No. 2 Dillon Mendel is 1-0 with a 0.78 ERA.
Up next: at Morris Knolls on Tuesday; Newton at home on Thursday; Goshen (N.Y.) at home on Saturday.
5. Lenape Valley (6-0) -- Patriots stayed in the driver's seat with three more NJAC Freedom Division wins -- 10-6 over Hopatcong, 10-2 over Wallkill Valley and 8-0 over Hackettstown. Outfielder Nick Sabatini has been unconscious at the plate, going 2-for-4 with an RBI against Wallkill. Dan Rafferty improved to 2-0 on the mound with five K's against the Rangers, while Jim Fluke went 2-for-4 with two RBIs in that one. Coach Bob Klinck's club, which is off the program's best start since winning its first four to go 5-1 in 2011, can run the division table in the first half with a victory at Jefferson on Tuesday. The Pats have outscored their opponents 58-18.
Up next: at Jefferson on Tuesday; at Morristown-Beard on Thursday; Boonton at home on Saturday.
6. Warren Hills (6-2) -- Blue Streaks have rebounded from back-to-back losses to start last week -- 11-1 to North Hunterdon and 8-4 to Ridge -- with three straight wins, including Monday's 3-0 blanking of Hopatcong at Joseph Steinhardt Field. Craig Lawson went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles, while winning pitcher Christian Stagaard struck out three and drove in a run. Stagaard has been hot at the plate, driving in two runs in the loss to Ridge and going 2-for-4 in the team's 5-3 win at Delaware Valley last Thursday. Winning pitcher Anthony Veneziano (2-0) fanned eight in that one. Coach Mike Quinto's club posted a 4-2 win at Watchung Hills on Saturday -- the Streaks' first win over the Warriors since 2003. Quinto is a Watchung alum.
Up next: Franklin at home on Wednesday; at Hackettstown on Thursday; at North Warren on Saturday.
7. Delaware Valley (3-2) -- Terriers went 2-1 last week, capping it with a 10-0 win over South Hunterdon on Saturday night at Riegel Ridge Park. Sophomore Jake Brogan drove in two runs, while senior Adam Novotny went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Junior Logan Brown struck out 10 for his second victory on the mound. Earlier in the week, Brown struck out six in a 6-2 win over Franklin in a Skyland Conference Raritan Division clash. Coach Marty White's team gave up three runs in the top of the first en route to a 5-3 loss to Warren Hills last Thursday. Nick Perna was 3-for-5 with a triple and an RBI.
Up next: at Bound Brook on Tuesday; at Somerville on Wednesday.
8. Vernon (1-4) -- Vikings enter here for the first time this season following a 7-2 win over Newton on Monday at Memory Park. Winning pitcher Anthony Germinario (1-1) fired six solid innings and helped himself by going 2-for-3 with the bat, including a two-run single in a seven-run first inning as the Vikings sent 12 batters to the plate. It was his second two-hit game as Germinario went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI in the Vikes' 6-4 loss to Morris Hills on Thursday. First baseman Dave Baxter also had a pair of hits as Vernon beat Newton for the third straight time dating to last year. Coach Scott Berge's team also lost a 1-0 heartbreaker in 10 innings to No. 1 Pope John last Tuesday. Starting pitcher Mike Harboy struck out six.
Up next: at Montville on Tuesday; High Point at home on Wednesday.
9. North Warren (2-1) -- Coach Jim Haupt's Patriots rolled to a 15-0 win over Hackettstown last Tuesday in an NJAC Freedom Division contest and were rained out the rest of the week. Senior Nick Meyer had a double and four RBIs and Matt Nicholoff had a double with two RBIs. Senior ace Alex Hladik (2-0) struck out 10 and has 21 in his two starts. Senior catcher David Wilbur also had a double with two RBIs.
Up next: at Wallkill Valley on Tuesday; Hopatcong at home on Wednesday; at Notre Dame-East Stroudsburg (Pa.) on Thursday; Warren Hills at home on Saturday.
