Zoned Training Program for South Plainfield Baseball

2011 South Plainfield HS Baseball Team Training at Zoned!

Dates: Jan. 10, 17, 24, 31, Feb. 7, 14, 21

Time: Mondays 8:30 - 9:30 pm

Please fill out the player profile form at the link below and be sure to include your primary and secondary positions in the Notes field.

https://tms.ezfacility.com/OnlineRegistrations/Register.aspx?CompanyID=526&GroupID=49762

Zoned Sports Academy Inc

24 E. Kearney Street

Bridgewater, NJ 08807

Phone: 732.537.1770
Fax: 732. 537.1780

Email: contact@zonedinc.com

NJ Baseball:

Brandon Downes of South Plainfield Signs With Virginia

(High school Baseball news)

THE STAR-LEDGER, November 14, 2010 6:19 p.m.

Brandon Downes of South Plainfield, one of two juniors selected All-State by The Star-Ledger in June, has signed a letter of intent to attend Virginia.The outfielder had 15 home runs and batted .484 with 49 RBI for South Plainfield, which finished the season ranked No. 8 in Tbe Star-Ledger Top 20 with a 25-3 record.

http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/-2872793621720970774/nj-baseball-brandon-downes-of-south-plainfield-signs-with-virginia-high-school-baseball-news/

South Plainfield's Brandon Downes selects Virginia to continue baseball career

By MATT HLADIK • STAFF WRITER • November 12, 2010

Another Middlesex County high school product signed to continue his baseball career at a Division I institution Friday when South Plainfield centerfielder Brandon Downes inked a National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Virginia.Downes, a Home News Tribune All-Area First-Team selection in 2010, batted .484 and slugged 1.063 as a junior, driving in 49 runs and belting 15 home runs, both school records. He was the Greater Middlesex Conference coaches' selection for Player of the Year."Brandon is one of the best natural hitters I have ever been around, in both my years as a coach and a player," South Plainfield coach Anthony Guida said. "He is very physically fit and has one of the best work ethics I've been around. He is a five-tool player. I think he will flourish and grow (as a ballplayer) at Virginia."Downes also hit for the cycle against New Brunswick and recorded an 18-game hitting streak last season. He helped lead the Tigers to a 25-3 record and the GMC White division title. His performance in the classroom is equally impressive, as he possesses a 3.9 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society.

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20101112/SPORTS0103/11120351/1109

Looking Forward

Anthony Guida Jr.

Anthony Guida Jr.

7 lbs. 11 ozs.

GMCSBL Final Game of the Season - South Brunswick 8 South Plainfield 6

The season finale was a better game on paper than it was in the field. The Tigers fell behind early but kept pace, for the most part, with a motivated South Brunswick team.

Looking to avenge an opening round loss to the Tigers in the U17 Don Mattingly State Tournament last week, South Brunswick struck for 3 quick runs in the 1st inning and 2 in the 2nd.

The Tigers came back with 3 in the 3rd and 1 in the 4th, but it was not enough to take the lead.

South Brunswick's Ariel Torres smacked a 3 run homerun in the 6th, sealing the victory for the Vikings. The Tigers tried to answer back in the 7th with 2 more runs but came up short for an 8-6 loss in their final 2010 GMCSBL game.

Brandon Downes finished with a double, single, a stolen base, 2 runs scored and 1 RBI. Stephen Petriello had 2 singles and 2 runs scored. Quinn Cochrane had 2 doubles, a single, and 3 RBIs. Dan Hansen had a single, sac fly, and 2 RBIs. Ryan Marcoux had a single, a stolen base and 1 run scored.

Charlie Huber took the loss after coming on in relief of Tom Bowden and Ryan Hutchinson who pitched the 1st and 2nd innings respectively.

GMCSBL Result: South Plainfield 2 Freehold Township 1 (8 Innings)

South Plainfield 2 Freehold Township 1 (8 Innings)

Another thrilling pitchers duel today as South Plainfield's Dan Hansen faced off against Freehold's Kevin Litus. Both pitchers threw scoreless baseball for 7 innings. Litus had a no-hitter for the first 7 innings. Hansen gave up a few hits early but held Freehold scoreless until the 8th.

Litus helped his own cause by leading off the 8th inning with a single up the middle. He moved to 3rd on an overthrow during a sacrifice bunt making it a first and third situation. A 6-4-3 double play then allowed Litus to score giving Freehold a 1-0 lead.

Litus had held the Tigers hitless for 7 innings, allowing only one baserunner during that time. (Alex Liszewski reaching on an E-6 in the 3rd inning). It was in the 8th inning that the Tigers came alive. Dan Hansen led off the inning with a double to left-center, ending the no-hitter. Chris Kukich came up next looking to sacrifice bunt, but was safe at first due to a wild throw by Litus. Hansen came around to score from second on the play. Kukich hustled to second on the over-throw. With the score now tied at one, Ryan Marcoux put down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move Kukich to third. Ryan Hughes and Alex Liszewski were then intentionally walked, loading the bases, to try to set up a force at any base. Quinn Cochrane then walked up to the plate with one out and bases loaded. With the Freehold infield in, Cochrane hit a hard grounder right at a shallow shortstop who couldn't handle it, driving in Kukich for the winning run.

Tigers win a walk-off, 2-1.

Hansen went the distance for the win, yielding 5 hits, 1 walk, 8 strike outs, and picking off 2 baserunners. He also had the only hit for South Plainfield.

A lot of credit goes to Freehold's Kevin Litus, who threw a fantastic 1-hit game for the loss.

GMCSBL Result: South Plainfield 11 Princeton Township 0

South Plainfield 11 Princeton Township 0

Photos Courtesy of Don Hunsinger

AJ Celantano delivers a pitch against Princeton Township

AJ Celantano got his first win of the season with an 11-0 shutout over Princeton Township. Celantano allowed only 2 hits and 4 baserunners during the game. He struck out 5 and walked one. Charlie Huber came in to close it out in the 6th by striking out the side.

Alex Liszeski is caught stealing (although he looks safe)

The Tigers had 12 hits to score 11 runs. Dan Hansen led the attack with a double, single and a triple, scoring 2 runs, and getting 1 RBI. Stephen Petriello had a single and a triple, scored 3 runs, and got an RBI. Chris Kukich had a double and a single, scored a run and had 2 RBIs. Nick DeMarco had a single and 3 runs scored. Tom Bowden had a single and 2 RBIs. Ryan Hutchinson had a single and an RBI. And Mark Tomei and Alex Liszewski, each had a single.

AJ Celantano attempts to pick off one of only 4 Princeton baserunners allowed in the game.

AABC U17 State Tournament Results: Hillsborough 10 South Plainfield 3

Game 3 doesn't go to the Tigers either.

It didn't get any better on Saturday as the Tigers were knocked out of the tournament by Hillsborough. The game went the full 7even innings. The Tigers produced only 3 runs on 5 hits.

Ryan Hutchinson led off the first inning with a walk. Mark Tomei then singled and advanced to 2nd on the throw to 3rd that failed to get Hutchinson. Dan Hansen then hit a ground out to short that scored Hutchinson for the 1st run.

In the 3rd inning, Alex Liszewski led off with a single followed by another single by Mark Tomei. AJ Celantano smacked a single to send Liszewski home but got nailed at second trying to stretch it into a double.

