Friday, April 29, 2022

2022 Game # 15 J.P. Stevens (Edison) 14, South Plainfield 8



Andy Mendlowitz  MyCentralJersey.com

J.P. Stevens 14, South Plainfield 8

John Papaianni homered with three RBI and Frank Papaianni and Brody Marzano each had four hits as J.P. Stevens scored nine runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to pull out the Red Division win.

The Hawks (4-13 overall, 2-10 in division) trailed 8-4 after South Plainfield scored six runs in the top of the sixth.

However, the hot hitting Hawks erupted in the sixth with 19 total hits. Brody Marzano (2 doubles, 2 runs) and Frank Papaianni (double, 2 runs) each went 4-for-5 and Ayush Desai was 3-for-4 with two runs scored.

Dylan Casey (2-for-3, 3 RBI, double, run) and Connor Nartowicz (2-for-5, double, 2 RBI, run) also had multi-hit games.

Justin Bonito (double, RBI, run), Jackson Fong (double, run) and Mihir Patel (run) each had a hit.

For South Plainfield (9-6, 7-3), Luke Bickunas (2-for-4, 4 RBI) and Zack Robinson (2-for-3, RBI, double) each homered. Brandon Bickunas (run) and Julian Irizarry (RBI, run) added two hits apiece.

GMC Baseball: Daily updates, coaches comments and highlights from the 2022 season (mycentraljersey.com)


 

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Baseball: Geater Middlesex Conference rankings for April 27


 Published: Apr. 27, 2022, 2:00 p.m.

Greater Middlesex Conference

  • 1-St. Joseph (Met.) 12-1
  • 2-Monroe (8-6)
  • 3-South Plainfield (9-4)
  • 4-Old Bridge (8-7)
  • 5-Woodbridge (11-2)
  • 6-South Brunswick (5-7)
  • 7-East Brunswick (7-5)
  • 8-Middlesex (10-3)
  • 9-St. Thomas Aquinas (8-2)
  • 10-North Brunswick (7-6)
Joe Zedalis covers North and Central Jersey baseball. He can be reached at jzedalis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Josephzedalis.

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

2022 Game # 13 South Plainfield 7, Perth Amboy 3


South Plainfield over Perth Amboy - Baseball recap

By Mak Ojutiku | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Jack Massett threw six innings with 10 strikeouts and one walk as South Plainfield edged out a 7-3 win over Perth Amboy, in Perth Amboy.

The score was tied 2-2 until South Plainfield (9-4) scored four runs in the fifth inning to take a 7-2 lead.

Jayden Alvarez threw one inning of relief for the Tigers and finished with two strikeouts, one walk, and no conceded runs or hits.

Ashton Donovan had two hits and an RBI in the win.

Jordi Estevez drove in a run for Perth Amboy (2-9).



Andy MendlowitzMyCentralJersey.com

South Plainfield 7, Perth Amboy 3

Senior left-hander Jack Massett struck out 10 in six innings as South Plainfield scored four runs in the fifth inning to break a 2-2 tie in the Red Division win.

The Tigers (9-4, 7-2 in the division) won 2-0 over Perth Amboy on Monday.

Massett scattered eight hits and three walks, allowing three runs. Jayden Alvarez finished with two strikeouts in the seventh inning.

South Plainfield had five players get two hits apiece – Tyler Ducoff (RBI, double, 2 BB), Tyler Balent (2 BB), Luke Bickunas (BB), Ashton Donovan (RBI, double) and Jayden Alvarez. Zack Robinson walked three times, scored twice and drove in a run.

For the Panthers (2-9, 2-9), Jordi Estevez and Daniel Nunez each had a hit and an RBI.

GMC Baseball: Daily updates, coaches comments and highlights from the 2022 season (mycentraljersey.com)

Despite being delayed by a GIANT LOG JAM, the crew maintained their professionalism-removed all obstacles and handled business. Their top hauler, Captain Jack Massett was on point. He went 6 miles, dusted it 10 x and cruised home in the sweeper.

Monday, April 25, 2022

2022 Game # 12 South Plainfield 2, Perth Amboy 0

Andy Mendlowitz
MyCentralJersey.com

South Plainfield 2, Perth Amboy 0

Catcher Luke Bickunas broke open a pitcher’s duel with a two-RBI opposite-field triple in the sixth inning and South Plainfield claimed the Red Division win.

Sophomore right-hander Chase Donovan was impressive in his varsity debut by throwing a three-hit shutout with nine strikeouts.