10. Kittatinny (3-1) -- Cougars went 2-0 last week -- 12-5 over Hopatcong on Tuesday and 3-2 over Parsippany on Saturday. Cowan Sikora and Joe Repasy each had two hits, while Adam Goriscak drove in three runs against the Chiefs. Repasy went 2-for-2 and Goriscak had an RBI double to back senior ace David Moyer (1-1) in his first victory against Parsippany. Moyer and Repasy combined to throw a two-hitter for coach TJ Orlando's club.
Up next: Hackettstown at home on Tuesday; Jefferson at home on Wednesday.
On the bubble: High Point (1-3-1); Hackettstown (3-4).
With the bulk of an 18-win team returning, the Braves' 2-4 start certainly has a lot of people scratching their heads, including coach John Selitto.
Selitto said it certainly hasn't been from a lack of effort during practices.
"The practices have been fantastic. Their preparation is great," the coach said following Monday's 7-2 loss to Vernon at Memory Park. "We've dug ourselves a big hole."
With Lenape Valley atop the standings at 6-0, Newton sits three games back in the loss column at 1-3 in divisional play. The Patriots pounded the Braves -- 14-4 on April 5 in Stanhope.
Selitto said it's been a combination of things -- poor relief efforts and sometimes a lack of offense, which produced just one hit against Vernon. Despite allowing 35 runs in six games, the coach insists the starting pitching has been good.
Ace Nick Grant got the win on Opening Day -- 11-1 over Wallkill Valley, but has curiously pitched very little since. Senior Steve Kelly fired five shutout innings in the Braves' 3-2 loss to Hackettstown on April 3, but the tall right-hander didn't make it through the first inning in the loss to Vernon, which erupted for seven runs in the first. Sophomore Cole Van Luvender, who Selitto is high on, struck out three for the win in the team's 11-3 victory over Boonton on Saturday.
There's plenty of baseball left, but Selitto knows his team has to put it together soon if it expects to make a run at the division title and make some noise in the North 1, Group 2 playoffs.
"We're too talented to play like this the whole year," he said. "But it's getting late. We've tried some things like juggling the lineup a bit. It's more about the approach [at the plate] and trying too hard. You have to be relaxed at the plate."
Now onto this week's rankings:
1. Pope John (7-1) -- Lions went 4-1 last week, dropping a 17-5 decision to Bergen Catholic for their first loss in an independent clash. Pope John trailed, 6-5, before the Crusaders put up an 11-spot in the top of the seventh. Second baseman Axel D'Addario continued his red-hot hitting, with a homer and three RBIs in last Tuesday's 3-0 win over Montville. He also drove in a pair of runs, while ace Dan Cunico (2-0) struck out 11 in a 7-2 win over Morris Knolls in another NJAC American Division matchup. Ethan Collins (2-0) struck out nine in beating Montville. Coach Vin Bello's club, which also scored a 1-0 win in 10 innings over Vernon, closed the week with an 8-4 win over Immaculata.
Up next: at Mount Olive on Tuesday; at West Milford on Wednesday.
2. North Hunterdon (5-3) -- The Hunterdon County Lions also went 4-1 last week, opening with an 11-1 win over previously-unbeaten Warren Hills last Monday which started a four-game win streak as coach Mike Kane's team defeated Montgomery (1-0 on Wednesday), Hillsborough (4-2 on Thursday) and Edison (9-6 on Saturday) before a 9-6 loss to Red Bank Catholic on Sunday at Diamond Nation. Outfielder Marc Monks is on fire at the plate -- going 2-3 with a triple and two RBIs against Warren Hills and belting a solo homer against Montgomery. He was 2-for-4 with two RBIs in the loss to RBC. Senior Austin Arndt went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and struck out six for the win vs. the Blue Streaks.
Up next: at Watchung Hills on Wednesday; Immaculata at home on Thursday; at Voorhees on Saturday.
3. Hunterdon Central (5-1) -- Red Devils rebounded from a 6-1 loss to North Hunterdon with four straight wins, including a 5-1 victory over Westfield on Monday. Coach Mike Raymond's squad opened last week with a 6-2 win over Immaculata in a Skyland Conference Delaware Division showdown. Christian Carey belted a homer and had three RBIs, while Matt Toke went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Toke leads the team in batting average (.389) and RBIs with six. Catcher Zak Vacca, who is hitting .385, went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Toke went 3-for-4 with two RBIs in a 4-3 win over Randolph on Saturday.