In the 5th inning Ryan Marcoux led off with a walk. Alex Liszewski reached on an error by the second baseman moving Marcoux to third. Ryan Hutchinson came up and hit a single to drive in Marcoux for the 3rd and final run.

Hillsborough scored 5 runs in the second inning on no hits. They later scored 4 runs in the 5th inning on 3 hits, and 1 run in the 5th inning on 4 hits.

Ryan Hughes, Charlie Huber, Nick DeMarco and AJ Celantano shared the pitching duties with Hughes getting the loss.

TOURNAMENT BRACKETS:

http://www.leaguelineup.com/pyramidbaseball/files/2010%20Don%20Mattingly%2017U%20Bracket.pdf

AABC U17 State Tournament Results: Middlesex 9 South Plainfield 1

Game 2 doesn't go to the Tigers.

Lack of run support didn't help the Tigers Friday as they dropped a crucial game against Middlesex. 1 run on 7 hits is all the Tigers could muster. The Tigers scored their only run in the top of the 1st, AJ Celantano singled and took second on a bad throw by the Middlesex shortstop. Dan Hansen came up and creamed a double over the right fielders head bringing Celantano home. Middlesex scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning and it was pretty much over from there. Middlesex scored 5 more runs to 8 run rule the Tigers after 5 innings.

Hit producers for the Tigers were Mark Tomei, AJ Celantano and Chris Kukich getting singles. Dan Hansen had 2 doubles while Ryan Hutchinson had 2 singles.

Pitching duties were divied up amongst Tom Bowden, Nick DeMarco and Charlie Huber, with Tom Bowden taking the loss.

AABC U17 State Tournament Results: South Plainfield 4, South Brunswick 1

South Plainfield Tigers at AABC U17 NJ State Tournament

Game 1 goes to the Tigers.

Another pitchers battle that went into extra innings this time, and South Brunswick blinked first. South Plainfield's Dan Hansen and South Brunswick's Alex Carroll traded innings until the Tigers broke it open in the top of the 9th inning at Nap Torpey Field in Bridgewater.

The first 3 innings were scoreless. Then in the top of the 4th, Dan Hansen led off the inning with a double to left center. Chris Kukich drove Hansen in for the first run with a single to right.

South Brunswick answered right away in the bottom of the 4th. Ariel Torres led off the inning with a triple. Joe Young followed with an infield ground out to score Torres and tie the game at 1.

It stayed that way with both pitchers holding the other team scoreless until the top of the ninth inning. Thats when the Tigers came alive with back to back base hits by Shane O'Connor and Alex Liszewski. Ryan Hutchinson moved both baserunners with a perfect sacrifice bunt. Then with O'Connor on third and Liszewski on second, AJ "Mr Clutch" Celantano did it again, coming up big with a 2 RBI double for the Tigers to take the lead. South Brunswick changed pitchers and Dan Hansen smashed an outside fastball down the right field line for a double, scoring Celantano for run number 4.

Tom Bowden came on in relief in the bottom of the 9th and closed it out for the Tigers.

Mark Tomei, Alex Liszewski and Dan Hansen each had 2 hits on the day. AJ Celantano, Chris Kukich and Shane O'Connor had 1 hit each.

Dan Hansen gave up 1 run on 4 hits, and struck out 7 for the win. Tom Bowden gets the save.

NEXT GAME: Friday July 16th at 5:30 p.m. at Prince Rogers Field in Bridgewater.

Hansen Strikes Out 20 In GMCSBL Playoffs

South Plainfield pitcher Dan Hansen throws to first base during a 2009
game. Hansen struck out 20 batters in GMCSBL action last weekend.

BASEBALL
July 14, 2010
By JOE MARTINO
STAFF WRITER

Hansen Strikes Out 20 In GMCSBL Playoffs

As the Greater Middlesex Coaches Summer Baseball League playoffs began, South Plainfield finally hit its stride, thanks in part to starting pitcher Dan Hansen.

The Tigers stood in fourth place in the Middlesex North Division at 5-5, but reeled off three-straight victories to clinch a spot in this weekend's AABC 17U Don Mattingly State Tournament at Prince Rodgers Complex and Nap Torpey Field, both in Bridgewater.

Hansen was brilliant in Saturday's 4-0 clincher over Woodbridge. He struck out the first nine batters he faced - including three on just nine pitches in the third inning - and fanned 20 for the game.

"It was the most dominant pitching performance I've seen at any level," said South Plainfield coach Nick McKee. "Earlier in the day he'd thrown 25 pitches in a college showcase so it was questionable if I was even going to start him, but he said he was ready to go and his arm felt great."

Hansen was dominant in Friday night's 2-0 playoff victory against Ocean as he struck out 14 batters, and enters the state tournament with staggering numbers for the summer: 4-0 with a 0.57 ERA, 44 strikeouts and just 4 walks.

"He was dominant in the spring for the varsity (9-1), but it looks like his velocity has jumped and he's mowing everyone down now," McKee added. "the last three times he's pitched, it looks like he's flipped the switch - unhittable."

St. Joseph, South Brunswick, and Middletown South are the other teams advancing from the GMCSBL, and Hansen will be on the mound for South Plainfield Thursday. Other qualifiers include Hillsborough, Bridgewater and Basking Ridge from the Pyramid League (Hunterdon, Somerset and Warren counties) and Pennsville.

___________________________________

Thursday, July 15
2010 AABC/Don Mattingly State Playoffs
5 GMCSBL TEAMS HEAD INTO AABC/MATTINGLY STATES TODAY
Bridgewater, NJ-

It didn't take very long for the Greater Middlesex Coaches Summer Baseball League to make noise on the AABC national scene. The newly affiliated league sent South Plainfield to the AABC World Series in its' first year of existence. The trip to New Mexico was one that S.P. would parlay into a seat atop the Start Ledger rankings for a good part of the high school season as New Jersey's number 1 team.

This year, the GMCSBL looks to return a team to the World Series in Farmington, NM, with 5 slugging squads looking to win the New Jersey State Championship and grab a bid out West.
South Plainfield is one of those teams looking to return to New Mexico. They will be joined by 3 other GMCSBL region winners in Middletown South, South Brunswick and St. Joe's. An at-large bid was recieved by Middlesex, the top point getter during the regular season.

Thursday will have 2 all GMCSBL matchups in the opening round with Middlesex and St. Joe's hooking up in a rematch of Saturday's region final (St. Joe's scored 12 unanswered runs for the 12-6 win) and South Plainfield facing off with South Brunswick.

The South Plainfield/South Brunswick game could be one of the best games of the tournament. South Brunswick has been the most complete and consistent team all summer. They are the Middlesex Co. South and Region Champion. South Brunswick can do it all. They can pitch behind undefeated Alex Carroll, and hit with slugger Nick Muha, Craig Cleffi and John Yurecko. South Plainfield possesses the best weapon in the tournament with lefty Dan Hansen. The southpaw has not lost all summer and has yielded one earned run. Hansen returns to the mound after striking out 20 vs. Woodbridge in the Regional Final on Saturday. If they have their full compliment of players, South Plainfield will be a tough out in this tournament.

With the group of teams from the GMCSBL headed out to Bridgewater, the prediction is that one of the 5 teams will advance. Choosing which team it will be is the most difficult part. The fun part is going to be watching it all go down at Nap Torpey Field and Prince Rodgers field in Bridgewater Twp starting Thursday.