Perth Amboy's Jonathan Contreras was throwing a no-hitter in the sixth inning, until the Tigers collected three-straight hits.

With two outs, shortstop Zach Robinson hit a double and reached third after a hit to right by CF Julian Irizarry. That set up Bickunas’ big hit.

The Tigers improved to 8-4 overall and 6-2 in the division.

Contreras allowed three hits and struck out nine with no walks.

Aponte Cabaludo and Issaiah Batista had the only hits for the Panthers (2-8, 2-8).

 


South Plainfield over Perth Amboy - Baseball recap

By Matt Cosentino | For NJ Advance Media

Winning pitcher Chase Donovan tossed a gem in his varsity debut and Luke Bickunas had a two-run triple in the bottom of the sixth for the game’s only runs as South Plainfield edged Perth Amboy 2-0 in South Plainfield.

Perth Amboy’s Jonathan Contreras was dominant through five innings and had a no-hitter with two outs in the sixth when Zach Robinson broke it up with a double. Julian Irizarry followed with a single and Bickunas’ drive to the opposite field snapped the shutout.

Donovan went the distance, allowing just three hits and striking out nine.
South Plainfield improved to 8-4 and Perth Amboy fell to 2-8.


The Main Hub watercooler-breakroom will be abuzz with news of the days performance report. “The New Guy” Chase Donovan trenched the distance, dropping 9 k of pipe through some tough earth, helping his mates get back on track and regain the focus needed to finish the job Tuesday.


Sunday, April 24, 2022

The latest GMC Top 10, games to watch and highlights/analysis from Week 3


Andy Mendlowitz
MyCentralJersey.com

Wednesday, South Plainfield earned a 3-2 nonconference win over Madison when catcher Luke Bickunas singled in the bottom of the ninth inning. Jack Massett shined in the start by scattering seven hits with nine strikeouts in seven innings.

Top 10 Entering Week 4

(Records through Saturday, April 23)

Analysis: It’s been a spring of parity. Minus St. Joseph remaining undefeated in GMC play, there have been splits galore. While it’s fun for fans and makes for great games, it creates a logjam with several teams able to make cases for a higher ranking – or to get into the poll at all. It also depends on who’s pitching a particular day.

That’s what makes baseball rankings so tough to figure out compared to other sports. It’d be like if a different quarterback played every third game. For now, this is how the Top 10 shakes out entering the last week of April.

1. St. Joseph (9-1) – last week No. 1: The Falcons defeated Monroe twice for their fourth GMC sweep of the season. All-GMC first baseman Tyler Delvecchio is heating up and went 4-for-6 with five RBI and a home run in the wins over Monroe.

2. Monroe (6-5) – last week No. 2: Can’t ding Monroe that much for getting swept against St. Joseph and losing to nonconference Jackson Liberty. They have a key sweep over South Plainfield and split with Old Bridge.

3. South Plainfield (7-4) – last week No. 3: The Tigers didn’t have any GMC games this week and went 2-1 against nonconference competition. South Plainfield beat Madison and Union and fell to Millburn. Their earlier sweeps against Edison and Old Bridge keeps them at No. 3.

4. East Brunswick (6-5) – last week No. 5: The Bears split with No. 8 South Brunswick, getting no-hit by one of the best pitchers in the GMC in Joey Tuttolimondo. EB responded by pulling out a 4-2 win the next day as Michael Marchese went the distance with 12 strikeouts.

5. Old Bridge (5-5) – last week No. 7: The Knights had their Red Division bye week, but didn’t exactly put their feet up all week. Old Bridge lost to Ferris, which is 7-3, and beat White Division Sayreville.

6. Woodbridge (9-2) – last week No. 10: The Barrons have a balanced team with anyone in the lineup capable of getting a big hit with steady pitching. That equaled to an impressive sweep over Spotswood and a win over Carteret.

7. Middlesex (8-3) – last week No. 6: Sweeps in the White Division are hard, and the Blue Jays held serve by splitting with Colonia.

8. South Brunswick (4-6) – last week No. 8: See above, but add in Red Division. The Vikings split with East Brunswick and lost to nonconference power Cranford.

9. Edison (4-5) – last week No. 9: I’ll type it again – see above. The Eagles split with Perth Amboy, running into the hot arm of Issaiah Batista. They also beat the White Division’s Piscataway.