Up next: Phillipsburg at home on Wednesday; at Hillsborough on Thursday; Rancocas Valley, Robbinsville, South Brunswick in Hunterdon Central Tournament on Saturday.
4. Sparta (5-2) -- Spartans extended their win streak to four with victories over High Point (5-3 on Wednesday), Morris Hills (8-1 on Thursday) and Montville (8-7 on Friday) before an 8-1 loss to Minisink Valley (N.Y.) on Saturday. Leadoff hitter Thomas Ruddy, the school's career stolen base leader, swiped a pair in the loss. The Yale-bound outfielder is batting a team-best .381 with five stolen bases. Second baseman Austin Unglaub is hitting .333 with seven hits, while shortstop T.J. Estanislau leads the team with seven RBIs. Ace Kevin Foulds is 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA. No. 2 Dillon Mendel is 1-0 with a 0.78 ERA.
Up next: at Morris Knolls on Tuesday; Newton at home on Thursday; Goshen (N.Y.) at home on Saturday.
5. Lenape Valley (6-0) -- Patriots stayed in the driver's seat with three more NJAC Freedom Division wins -- 10-6 over Hopatcong, 10-2 over Wallkill Valley and 8-0 over Hackettstown. Outfielder Nick Sabatini has been unconscious at the plate, going 2-for-4 with an RBI against Wallkill. Dan Rafferty improved to 2-0 on the mound with five K's against the Rangers, while Jim Fluke went 2-for-4 with two RBIs in that one. Coach Bob Klinck's club, which is off the program's best start since winning its first four to go 5-1 in 2011, can run the division table in the first half with a victory at Jefferson on Tuesday. The Pats have outscored their opponents 58-18.
Up next: at Jefferson on Tuesday; at Morristown-Beard on Thursday; Boonton at home on Saturday.
6. Warren Hills (6-2) -- Blue Streaks have rebounded from back-to-back losses to start last week -- 11-1 to North Hunterdon and 8-4 to Ridge -- with three straight wins, including Monday's 3-0 blanking of Hopatcong at Joseph Steinhardt Field. Craig Lawson went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles, while winning pitcher Christian Stagaard struck out three and drove in a run. Stagaard has been hot at the plate, driving in two runs in the loss to Ridge and going 2-for-4 in the team's 5-3 win at Delaware Valley last Thursday. Winning pitcher Anthony Veneziano (2-0) fanned eight in that one. Coach Mike Quinto's club posted a 4-2 win at Watchung Hills on Saturday -- the Streaks' first win over the Warriors since 2003. Quinto is a Watchung alum.
Up next: Franklin at home on Wednesday; at Hackettstown on Thursday; at North Warren on Saturday.
7. Delaware Valley (3-2) -- Terriers went 2-1 last week, capping it with a 10-0 win over South Hunterdon on Saturday night at Riegel Ridge Park. Sophomore Jake Brogan drove in two runs, while senior Adam Novotny went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Junior Logan Brown struck out 10 for his second victory on the mound. Earlier in the week, Brown struck out six in a 6-2 win over Franklin in a Skyland Conference Raritan Division clash. Coach Marty White's team gave up three runs in the top of the first en route to a 5-3 loss to Warren Hills last Thursday. Nick Perna was 3-for-5 with a triple and an RBI.
Up next: at Bound Brook on Tuesday; at Somerville on Wednesday.
8. Vernon (1-4) -- Vikings enter here for the first time this season following a 7-2 win over Newton on Monday at Memory Park. Winning pitcher Anthony Germinario (1-1) fired six solid innings and helped himself by going 2-for-3 with the bat, including a two-run single in a seven-run first inning as the Vikings sent 12 batters to the plate. It was his second two-hit game as Germinario went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI in the Vikes' 6-4 loss to Morris Hills on Thursday. First baseman Dave Baxter also had a pair of hits as Vernon beat Newton for the third straight time dating to last year. Coach Scott Berge's team also lost a 1-0 heartbreaker in 10 innings to No. 1 Pope John last Tuesday. Starting pitcher Mike Harboy struck out six.
Up next: at Montville on Tuesday; High Point at home on Wednesday.