Prediction: South Brunswick will return the favor from last year and win it out of the loser's bracket to advance to New Mexico!

Good luck to all of the teams in this year's tournament.
-Glenn Fredricks

http://www.eteamz.com/gmcsbl/

GMCSBL Result: South Plainfield 10, South River 9

Photos courtesey of Don Hunsinger

Centerfielder Mark Tomei makes the catch of the day robbing South River of a homerun.

Mark Tomei continued his assault on baseballs again Monday, going 4 for 4 and reaching base in 5 plate appearances to lead the Tigers in a come from behind win against South River.

South River out-hit the Tigers 14-9, and had the scoring lead for most of the game. But it just wasn't enough as the Tigers took advantage of some key opportunities and scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 7th for the win.

South River baserunner was called safe after shortstop Ryan Marcoux makes the tag.

Tomei led off the game with a homerun into the backyards in right field. No doubt about it. He followed up with 2 singles and a double while getting hit by the pitch once. The Tigers had 9 hits in the game and Tomei had 4 of them, along with 5 RBIs.

AJ Celantano hit the walkoff single, driving in Alex Liszewski for the winning run. Celantano finished the day with 2 singles and 2 RBIs.

The remaining 3 hits belonged to Nick DeMarco, Dan Hansen, and Shane O'Connor.

The Tiger pitching was parceled out to Nick DeMarco, Tom Bowden, and Charlie Huber, with Huber hanging in there for the win.

Firstbaseman AJ Celantano makes a nice stretch for the putout.

Brandon Downes, South Plainfield slugger, heads to East Coast Pro Showcase

July 10, 2010

By PAUL FRANKLIN
STAFF WRITER

The steady thumps can be heard every day, sometimes late at night when Mike and Kathy Downes are trying to fall asleep. The sound in the basement is like an intermittent beat of a drum, but in fact is the sound of a baseball being hit by a bat.
The culprit is their son, Brandon.
The reason, of course, is the dream.
"I can attest to that," said his mother with a smile one afternoon last week, upstairs in the kitchen. "I hear the ball and I hear him saying stuff to himself. He's in a zone down there."
Imperfection, however, causes baseballs to divert from the circular, blue netting of the "Instant Screen." The desired result, of course, is a line drive into the concrete block wall some six feet from where a soft toss machine lobs pitches to the kid.
Over the past 10 years his swings have also sent balls banging off the washer/dryer, water pipes and shattered windows.
One time a ricochet tagged him on the nose.
He no longer breaks the two windows to the right of the portable home plate. Eventually his father, a mason, cemented them shut.
Aside from his concrete field of dreams, the basement is essentially like many others: a little dark . . . a ping pong table here, a Foosball table there . . . posters on the walls . . . a blue plastic wash basket filled with baseballs, and, well, stuff.
In stark comparison is a large table filled with gold trophies. Tall trophies. More than two dozen of them.
That is the first hint of a talented baseball player as you walk down the narrow stairs to the basement. And that is why it comes as no surprise as to why the 17-year old will attend one of the country's most prestigious baseball showcases next month.
The East Coast Pro Showcase website says its ultimate purpose is, "to provide a venue for the premier youth baseball players across the Eastern United States to compete in a professional environment and allow evaluation opportunities for scouts from every Major League organization."
Games will be played Aug. 1-4 at the Detroit Tigers spring training facility in Lakeland, Fla.
In addition, the MLB team sponsoring the one Downes will play for, the Angels, will hold one practice at Yankee Stadium on July 27.
"That's gonna be really cool," said Downes, who will be a senior this year at South Plainfield High School. "I want to take batting practice. I can't wait."
He stands a good chance of reaching the seats at Yankee Stadium — even if he's a Mets fan. He hit 15 home runs this past spring, many of them bombs into the trees at South Plainfield's home field.
Generally an outfielder, Downes has a cannon for an arm and is actually catching this summer for three teams: Full Count, an AAU team; Senior Legion; and the Greater Middlesex County Coaches League.
Almost 6-foot-3, Downes is not the prototype catcher at 175 pounds.
"I like being involved in every play," he said of the position. "The outfield sometimes is boring. All I do is yell a lot. I like running down fly balls though, and I usually don't hit the cutoff man. My coach told me once to stop showcasing my arm."
Downes said that with a smile. An unassuming teenager, his athletic success has not gone to his head. He can be excited about his accomplishments and his potential, but he doesn't brag about it.
He credits his parents.
His dad played football and baseball at South Plainfield (mom was a cheerleader), older brother Michael played baseball for South Plainfield, and his sister Kelly will play her final year of softball at Drexel. She was an outstanding player at SPHS as well.
Rutgers, Virginia, Tennessee and Vanderbilt are among the colleges recruiting Downes, who is considering majoring in electrical or environmental engineering.
Even if he's drafted next year, he said, he is pretty sure he will attend college before taking a crack at professional baseball.
"I've been told I won't be ready," he said of pro ball. "And I don't think I will be."
Eventually, of course, he wants to. Eventually he wants to return to Yankee Stadium in a major-league uniform.
"I always wanted to play in the pros, but I never thought I'd get this close," he said. "I remember when I started playing baseball, I hit a lot of home runs and I would think, "I can't wait to hit them in the majors.' "
Until then he'll keep taking his swings in the basement, where the washer/dryer can serve as a left field foul pole, the water pipes as a shot into McCovey Cove, and where concrete windows continue to drum the rhythm of a dream.

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20100710/SPORTS0103/7100328/1109

GMCSBL Division Final - South Plainfield 4, Woodbridge 0

What was actually a great pitcher's battle between Dan Hansen of South Plainfield and Nick Stallone of Woodbridge turned into a memorable classic Saturday night at Community Park in North Brunswick. South Plainfield lefty pitcher, Dan Hansen, out-K'ed Woodbridge righty, Nick Stallone, 20 - 12. Hansen gave up 3 hits to Stallone's 4. Only 1 of Woodbridge's 21 outs was not a strikeout. The lone exception coming on a Woodbridge baserunning mistake. Hansen tossed a complete game for the shutout win, striking out the side in every inning except the 6th.

Brandon Downes gave the Tigers an early lead in the top of the first inning, by clocking a 1-1 pitch into the parking lot in back of left field for a solo homerun. As it turned out, thats all the run production the Tigers needed to close out the Barrons for a Divisional seed in the Don Mattingly U17s State Playoffs.

The Tigers went on to score 3 more runs. One run was scored, again by Downes, in the top of the 4th inning. Downes reached on an infield single, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch, and scored on an RBI groundout to first by Stephen Petriello. Petriello also had a single in the top of the sixth.

The other 2 runs were scored in the top of the seventh. Ryan Marcoux was hit by a pitch, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Mark Tomei. Ryan Hutchinson scored the 4th run by reaching on an error by the Woodbridge second baseman, moving to third on Tomei's single and then scoring on a wild throw to first by the catcher.

Great game...........the Tigers are going to Bridgewater for the State Finals!! (AGAIN)

GMCSBL Result - South Plainfield 13 Red Bank Catholic 3

The hits kept coming on Tuesday as the Tigers defeated Red Bank Catholic 13-3 in six innings at Count Basie Field in Shrewsbury. Mark Tomei broke a few baseballs while hitting 3 doubles and a triple. Brandon Downes almost had a cycle, hitting a double, triple and a homerun that hasn't landed yet. Stephen Petriello had 2 singles, a double and a sacrifice fly. Dan Hansen and Ryan Hutchinson had 2 hits each. Nick DeMarco had a monster triple that drove in 2 runs. And Ryan Marcoux had a solo hit to add to the total.