10. (Tie) Spotswood (7-3) – last week No. 4: Maybe it’s not fair to drop Spotswood six spots to No. 10. Look, the Chargers probably weren’t going undefeated anyway and you can’t criticize them for losing three games against surging teams in Woodbridge and St. Thomas Aquinas. That’s baseball and Spotswood is a quality club. Still, the teams ahead of them didn’t do anything to merit getting dropped this week.

Metuchen (5-4) – last week No. 10: A week after sweeping Woodbridge to enter the poll, the Bulldogs split with J.F. Kennedy and beat nonconference Madison. It just so happens that Metuchen plays Spotswood on Thursday.

Baseball: GMC Top 10, games to watch and highlights from Week 3 (mycentraljersey.com)

Saturday, April 23, 2022

2022 Game # 11 Millburn 6, South Plainfield 3



Autism Awareness Challenge:
Milburn 6, South Plainfield 3

Robert Schneider singled and had three RBI to lead Millburn, No. 6 in the NJ.com Top 20, past South Plainfield, 6-3, in the Autism Awareness Challenge at North Brunswick Community Park.

Ethan Axelrod also doubled, drove in a run, and scored two runs while Steven Echavarria singled and had an RBI for the Millers (11-1) in the win. Alex Wilson also singled and scored as did Copeland Culp. Echavarria earned the win striking out six in five innings allowing just one earned run on three hits and a walk.

Ashton Donovan went 2-for-3 with and RBI and a run to lead South Plainfield (7-4) while Ty Ducoff went 3-for-4 with an RBI.

Friday, April 22, 2022

2022 Game # 10 South Plainfield 4, Union 1


Well..once Julian Irizarry busted through a double layer of earth, the crew grew confident, completed the job and settled all Union business. Ashton Donovan was on site, dealt masterfully..but the job wasn’t complete til Foreman Balent arrived and blew the whistle.

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

2022 Game # 9 South Plainfield 3, Madison 2

Andy Mendlowitz
MyCentralJersey.com

South Plainfield 3, Madison 2

Luke Bickunas hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded that scored Frankie Flannery, who led off the inning with a bunt single.

The host Tigers improved to 6-3 after the nonconference win.

Jack Massett went seven innings, scattering seven hits with nine strikeouts.

South Plainfield’s first basemen Ashton Donovan tied the game in the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run. Donovan threw the final two innings in relief to earn his second win of the season.

GMC Baseball: Daily updates, coaches comments and highlights from the 2022 season (mycentraljersey.com)

The One Man Wrecking Crew was called to the site today,
He did some necessary DEMO (sounded like a bomb went off)
in the 6th to even things out. He put in 2 hours of overtime
& cleaned up after our top hauler, Jack, who went 7 strong
and picked up a dub.

Congrats to the crews top hauler-Jack Massett and
Isabella Mont on receiving the sportsmanship awards.
Jack is a true sportsman- not only did he help himself to 3rds,
he dealt 7 strong, whiffed 9 and provided much of the energy
his crew needed to carry the day.

The latest GMC Top 10, and highlights/analysis from Week 2

 



Andy Mendlowitz
MyCentralJersey.com


Highlights and analysis from last week

South Plainfield finds a way: The Tigers showed moxie in sweeping Old Bridge. Wednesday, South Plainfield won 6-4 despite getting out-hit 11-3. The Tigers were patient at the plate getting walks and putting pressure on their opponent’s defense. After throwing a scoreless seventh for the save, Ashton Donovan tossed a three-hit shutout in the 2-0 win on Thursday. With several newcomers performing well, the two senior captains stepped up. Jack Massett won Wednesday’s game by scattering 11 hits over six innings, keeping his team in it. In Thursday’s win, Luke Bickunas drove in both runs.

Top 10 Entering Week 3

1. St. Joseph (6-0) – last week No. 1: The Falcons have been winning big and pulling out the close ones. Interestingly, they went nine days between games because of their scheduled bye and a rainout, but they still looked sharp last week. 

2. Monroe (6-2) – last week No. 6: Sometimes Top 10s need to be re-set after a couple weeks. Monroe, which entered the season at No. 9 with questions after 13 seniors graduated, moves up quickly. The Falcons have swept South Plainfield and J.P. Stevens, beat Perth Amboy and split with Old Bridge. They lost Saturday to nonconference Somerville.

3. South Plainfield (5-2) – last week No. 8: The Tigers also make a big move following a sweep of then-No. 2 Old Bridge to go along with an earlier sweep of Edison.

4. Spotswood (7-0) – last week No. 4: The Chargers remain at No. 4 with a sweep of Sayreville and a 7-6 win over South River.