9. North Warren (2-1) -- Coach Jim Haupt's Patriots rolled to a 15-0 win over Hackettstown last Tuesday in an NJAC Freedom Division contest and were rained out the rest of the week. Senior Nick Meyer had a double and four RBIs and Matt Nicholoff had a double with two RBIs. Senior ace Alex Hladik (2-0) struck out 10 and has 21 in his two starts. Senior catcher David Wilbur also had a double with two RBIs.
Up next: at Wallkill Valley on Tuesday; Hopatcong at home on Wednesday; at Notre Dame-East Stroudsburg (Pa.) on Thursday; Warren Hills at home on Saturday.
10. Kittatinny (3-1) -- Cougars went 2-0 last week -- 12-5 over Hopatcong on Tuesday and 3-2 over Parsippany on Saturday. Cowan Sikora and Joe Repasy each had two hits, while Adam Goriscak drove in three runs against the Chiefs. Repasy went 2-for-2 and Goriscak had an RBI double to back senior ace David Moyer (1-1) in his first victory against Parsippany. Moyer and Repasy combined to throw a two-hitter for coach TJ Orlando's club.
Up next: Hackettstown at home on Tuesday; Jefferson at home on Wednesday.
On the bubble: High Point (1-3-1); Hackettstown (3-4).
Monday, April 14, 2014
Baseball: Vikings use seven-run frame to top Braves
NEWTON -- Nothing like a seven-run inning to get a struggling offense -- and a winless club -- on the right track.
Vernon struck for seven in the top of the first and rode the right arm of senior ace Anthony Germinario to a 7-2 victory over Newton in a Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference crossover clash on Monday at Memory Park.
The Vikings (1-4), who snapped a four-game skid to open the season, had dropped three close games in a row, including one-run affairs against Sparta, 3-2, and Pope John, 1-0 in 10 innings. Coach Scott Berge's team also beat the Braves (2-4) for the third straight meeting following two wins in 2013 -- 6-5 at home in a regular season clash and 6-2 at Memory Park in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinals.
"This was definitely a huge win for us," said Germinario, who fired six solid innings for his first win and lost a no-hit bid with two outs in the fourth. "We couldn't have done it any better."
"We have the potential, we just have to play up to it," said Berge, whose team had scored a total of nine runs in its four previous games and came in batting a collective .190. "We've been right there in every game. I told them,' the door is open now and it's your job to take that opportunity.'"
Newton, which snapped a three-game losing streak with Saturday's 11-3 win over Boonton, has struggled despite returning the bulk of last year's team that won 18 games and captured the NJAC Freedom Division title.
Coach John Selitto said it's been a combination of things, but the bottom line is that the Braves' offense continues to struggle -- mustering just one hit -- Jon Bernotas' RBI single in the fourth -- in this loss. Losing pitcher Steve Kelly (0-2) didn't make it out of the first inning as Vernon sent 12 men to the plate and banged out seven hits -- six off of Kelly, who exited after walking No. 9 hitter Joe Roccasanta to load the bases.
"We're too talented to play like this the whole year, but it's getting late," Selitto said. "Something right now isn't clicking and you can see they're pressing. We've had some good starts [from the pitchers], but not today. Kelly pitched five shutout innings against Hackettstown [a 3-2 loss on April 3]. Our relief [pitching] hasn't been great or we're not hitting. We just haven't meshed yet."
After walking leadoff hitter Chris Pontus, Kelly allowed three straight hits, including Dave Baxter's RBI single. With one out, catcher Connor Fitzsimmons ripped a single up the middle to score two more and Vernon grabbed a 4-0 lead. Matt Emerson and Christian Quaranta followed with back-to-back singles and Roccasanta walked to knock Kelly from the game. Kelly was tagged for seven runs on six hits and allowed two walks in two-third of an inning.
Lefty Nate Kolzow entered with the bases full and walked Pontus to make it 5-0. Germinario followed with a two-run single through the box to cap the seven-run first.
That was more than enough offense for Germinario (1-1), who retired seven of the first 11 he faced on ground balls, while striking out two, while working around a one-out error that allowed Bernotas to reach first in the second inning.
"My slider was definitely working for me and I was hitting my fastball right on the outside corner," Germinario said.