Tom Bowden pitched another complete game in the scorching heat to pick up his 4th win of the season. He faced 27 batters and struck out 4 while walking none.

GMCSBL Result : South Plainfield 2 Ocean Township 0

Dan Hansen threw a 4 hit shutout against Ocean Township on Monday, striking out 13 and not walking any batters.

The offense was led by Stephen Petriello, who hit a deep sacrifice fly to right field in the first inning to score Mark Tomei who had gotten a lead off single, and took second on a wide throw, he then stole third. AJ Celantano scored the second run after a base on balls, stealing second, moving to third on Petriello's sac fly, and scoring during a double steal with Dan Hansen swiping second. The Tigers had seven hits and no errors. Tomei and Chris Kukich had two hits each. AJ Celantano, Dan Hansen, and Ryan Hutchinson had the other three hits.

That was it for the scoring, but it proved to be enough for Hansen to finish out the game with solid defense behind him.

GMCSBL Result -Spotswood 3 South Plainfield 2

No Newspaper Coverage............

Recap :

Ryan Hutchinson took a tough loss against Spotswood while giving up only 4 hits but surrendering 3 unearned runs. A total of 4 errors on the part of the Tigers handed the Spotswood team the victory.

Offensively, the Tigers out hit the Chargers but scored only 2 runs. Ryan Marcoux and Alex Liszewski both singled in the top of the 7th and later scored on RBI singles by Ryan Hutchinson and AJ Celantano (squeeze bunt). Mark Tomei had 2 hits and Stephen Petriello & Nick DeMarco had 1 hit each to round out the hitting.

Taylor Born and Sal Esposito made their GMCSBL debuts during the game.

http://www.eteamz.com/gmcsbl/

GMCSBL Result - South Plainfield 10 Manalapan 5

No newspaper coverage.....again. So here goes nothin.
.
Charlie Huber got his first summer victory against Manalapan on Tuesday, giving up 8 hits and 5 runs while only walking 1 and picking off 2 baserunners. Tom Bowden and Dan Hansen finished up in relief.

Mark Tomei and Stephen Petriello both homered. Tomei went 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs, and 2 runs scored, while Petriello went 3 for 4 with 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Nick DeMarco, Dan Hansen, and Chris Kukich each had a pair of hits, while AJ Celantano and Ryan Hutchinson singled.

GMCSBL Result - South Plainfield 13 JFK-Iselin 5

GMC Summer Baseball
Home News Tribune
June 29, 2010

Nick DeMarco went 4-for-4 with two doubles, five RBIs and two runs scored and Stephen Petriello went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer and three runs scored to power South Plainfield to a 13-5 victory over John F. Kennedy on Monday.

Tom Bowden (4-0) tossed four innings of one-hit baseball to pick up the victory for South Plainfield (4-4).

A.J. Pichalski doubled and scored a run for J.F. Kennedy.

GMCSBL Result - Colts Neck 5 South Plainfield 1

There is no newspaper coverage, so here we go again.........bear with us.

Colts Neck put together 5 runs on 5 hits in the 2nd and 3rd innings for a 5-1 rout of South Plainfield.

Quinn Cochrane, Stephen Petriello, and Dan Hansen had 2 hits each with Petriello accounting for the sole RBI. AJ Celantano had a single and scored the only run for South Plainfield. Chris Kukich and Ryan Marcoux each added a single to the cause.

Nick DeMarco took the loss in spite of striking out 4 batters, surrendering 5 hits and only walking 1. Dan Hansen came on in relief and held Colts Neck hitless and scoreless for the last 3 innings.

GMCSBL Result - Woodbridge 3, South Plainfield 2

No newspaper coverage again so here goes..............

AJ Celantano had 2 doubles, a single, and 2 RBIs. Mark Tomei hit another triple for the second game in a row. Nick DeMarco had a single, and Tom Bowden and Ryan Marcoux scored the only 2 runs for South Plainfield. Charlie Huber took the loss after a strong pitching performance.

HNT All-Area Baseball Coach of the Year - Anthony Guida

HNT All-Area Baseball Coach of the Year -
Anthony Guida, South Plainfield
By GREG TUFARO •
STAFF WRITER •
June 20, 2010

Under Anthony Guida, the Home News Tribune's 2010 Coach of the Year, the South Plainfield High School baseball team had a record-setting season.
The Tigers set a single-season school mark for victories, ending the year with a 25-3 record that included a convincing 12-5 regular-season victory over NJSIAA Non-Public A South champion St. Joseph.
South Plainfield captured the Greater Middlesex Conference White Division title with a 17-1 record. It's lone divisional loss was a controversial 6-5 defeat at the hands of Monroe.
It took two future Division I pitchers — Dario Santangelo of Bishop Ahr (East Carolina) and Brandon Gonnella of Morristown (Towson) — to knock off South Plainfield. Bishop Ahr eliminated the Tigers from the GMC Tournament with a 9-1 quarterfinal win, while Morristown knocked South Plainfield out of the NJSIAA North 2 Group III Tournament with a 5-3 semifinal win.
South Plainfield features two HNT All-Area first-team selections in sophomore catcher Stephen Petriello and junior centerfielder Brandon Downes, whose 15 homers set a GMC record and were one shy of the state mark.
Guida's deep and balanced pitching staff boasted a 2.85 team ERA and benefited from exceptional defensive play. Senior second baseman Rob Pasternak was widely regarded as the conference's best defensive infielder.
The Tigers exceled off the field as well, raising more than $1,000 for Greater Middlesex Conference Autism Awareness weekend.
Guida credits varsity assistants William Mosca, James Darby, Mike Battista, Andrew Miller and Nick McKee with South Plainfield's success.
Guida was the head coach at Dunellen High School from 2007-08. In 2008, he led the Destroyers to a 10-0 division record and was named Gold Division Coach of the Year.
From 2002-06 he served as the freshman coach at South Plainfield, leading the Tigers to the 2004 GMC freshman conference tournament title.
Guida began his coaching career at Rowan University, where he served as an assistant from the fall of 1999 until the spring of 2001.
Guida played outfield at Brookdale Community College and Middlesex County College in 1996 and 1997, respectively, before transfering to Rowan University, where he started in the outfield for two years. As a senior in 1999, he helped lead Rowan to a 36-8 record and an NJAC championship.
Guida was a three-year starter at centerfield for Monroe High School, from which he graduated in 1995. He led the Falcons to the White Division title and the finals of the GMC Tournament in 1994. As a senior he was named All-Division, All-Conference and was selected to play in the GMC All-Star Game.

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20100620/SPORTS0103/6200324/1109

GMCSBL Result - Edison 11, South Plainfield 2

No newspaper coverage so here goes..........
Highlights:
Ryan Hutchinson & Nick DeMarco each had a double and Mark Tomei had a triple to account for all 3 South Plainfield hits.
Tomei & DeMarco scored the only 2 runs.
Tom Bowden took the loss after going 5 strong innings.

nj.com - Baseball: Middlesex County Season Review

Published: Friday, June 18, 2010, 12:04 AM
Josh Rosenfeld/For The Star-Ledger
.

Brandon Downes of South Plainfield is the Middlesex County Player of the Year.