5. East Brunswick (5-3) – last week No. 5: The Bears beat Perth Amboy to complete the sweep. They don’t get penalized much for losing twice to top-ranked St. Joseph.

6. Middlesex (6-2) – last week No. 3: Maybe it’s not fair to drop the Blue Jays three spots after a nine-inning loss to North Brunswick. However, they go to No. 6 in the re-set. Don’t worry, Middlesex fans, the Blue Jays will have a chance to get quality wins with intriguing series against Colonia, Metuchen and Spotswood coming up.

7. Old Bridge (5-5) – last week No. 2: After a win over Edison to complete the sweep, the Knights lost twice to South Plainfield and to state-ranked St. Augustine. Kudos to Old Bridge for traveling to South Jersey to take on the challenge.

8. South Brunswick (3-4) – last week No. 9: The Vikings dropped a series to St. Joseph, but got back on track with wins over Piscataway and nonconference Hunterdon Central. They now have a tough stretch with series against East Brunswick and Monroe sandwiched by the always tough Cranford.

9. Edison (2-4) – last week No. 10: The Eagles got in the win column following a sweep of J.P. Stevens. They can make a move in the Red Division with a series against St. Joseph this week.

10. Tie Metuchen (3-3) – last week not ranked: The Bulldogs debut by going 2-0 against then-No. 7 Woodbridge. Metuchen has split with Sayreville and have losses to Spotswood and North Hunterdon.

Woodbridge (6-2) – last week No. 7: The Barrons remain in the Top 10 despite the two losses because you do have to look at the whole picture. Woodbridge won six straight to open the year with sweeps over Piscataway, North Brunswick and Colonia – that has to count for something.

Baseball: The latest GMC Top 10, games to watch and highlights/analysis from Week 2 (mycentraljersey.com)

Saturday, April 16, 2022

2022 - Game # 8 Watchung Hills 11, South Plainfield 2


Watchung Hills 11, South Plainfield 2

 Jake Memoli allowed two runs, one earned, on five hits, walked one and struck out 11 in six innings for Watchung Hills (3-4). He also finished with three RBI.

Trenon Stanard allowed one hit and struck out two in one inning. Martin Howell hit a three-run double. William Hunsinger went 2-for-3 with a double, one RBI and one run scored. Lorenzo Meola went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and three runs scored. Justin Helbing finished with one RBI and scored twice. John King doubled and scored twice. Tino Lobozzo scored twice. Sean Krug scored a run. 

Baseball: Daily Skyland Conference, UCC highlights from 2022 season (mycentraljersey.com)


 
Watchung Hills over South Plainfield

By Andrew Borders | For NJ Advance Media

Watchung Hills scored three runs in the bottom of the first and led the rest of the way in an 11-2 win over South Plainfield on Saturday in Warren.

South Plainfield had a run in each of the first two innings, but Watchung Hills had three in its half of the first and two in the second to lead 5-2 before adding six in the third.

Jake Memoli drove in three runs while Lorenzo Meola had two hits and drove in two, John King had two hits, Martin Howell had three RBI, and William Hunsinger had two hits.

Memoli went six innings on the hill to get the win, striking out 11 while giving up the two runs, one earned, on five hits and a walk.

Watchung Hills (3-4) will host Hillsborough on Monday while South Plainfield (5-3) saw a five-game win streak snapped and will look to rebound on Wednesday at Madison.


Baseball: Watchung Hills over South Plainfield - nj.com

Thursday, April 14, 2022

2022 - Game # 7 South Plainfield 2, Old Bridge 0


Donovan tosses 3-hit shutout as South Plainfield takes down Old Bridge

By Casey Roland | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Ashton Donovan pitched a three-hitter, striking out five and walking one to lead South Plainfield to a shutout win on the road over Old Bridge, 2-0.

Luke Bickunas went 1-for-2 with a single and a walk, driving in both runs for South Plainfield, which has won five consecutive games to bounce back from losing each of its first two games of the season.

Joey Padavano and Zack Robinson each drew a walk and scored a run apiece while Ty Ducoff and Donovan hit a single apiece for South Plainfield.

Frank Papeo struck out seven and walked three, allowing three hits and two runs (one unearned) over 5 1/3 innings on the mound for Old Bridge, which falls to 5-4 with the loss.



Andy Mendlowitz
MyCentralJersey.com

South Plainfield 2, Old Bridge 0

Ashton Donovan was brilliant as the Tigers gained the sweep over Old Bridge.