After a 1-2-3 third, Germinario issued a one-out walk to Ben Cramer and uncorked a wild pitch to move him into scoring position. Cleanup hitter Nick Grant grounded out to first to move Cramer to third and he scored on Bernotas' single down the left-field line to make it 7-1.
Meanwhile, Kolzow held the fort with five scoreless innings out of the bullpen. After he sent the Vikings down in order in the fifth, the Braves tacked on another run in their half as Kolzow drew a leadoff walk. Courtesy runner Bobby Fehr moved to second on an error and to third on a two-out walk by Defeo. With the bases loaded, Germinario threw another wild pitch and Fehr made a great read on the ball to race home with Newton's second run.
But Germinario retired Cramer, the Braves' best hitter, on a comebacker to the mound with runners on second and third to end the threat and a golden chance for the hosts to get back in the game. Germinario and Emerson, who pitched the seventh, combined to retire the last seven in order, including a great diving catch by center fielder Pontus to rob Charlie Grotyohann of a hit in the final inning.
"We had some bad approaches [at the plate] and with good hitter's counts -- 2-1 and 3-1 -- guys are trying to do too much," Selitto said. "Even with the loss there were some positives. I thought [Kolzow] pitched really well and Defeo [who finished up with 1 1/3 scoreless innings] has a lot of promise."
VERNON (ab-r-h-rbi) -- Pontus cf 3-1-1-1, Germinario p 3-1-2-2, Mike Harboy 2b 4-1-1-1, Baxter 1b 3-1-2-1, Kevin Moran lf-3b 4-0-1-0, Fitzsimmons c 4-0-1-2/Rodriguez cr-lf 0-0-0-0, Emerson 3b-p 3-1-2-0, Ed Battista ph 1-0-0-0, Quaranta ss 3-1-1-0, Roccasanta rf 1-1-0-0. Totals: 29-7-11-7.
NEWTON (ab-r-h-rbi) -- Justin Smith lf 3-0-0-0, Defeo 3b-p 2-0-0-0, Cramer cf 2-1-0-0, Grant dh/Casey Thomas rf 3-0-0-0, Bernotas ss 3-0-1-1, Joe Maker 1b-3b 3-0-0-0, Kelly p 0-0-0-0, Kolzow p 1-0-0-0/Fehr cr 0-1-0-0, Grotyohann c 3-0-0-0/Ricky Izquierdo cr 0-0-0-0, Anthony Brown 2b 2-0-0-0, Fehr 2b 1-0-0-0. Totals: 24-2-1-1.
Vernon struck for seven in the top of the first and rode the right arm of senior ace Anthony Germinario to a 7-2 victory over Newton in a Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference crossover clash on Monday at Memory Park.
The Vikings (1-4), who snapped a four-game skid to open the season, had dropped three close games in a row, including one-run affairs against Sparta, 3-2, and Pope John, 1-0 in 10 innings. Coach Scott Berge's team also beat the Braves (2-4) for the third straight meeting following two wins in 2013 -- 6-5 at home in a regular season clash and 6-2 at Memory Park in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinals.
"This was definitely a huge win for us," said Germinario, who fired six solid innings for his first win and lost a no-hit bid with two outs in the fourth. "We couldn't have done it any better."
"We have the potential, we just have to play up to it," said Berge, whose team had scored a total of nine runs in its four previous games and came in batting a collective .190. "We've been right there in every game. I told them,' the door is open now and it's your job to take that opportunity.'"
Newton, which snapped a three-game losing streak with Saturday's 11-3 win over Boonton, has struggled despite returning the bulk of last year's team that won 18 games and captured the NJAC Freedom Division title.
Coach John Selitto said it's been a combination of things, but the bottom line is that the Braves' offense continues to struggle -- mustering just one hit -- Jon Bernotas' RBI single in the fourth -- in this loss. Losing pitcher Steve Kelly (0-2) didn't make it out of the first inning as Vernon sent 12 men to the plate and banged out seven hits -- six off of Kelly, who exited after walking No. 9 hitter Joe Roccasanta to load the bases.
"We're too talented to play like this the whole year, but it's getting late," Selitto said. "Something right now isn't clicking and you can see they're pressing. We've had some good starts [from the pitchers], but not today. Kelly pitched five shutout innings against Hackettstown [a 3-2 loss on April 3]. Our relief [pitching] hasn't been great or we're not hitting. We just haven't meshed yet."