Player of the year: Brandon Downes is such a perfectionist that even a junior campaign in which he batted .484, drove in 47 runs and challenged the state record by hitting 15 home runs left him wanting more.

“I figure it was pretty good, but I always think I can do better than I did,” Downes said. “The home runs were a lot more (than I expected) and the RBI, but I wanted to hit well over .500 and I didn’t do it. I’ll try for that next year.”

Such is his commitment that Downes has been known to take extra batting practice after some of his better games just because he didn’t like something that may have happened on one swing. And it is for that work ethic, and the tremendous output that it produced, that makes Brandon Downes The Star-Ledger Middlesex County Player of the Year.

“He’s very coachable, he listens to your suggestions and works on it,” South Plainfield coach Anthony Guida said. “He’s a real tough critic of himself and he’s constantly making adjustments.”

Downes’ performance in the classroom is nearly as impressive. He has a 3.958 GPA, takes AP math and is a member of the National Honor Society.

“I don’t like to do bad in school. When I get a test back and I get a good grade it feels good,” Downes said.

Better than a home run?

“No, a home run is better,” he answered without hesitation.

With his grade-point average soaring at the same trajectory as his slugging percentage (a mere 1.063) Downes figures to have some options next year, whether it be attending whatever college he would desire or, perhaps, being drafted and pursuing a professional career.

But the outfielder has some unfinished business to attend to first.

“Our main goal was to win every single game,” said Downes, whose team was eliminated in the quarterfinal round of the Union County Tournament and in the sectional semifinal round of the state playoffs. “I really thought we could be county champions and state champions. I wanted to win it all, but unfortunately it didn’t happen that way.”

Downes is probably playing in a summer game or swinging in a batting cage at this very moment, trying to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.

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Team of the year: St. Joseph (21-8) faced such a competitive schedule this year --- including six Top 20 teams, four strong opponents in Florida and its usual rugged divisional schedule --- that by the time it reached the state tournament its schedule seemed to get a little easier.

“I don’t know if anybody has that schedule,” St. Joseph coach Paul Esposito said. “We really put a lot of demands on our kids and they’re ready for all occasions.”

St. Joseph outscored its first three state tournament foes by a 41-11 margin to reach the Non-Public A title game against Immaculata of Somerville. St. Joseph took a 5-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh, but Immaculata rallied to tie the score and won the game in the bottom of the eighth.

That loss may have caused St. Joseph a state title, but it did little to tarnish the respect it earned throughout the state.

“We knew we had a deep pitching staff and coming in we looked at that as our strength,” Esposito said. “But our offense came together and we had a great group of kids who committed to doing what we demand of them.”

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Coach of the year: South Plainfield figured to be improved from last year’s 13-14 squad, but a 25-3 campaign in which it held down the No. 1 spot in The Star-Ledger Top 20 for several weeks hardly seemed imaginable.

Anthony Guida, who was teaching in South Plainfield while he was coaching Dunellen before taking over the reins prior to last season, knew he was taking over a program in good condition.

“There’s a great tradition here and I know they have a great feeder program,” Guida said. “I had a pretty good idea this group was going to be something special.”

Guida resolved one early dilemma when he inserted sophomore Stephen Petriello behind the plate and moved veteran catcher Brandon Downes to the outfield. Both responded by having all-county caliber seasons.

“The way he coaches, he goes over stuff over and over again until you get it down,” said Downes, the Middlesex County Player of the Year.

Apparently, winning was one of the things Guida went over with his team, because it certainly got that down.

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Champions: South Brunswick rode a great late-season run to capture the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament title with a 9-2 victory over North Brunswick in the championship game. St. Joseph captured the loaded South Jersey, Non-Public A section but squandered a four-run lead in the bottom of the seventh before falling to Immaculata, 7-5, in eight innings for the state title. Spotswood had a .500 record at the cut-off but regrouped to capture the Central Jersey, Group 2 sectional title behind the efforts of Cody Pace. It is interesting to note that Edison, St. Joseph and Spotswood, which all stepped outside the county to play demanding schedules, were the last three teams still playing in Middlesex County.

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Game of the year: It was not pretty and it certainly was not fun for someone keeping score, but Carteret’s 31-15, five-inning victory at New Brunswick on April 5 was certainly the most memorable game. Carteret scored eight runs in the top of the first inning, seven in the top of the second and nine in the top of the fourth and received five home runs, three by Billy Merz. Victor Romero homered twice for New Brunswick, which lost despite scoring five runs in the first inning and six more in the sixth.

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Performance of the year (hitting): Most of Nick Marics’ heroics came on the mound for Edison this year. But the senior right-hander provided one of the most prolific offensive displays of the season when he drilled three home runs in a 7-5 victory over Linden in the quarterfinal round of the North 2, Group 4 playoffs. Jordan Carter of Middlesex provided several contenders for this honor, including a two-home run, eight-RBI barrage in a regular-season game against eventual Central Jersey Group 2 champion Spotswood.

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MVP: Brandon Downes may have been the best player in Middlesex county this spring but it’s doubtful if any player meant as much to his team as Cody Pace, who led a .500 Spotswood squad to the Central Jersey, Group 2 title. The senior shortstop-pitcher batted .551, slugged 1.058 and walked 36 times to lift his on-base percentage to .704. “He is unquestionably the most valuable player on our team and might be for any team in the state this past season,” Spotswood coach Glenn Fredricks wrote in an e-mail. “Without Pace, we have no chance. With him, we are sectional champions!”

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2011: South Plainfield (25-3) and Monroe (23-4) won 87 percent of their games between them and, with a host of slugging veterans returning, both should taste similar success next year. South Plainfield hails the return of first-team selections Brandon Downes and Stephen Petriello along with sophomore Mark Tomei (.342, four HRs) and junior Dan Hansen (9-1, 1.80). Monroe will counter with juniors Nick Dini, another first-team choice, and Jimmie Small (.484) as well as sophomores Frank D’Agostino (.390) and Victor Sorrento (.416). Perennial power St. Joseph loses most of its lineup but will reload around juniors Brandon Dolan (2-1, 2.88), Tom Antuofermo and Matt Hratko.

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Fourth Team: Nick Boyler, South River; Delio Coutinho, Colonia; Matt Heimall, East Brunswick Tech; Mike Maffia, Carteret; Ted Moke, Monroe; Anthony Parenti, St. Joseph; Dan Petro, Woodbridge; Victor Romero, New Brunswick; Anderson Rosa, Perth Amboy; Tyler Rossiter, Bishop Ahr; Frank Sichta, Carteret; Victor Sorrento, Monroe; Carl Thomore, East Brunswick; Sean Youngman, North Brunswick and Vinny Zanfordino, Edison.

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Top junior: South Plainfield’s Brandon Downes was selected as county player of the year and some of his stiffest competition for that honor came from Monroe’s Nick Dini, another junior. The junior battled through off-season Tommy John surgery that limited his play in the field but never let up at the plate, collecting an absurd 54 hits, 30 for extra bases: 13 doubles, seven triples and 10 home runs. He had 42 RBI, a .589 on-base percentage and a 1.133 slugging pct.***

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All-junior first team: Alejandro Diaz, Old Bridge; Nick Dini, Monroe; Brandon Dolan, St. Joseph; Brandon Downes, South Plainfield; Daniel Hansen, South Plainfield; Steven Hock, North Brunswick; Kevin Marte, New Brunswick; David Rondesko, South River; Anderson Rosa, Perth Amboy; Tyler Rossiter, Bishop Ahr; Jimmie Small, Monroe; Charles Thielman, Piscataway; Carl Thomore, East Brunswick; Sean Youngman, North Brunswick, and Vinny Zanfordino, Edison.

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All-junior second team: Emilio Calderon, Perth Amboy; Craig Cleffi, South Brunswick; Dustin DeVoe, South Amboy; John Guiliano, South Amboy; Awab Habib, East Brunswick; James Lyczkowski, Woodbridge; Roberto Ortiz, Piscataway Tech; Anthony Pena, Perth Amboy Tech; Rob Pepe, Bishop Ahr; Abner Rodriguez, Perth Amboy; Jake Rosenberg, North Brunswick; Kevin Savoia, Cardinal McCarrick; Ryan Smith, Cardinal McCarrick; Shawn Weeks, Spotswood, and Jon Young, Old Bridge.

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Top sophomore: Middlesex County’s top two sophomores could both be found behind the plate when they weren’t terrorizing foes from the batter’s box. South Plainfield’s Stephen Petriello, the first-team choice as catcher, batted .465 with 47 hits, five home runs and 33 RBI. South Brunswick’s Nick Muha, cousin of first-team choice Mike Muha, hit .352 with four home runs and 23 RBI for the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament champions.

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All-sophomore team: Kyle Anderson, Woodbridge; Franci Bueno, New Brunswick; Frank D’Agostino, Monroe; Anthony Feltre, Metuchen; Tim Hagerty, Bishop Ahr; Dylan Hayes, South River; Jose Hernandez, Perth Amboy; Matt Mangarella, Spotswood; Nick Muha, South Brunswick; Andrew Neich, Colonia; Chris Petiya, Middlesex; Stephen Petriello, South Plainfield; J.C. Rosario, New Brunswick; Victor Sorrento, Monroe; Mark Tomei, South Plainfield; Placido Torres, North Brunswick, and Santos Zabala, Piscataway Tech.

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Top frosh: Middlesex’s Tommy Marcinczyk had a terrific season as an outfielder/pitcher and was a major contributor to a team that sported a .362 batting average. He hit .493 (33-of-67) with eight doubles, seven home runs and 27 RBI and went 4-0 on the mound with a 1.35 ERA in eight appearances.

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All-freshman team: Corey Brown, Spotswood; Johnny Cabrera, East Brunswick Tech; Christian Campbell, Sayreville; Waldo Diaz, New Brunswick; Kyle Dotey, Middlesex; Justin Duran, Edison; Ariel Hernandez, New Brunswick; Jesse Lammers, Woodbridge; Chris Lee, J.P. Stevens; Tommy Marcinczyk, Middlesex; Kevin Martin, Spotswood; Jose Napoles, Cardinal McCarrick, and Juan Peralta, New Brunswick.

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http://www.nj.com/hssports/blog/baseball/index.ssf/2010/06/nj_baseball_brandon_downes_of_south_plainfield_is_the_middlesex_county_player_of_the_year.html

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NJ Baseball: All-State, All-County, All-Prep and All-Group selections

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ALL-STATE

FIRST TEAM

Brandon Downes South Plainfield

6-3 175 Jr.Outfielder had breakout year with 15 HR, batted .484 with 1.063 slugging and .570 OBP, 46 hits, 49 runs, 49 RBI, eight doubles, one triple and 10 stolen bases.

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ALL-GROUP 3

FIRST TEAM

Brandon Gonnella, Morristown

Kevin Comer, Seneca

Joe D’Annunzio, Scotch Plains

Brandon Downes, South Plainfield

Kevin Solomon, Wayne Hills

Zach Passerelle, Sparta

Alex Mottle, Hopewell Valley

Joey Gandolfo, Northern Highlands

Jon Reich, Pascack Valley

Josh Jensen, West Milford

Darren Fischer, Cumberland

Eric Walano, Cranford

Nick Cook, Cranford

Jake Kalish, Red Bank

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SECOND TEAM

P.J. Jennings, Morristown

Andres Vazquez, Iselin Kennedy

Brett Ashley, West Milford

Jon Smith, Hammonton

K.C. Abel, Wayne Valley

Gary Binkiewicz, Scotch Plains

Sean Keselica, Voorhees

Stephen Petriello, South Plainfield

Ryan Quinn, Sparta

Craig Sweeney, Midd South

Joe Casale, Morris Hills

Max Wassel, Passaic Valley

Mike Ridge, Scotch Plains

Greg Matlosz, Cranford

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ALL-MIDDLESEX

FIRST TEAM

Victor Diaz, St. Joseph (Met.)

Zack Hopf, Woodbridge

Nick Marics, Edison

Dario Santangelo, Bishop Ahr

Stephen Petriello, South Plainfield

Michael Muha, South Brunswick

Phil Gianakos, St. Joseph

Mike Heyer, South Brunswick

Cody Pace, Spotswood

Andres Vazquez, Iselin Kennedy

Shane Alvarez, St. Joseph

Jordan Carter, Middlesex

Nick Dini, Monroe

Brandon Downes, South Plainfield

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SECOND TEAM

Matt Cesare, South Plainfield

Daniel Hansen, South Plainfield

Ryan Phillips, South Brunswick

Alex Taylor, North Brunswick

Jay Stolz, Iselin Kennedy

Steven Hock, North Brunswick

Alex Weinstein, Iselin Kennedy

Billy Merz, Carteret

Kevin Olah, Middlesex

Juan Perdomo, South Brunswick

Joe Post, Bishop Ahr

Mike Merz, Carteret

Eric Perez, Woodbridge

Jimmie Small, Monroe

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THIRD TEAM

Zach Batchelor, Monroe

Charles Thielman, Piscataway

Tim Kurucz, East Brunswick

Joe D’Amico, Old Bridge

Bryan Gaeta, North Brunswick

Phil Granito, East Brunswick

Paul Nyitray, St. Joseph

Dom Vocisano, Piscataway

Conner Abreu, Piscataway

Frank D’Agostino, Monroe

Tommy Marcinczyk, Middlesex

Eric Peterson, St. Joseph

David Rondesko, South River

Carlos Ruiz, South Plainfield

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http://www.nj.com/hssports/blog/baseball/index.ssf/2010/06/nj_baseball_all-state_all-county_all-prep_and_all-group_selections.html

GMCSBL Result: Middlesex 5, South Plainfield 3

No newspaper coverage, so here's our best shot.

Charlie Huber pitched 5 strong innings but took a tough loss against a strong Middlesex team on Monday. Huber gave up 5 runs while striking out 4 and walking 3. He surrendered 6 hits but picked off 2 baserunners.

On the offensive side, the Tigers combined for 10 hits, but only 3 runs. 4 different players had 2 hits in the game. Mark Tomei had 2 singles and 2 RBIs, Stephen Petriello doubled and singled with 1 run scored, Dan Hansen had 2 singles and an RBI, and Ryan Marcoux hit a double and a single with a run scored. Nick DeMarco and Quinn Cochrane each singled once. Ryan Hutchinson scored the 3rd run after reaching base on a walk.

GMCSBL Results: South Plainfield 4, Holmdel 2

Friday's GMC Summer Baseball League
STAFF REPORT •
June 11, 2010
SOUTH PLAINFIELD 4, HOLMDEL 2:

First baseman Danny Hansen went 1-for-2 with two RBIs, and catcher Stephen Petriello went 2-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI for South Plainfield (3-0).