After walking leadoff hitter Chris Pontus, Kelly allowed three straight hits, including Dave Baxter's RBI single. With one out, catcher Connor Fitzsimmons ripped a single up the middle to score two more and Vernon grabbed a 4-0 lead. Matt Emerson and Christian Quaranta followed with back-to-back singles and Roccasanta walked to knock Kelly from the game. Kelly was tagged for seven runs on six hits and allowed two walks in two-third of an inning.
Lefty Nate Kolzow entered with the bases full and walked Pontus to make it 5-0. Germinario followed with a two-run single through the box to cap the seven-run first.
That was more than enough offense for Germinario (1-1), who retired seven of the first 11 he faced on ground balls, while striking out two, while working around a one-out error that allowed Bernotas to reach first in the second inning.
"My slider was definitely working for me and I was hitting my fastball right on the outside corner," Germinario said.
After a 1-2-3 third, Germinario issued a one-out walk to Ben Cramer and uncorked a wild pitch to move him into scoring position. Cleanup hitter Nick Grant grounded out to first to move Cramer to third and he scored on Bernotas' single down the left-field line to make it 7-1.
Meanwhile, Kolzow held the fort with five scoreless innings out of the bullpen. After he sent the Vikings down in order in the fifth, the Braves tacked on another run in their half as Kolzow drew a leadoff walk. Courtesy runner Bobby Fehr moved to second on an error and to third on a two-out walk by Defeo. With the bases loaded, Germinario threw another wild pitch and Fehr made a great read on the ball to race home with Newton's second run.
But Germinario retired Cramer, the Braves' best hitter, on a comebacker to the mound with runners on second and third to end the threat and a golden chance for the hosts to get back in the game. Germinario and Emerson, who pitched the seventh, combined to retire the last seven in order, including a great diving catch by center fielder Pontus to rob Charlie Grotyohann of a hit in the final inning.
"We had some bad approaches [at the plate] and with good hitter's counts -- 2-1 and 3-1 -- guys are trying to do too much," Selitto said. "Even with the loss there were some positives. I thought [Kolzow] pitched really well and Defeo [who finished up with 1 1/3 scoreless innings] has a lot of promise."
VERNON (ab-r-h-rbi) -- Pontus cf 3-1-1-1, Germinario p 3-1-2-2, Mike Harboy 2b 4-1-1-1, Baxter 1b 3-1-2-1, Kevin Moran lf-3b 4-0-1-0, Fitzsimmons c 4-0-1-2/Rodriguez cr-lf 0-0-0-0, Emerson 3b-p 3-1-2-0, Ed Battista ph 1-0-0-0, Quaranta ss 3-1-1-0, Roccasanta rf 1-1-0-0. Totals: 29-7-11-7.
NEWTON (ab-r-h-rbi) -- Justin Smith lf 3-0-0-0, Defeo 3b-p 2-0-0-0, Cramer cf 2-1-0-0, Grant dh/Casey Thomas rf 3-0-0-0, Bernotas ss 3-0-1-1, Joe Maker 1b-3b 3-0-0-0, Kelly p 0-0-0-0, Kolzow p 1-0-0-0/Fehr cr 0-1-0-0, Grotyohann c 3-0-0-0/Ricky Izquierdo cr 0-0-0-0, Anthony Brown 2b 2-0-0-0, Fehr 2b 1-0-0-0. Totals: 24-2-1-1.
Vernon (1-4) 700 000 0 -- 7 11 2
E -- Emerson 2; Bernotas. DP -- Newton 2 (Defeo-Brown-Maker, 3rd), (Maker-Fehr-Van Luvender, 7th). LOB -- Vernon 9, Newton 4. SB -- Pontus. CS -- Rodriguez, Pontus.
Germinario, Emerson (7) and Fitzsimmons; Kelly, Kolzow (1), Defeo (6) and Grotyohann. W -- Germinario (1-1). L -- Kelly (0-2). SO-BB -- Germinario 4-3, Emerson 1-0; Kelly 0-2, Kozlow 0-4, Defeo 0-2. WP -- Germinario 2.
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