Right-hander Tommy Bowden threw four innings and allowed one run on two hits with a walk and three strikeouts for the victory. Lefty A.J. Celantano picked up the save with two innings of one-hit and one-run ball.

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20100611/SPORTS0103/6110344/1109?GID=n0ysz/M681GqarCvLQzcA3aNZdBdmpr3s0oBewECx3Q%3D

GMC All-Star Game re-cap

NJ Baseball: GMC All-Star Game
Thursday, June 10, 2010, 10:55 PM
Josh Rosenfeld/For The Star-Ledger

Hitting usually trumps pitching in All-Star baseball games, at least at the high school level.

But that certainly wasn't the case Thursday night as South Amboy's Mario Batista, South Plainfield's Matt Cesare, North Brunswick's Alex Taylor, Cardinal McCarrick's Joe Lunger, Monroe's Zack Batchelor, South Amboy's Craig Warzecha and South Plainfield's Dylan Papa combined to toss a two-hitter as the all-stars from the GMC White and Gold Divisions defeated their Red-Blue counterparts, 8-2, at East Brunswick High School.

St. Joseph's Eric Peterson continued his torrid late-season hitting with a two-run homer in the first inning for the Red-Blue squad. The Red-Blue did not get another hit until another Falcon, Paul Nyitray, led off the ninth with a single up the middle.

At one juncture starting in the first inning and ending in the sixth, Batista, Cesare, Taylor, Lunger and Batchelor joined forces to retire 15 consecutive batters.

The White-Gold had plenty of contributors on offense. Carteret's Mike Merz drove in three runs, two on a second-inning single that put the White-Gold on top to stay at 3-2. New Brunswick's Victor Romero and Sayreville's Brian Truchan each doubled twice in two at-bats and scored once.

The Red-Blue had its share of strong efforts on the mound as well. Starter Nick Marics of Edison struck out five over the first two innings and St. Joseph's Anthony Parenti whiffed six over two innings, though one reached first on a dropped third strike.

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http://www.nj.com/hssports/blog/baseball/index.ssf/2010/06/nj_baseball_gmc_all-star_game.html

GMCSBL Result: South Plainfield 4, St. Joseph's Metuchen 3 (8 Innings)

GREATER MIDDLESEX CONFERENCE SUMMER BASEBALL LEAGUE:
SOUTH PLAINFIELD 4, ST. JOSEPH 3 (8 innings):

Stephen Petriello was 3-for-4, Dan Hansen had two hits and three RBIs and Mark Tomei delivered the game-winning RBI single in the eighth inning.
Hansen pitched the first seven innings, recording five strikeouts, and Tommy Bowden registered the win pitching the eighth.

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http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20100610/SPORTS0103/6100362/1109

GMC Senior All-Star Game: Tonight, 5 p.m. at East Brunswick Tech

Gold Division players get chance to show their stuff

By GREG TUFARO •

STAFF WRITER •

June 9, 2010

The Greater Middlesex Conference Senior All-Star Game, which will take place 5 p.m. today at East Brunswick Tech, has always been an opportunity for baseball players, especially from the Gold Division, to shine.

Since South Amboy reached the conference tournament finals in 2006, becoming the first division member to do so, the Gold Division gained a new level of respect.

Players representing the division in today's game will try to continue to prove that they deserve to be considered among the conference's elite.

"The game gives the Gold Division boys an opportunity for other players in the county to see that there are players that could compete," Cardinal McCarrick coach Frank Notaro said. "There are several that could play up in other divisions.

"No players from the Gold Division, which will be paired with the White Division to face a squad of seniors from the Red and Blue Divisions in today's all-star game, were named to the all-conference team.

Gold Division champion South Amboy has the most representatives in the game with four. They include pitchers Craig Warzecha and Mario Batista and outfielders Joe Charmello and Christian Geant.

Crosstown rival Cardinal McCarrick will showcase pitcher Joe Lunger and outfielder Carlos Napoles in the game, while designated hitter Matt Heimall and infielder Nick Rivera will represent host East Brunswick Tech.

All proceeds from the event will benefit Bristol Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.

South Plainfield's Anthony Guida, the GMC's 2010 Coach of the Year who spent the 2007-08 seasons as Dunellen's head coach, said he looks forward to seeing the Gold Division players in today's game.

"There are a lot of good athletes there as we've seen in the last couple years," Guida said. "There are a lot of good players, and when they get out in that (all-star) type of atmosphere, it's nice for them to get that experience."

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Players representing South Plainfield in the Senior All-Star Game will be:

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Dylan Papa - Pitcher

Matt Cesare - Pitcher

Mark Benak - Infield

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http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20100609/SPORTS0103/6090373/1109?GID=rO6+7/tpoNP9aU/19fPAS3O5tuuXEo3TfOQJIJPiR4w%3D

GMCSBL Result: South Plainfield 10, Colonia 4

Monday June 7, 2010
South Plainfield 10, Colonia 4:

Mark Tomei went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer and four RBIs, and Danny Hansen went 2-for-4 with two RBIs for South Plainfield (1-0).

Winning Pitcher: Nick DeMarco
Save: Ryan Hutchinson


http://www.eteamz.com/gmcsbl/

Baseball Dinner - June 17th at 7:oo p.m.

Mark your calendars.
2010 South Plainfield Baseball Dinner:
Thursday, June 17th at 7:00 p.m.

The Pines Manor
2085 Route 27 (Lincoln Highway)
Edison, NJ 08817
732-287-2222

$35.00 per person.

Contact:
Sherry Marcoux or John Papa

Morristown 5 South Plainfield 3

Morristown 5, South Plainfield 3
(High school Baseball scores and results)
The Star Ledger, May 25, 2010 9:32 p.m.
By Bob Behre

Great state tournament games can have outstanding plays, clutch hits, gritty pitching efforts and game-ending dramatics.

Morristown and South Plainfield somehow packed all of the above into seven full innings of baseball nirvana yesterday in the NJSIAA/Star-Ledger North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 semifinals in South Plainfield.

While one big moment followed another throughout this fantastic contest, both teams will be stirred awake for years by the memory of Morristown’s Brandon Gonnella chasing down the game’s final out at the top of the center field fence as three South Plainfield base runners scampered toward home with the potential tying and winning runs.

But Gonnella caught Matt Cesare’s rocket for the third out and Morristown, No. 20 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, survived to defeat No. 1 South Plainfield, 5-3, and advance to the sectional final. Fifth-seeded Morristown (22-9) will travel to third-seeded Cranford on Friday.

Brandon Theriault had broken up a tense 1-1 game for Morristown when he blasted a two-out grand slam in the top of the seventh that staked his team to a seemingly insurmountable 5-1 lead.

But Gonnella, who had limited South Plainfield to a single, unearned, run on four hits over the first six innings, ran out of gas in the bottom of the seventh against the dangerous South Plainfield lineup.

Carlos Ruiz started South Plainfield’s rally with a leadoff single and Dan Hansen, who had surrendered the grand slam to Theriault, rocked a shot over the fence in right-center field for a two-run home run that shaved the deficit to 5-3. With that, Morristown coach Josh Ury lifted Gonnella, sending him to center field, and asked closer Mark Palumbo to get him three outs.

Mark Tomei, the No. 9 hitter, doubled with one out and Palumbo then walked leadoff batter Rob Pasternak to put the tying run on base. He then got Mark Benak on a bouncer to first base that moved the runners over and brought up Brandon Downes, who entered the game with a state-leading 15 home runs.

Ury wasn’t going to mess with Downes, intentionally walking the slugger to face Cesare. That may have been a better option for Morristown, but certainly not a comfortable one. Cesare, who had held Morristown to one run on six hits in six innings of work, had hit six home runs this season.

Cesare smacked Palumbo’s 1-1 offering deep to straightaway center field as every fan in the crowd jumped to his or her feet. Gonnella raced back and, with his back to the infield, took one last long stride to snare the ball above the fence.

“I think it may have hit the top of the fence or went over,” Gonnella said. “I thought the fence was closer than it was when I took that last step.”

Gonnella’s outstanding catch may not have been the best one in the game. Ruiz, caught a blast by Chad Fu for the last out of the second inning with a runner aboard as he crashed into and fell over the right field fence.

Gonnella (8-1) was able to navigate the minefield that is the South Plainfield lineup on three days rest. Though, he admitted, he tired at the end.

“I wasn’t hurting, but I was a little tired,” he said. “I wanted to close it out myself but I left a curveball up to (Hansen).”

South Plainfield scored an unearned run in the fifth when Ruiz walked with one out, stole second and scored on a fielding error by Theriault. But Morristown evened the score with two outs in the top of the sixth. Cleanup hitter P.J. Jennings hit an absolute missile into the trees beyond the left field fence for a solo home run.

Hansen, relieving Cesare, struck out Ray Shupe to start the top of the seventh, but then walked Alex Ramirez and surrendered a single to Fu. Andrew Bariantaris’ sacrifice bunt moved the runners over. After Hansen went to 2-0 on the leadoff hitter, Palumbo, South Plainfield coach Anthony Guida ordered him intentionally walked to load the bases and set up a force.

That set up Theriault’s heroics.

“I was just trying to stay calm and get a good swing on it,” Theriault said. Hansen then delivered an 0-1 fastball. “It was outside and a little high and I just went that way. It was a very emotional feeling.”

The loss was a tough one for a South Plainfield team that had been ranked No. 1 in the past three polls.

“I told our guys, no matter the score, we still had outs left,” said Guida about his team’s approach in its last at-bat. “It’s a team with unbelievable resilience. They are comfortable as long as they have one out left and they battle to the very end.”


BOX SCORE:
http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/-1936374345374506671/morristown-5-south-plainfield-3-high-school-baseball-scores-and-results/
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North 2 Group III
MORRISTOWN 5, SOUTH PLAINFIELD 3:

Morristown scored four runs in the top of the seventh to take a 5-1 lead over South Plainfield. The Tigers scored twice in the bottom of the inning, but it was not enough.
Daniel Hansen hit a home run for South Plainfield (24-3) and Carlos Ruiz finished with a hit and two runs scored.

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20100525/SPORTS0103/5250368/1109?GID=zLU0qZnxg+5Gv6aegP/Ws/NgH4IPDtQWeMEjfr9XUkg%3D

NJ.COM: Bob Behre & Matt Stanmyre Preview This Week in NJ Baseball

South Plainfield Analysis

South Plainfield, Don Bosco Prep, West Essex stand firm at 1-2-3 in Baseball Top 20

South Plainfield, Don Bosco Prep, West Essex stand firm at 1-2-3 in Baseball Top 20
By Bob Behre/For The Star-Ledger
May 24, 2010, 11:02PM

South Plainfield, Don Bosco Prep and West Essex have remained in the top three spots in The Star-Ledger Top 20 as the pressure-packed portion of the baseball schedule begins on Tuesday.
The 16 public sections (the four groups in each of four sections) will have their semifinals as the non-publics move to the quarterfinals (groups A and B in North Jersey and South Jersey).
This is the most fun part of the schedule as teams throw their aces at each other and attempt to survive and advance in the NJSIAA tournament.

Eighteen of the 20 teams in the Top 20 are still playing for a sectional and, perhaps, a group championship. We welcome No. 12 Manalapan to the Top 20 for the first time this season. This does not mean, in any shape or form, that we haven't been all over Manalapan this season. We've just been waiting for the perfect time to spring this outstanding team on you.

Also entering the Top 20, at No. 16, for the first time this season is perennial stronghold Cranford. Returning to the 20 are No. 17 Scotch Plains-Fanwood and No. 20 Morristown.
The other big mover is Pope John, which jumped from No. 18 to No. 10. That can happen when a team just keeps winning and there is attrition ahead of it. It is also a reminder to focus on the winning and the rankings will take care of themselves, right coach?

One of the hottest teams in the state is Seton Hall Prep, which bounces from No. 19 to No. 14. Seton Hall, which won today to improve to 22-6, has won nine straight and 17 out of 19. Yes it is wonderful to have great athletes come to your school because you have a great reputation in baseball, but it is always wonderful to have Mike Sheppard, Jr. there to turn your boys into men and ever-improving baseball players.

Speaking of coaches who are getting it done and probably don't get enough attention for their efforts; South Plainfield's Anthony Guida and Morristown's Josh Ury come to mind. Okay, okay, I'm covering them both tomorrow in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 semifinals and I want to make sure I'm greeted with smiling faces. Hey, we all know what it feels like to be unwelcome in some places. Seriously, who wouldn't want to play for these guys? My hand is up.

I had the pleasure of covering the Hillsborough at Westfield game on Saturday. The Section 2, Group 4 quarterfinal was moved a day due to proms at both schools. What a pleasure it was. The game pitted two quality teams and two gentlemanly coaches, Hillsborough's Norm Hewitt and Westfield's Bob Brewster, who I think couldn't pick me out of a lineup. A police lineup, I mean. I don't think I could bat higher than fifth in that lineup.

Westfield won, 7-6, in 12 innings, scoring three runs in the bottom of the 12th to pull out the victory. Just an unbelievable game. I enjoyed chatting with a parent of one of the Hillsborough players during part of the game. I was reminded what a grinder it is for the parents watching the poor guy watch his kid put in one huge spot after another. This makes me crazier than a room-full of monkeys when I think about the things some people say about high school kids on open forums.

With that thought in mind, I tip my hat to all you parents who can't eat after watching your kids put through the meat-grinder high school sports can sometimes be. And shame on you people who criticize these athletes.

Now drop and give me 20 -- ALL OF YOU!

THE STAR-LEDGER BASEBALL TOP 20
1-South Plainfield (24-2)

2-Don Bosco Prep (23-3)

3-West Essex (23-3)

4-Jackson (21-5)

5-Monroe (22-3)

6-Delbarton (24-5)

7-Randolph (24-3)

8-Lenape (21-4)

9-St. Joseph (Mont.) (21-4)

10-Pope John (23-4)

11-Toms River South (21-4)

12-Manalapan (20-6)

13-St. Joseph (Met.) (18-7)

14-Seton Hall Prep (21-6)

15-Immaculata (18-3)

16-Cranford (22-5)

17-Scotch Plains-Fanwood (24-5)

18-Wall (22-5)

19-Paramus (22-6)

20-Morristown (21-9)

http://www.nj.com/hssports/blog/baseball/index.ssf/2010/05/south_plainfield_don_bosco_prep_west_essex_stand_firm_at_1-2-3_in_baseball_top_20.html