The junior right-hander threw a three-hit shutout on five hits and a walk with five strikeouts to stop the Knights. Wednesday, South Plainfield defeated Old Bridge 6-4.

The visiting Tigers (5-2 overall, 5-2 in the Red Division) scored in the first and sixth innings as each team had three hits.

Luke Bickunas drove in both runs and singled and Donovan had his team’s other hit..

For Old Bridge (5-4, 4-4), Thomas Papeo, Mike Villani and Justin Herbstman each had hits. Frank Papeo allowed an earned run in 5 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts.

GMC Baseball: Daily updates, coaches comments and highlights from the 2022 season (mycentraljersey.com)


Ashton Donovan was nothing less than a smooth operator on
the site yesterday. Once that whistle sounded, he was
in control and had total command of the operation.
Despite the occasional jam it was a job well done
& Ashton got the men home in time for a hot meal.

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

2022 - Game # 6 South Plainfield 6, Old Bridge 4


Andy Mendlowitz
MyCentralJersey.com

South Plainfield 6, Old Bridge 4

Sometimes, you just have to find ways to win a game.

Despite getting out hit 11-3, South Plainfield (4-2 overall and in the Red Division) earned its fourth-straight win.

Jack Massett scattered 11 hits over six innings, but gutted his way through it and returned six straight after allowing two runs in the fourth inning.

Ashton Donovan pitched a scoreless seventh to earn his first save of the season.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Tigers received a handful of walks, a hit batter and a balk for a six-run inning.

Tyler Balent led the way with a two-RBI hit. Ty Ducoff (RBI, run) and Ashton Donovan (run) got South Plainfield’s other hits. Zack Robinson walked twice and had an RBI.

 For Old Bridge (5-3, 4-3), Giovanni Fuda went 3-for-4 with a double, Justin Herbstman was 3-for-3 with an RBI and run scored and Ryan Freel went 2-for-3 with a double, RBI and run scored.

GMC Baseball: Daily updates, coaches comments and highlights from the 2022 season (mycentraljersey.com)

The crew knew today was going to be a rough grind.
Our top hauler, Jack Massett stepped up & carried
the heavy load to the site. Despite traffic jams, a few
bumps in the road, Jack refused to crack under
pressure-delivered the goods on time & the
men got the job done.



April 13, 2022 Game Prep vs. Old Bridge at Home 4:00 p.m.

 Ducoff & Robinson punchin in early for
a hard day’s labor @ 2900 Norwood.
The whistle sounds at 4pm.

Tuesday, April 12, 2022

2022 - Game # 5 South Plainfield 15, JP Stevens 7



Andy Mendlowitz
MyCentralJersey.com

South Plainfield 15, J.P. Stevens 7

Down 6-1 after the first inning, South Plainfield erupted for nine runs in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead and get a comeback win.

First basemen Ashton Donovan keyed the rally by going 2-for-3 with a double, four RBI and two walks for

The Tigers (3-2 overall and in division) have won three straight.

Tyler Balent entered in the second inning and earned the win by allowing a run in five innings, allowing three hits and three walks.

In the nine-run fourth inning, Balent came through at the plate by collecting two hits, scoring two hits and adding nine RBI. Third Basemen Ty Ducoff also had a pair of hits, two walks and an RBI for the Tigers.

Luke Bickunas (3 runs) and Jayden Alvarez (run) each drove in two runs in the win and Matt Ciullo (RBI) and Steve Zultowski (run) also laced hits.

JP Stevens (1-5, 1-5) jumped out to a six-run lead in the top of the 1st highlighted by the Papaianni brothers, John and Frank, who combined for three hits, three RBI and two runs.

Ryan Hoefer (2 RBI), Dylan Brett and Mihir Patel each drove in runs for the Hawks.

GMC Baseball: Daily updates, coaches comments and highlights from the 2022 season (mycentraljersey.com)

Things did not go according to plan at the job site today,
until the arrival of the Foreman - Tyler Balent.
Tyler steadied the crew and without taking any breaks,
they finished the day strong. Tyler 5 IP, earned
the W & went 2-2 w 2 runs scored in the 4th.


Monday, April 11, 2022

Week of April 11, 2022 GMC Top 10 Baseball

 

Andy Mendlowitz
MyCentralJersey.com

Last week Highlights

 For more drama on last Monday, Edison scored twice in the top of the seventh to take the lead against South Plainfield. The Tigers responded with four runs to walk-off with a 6-5 win on No. 9 hitter Joey Padavano’s RBI-infield single.


GMC Top 10 

1. St. Joseph (2-0) – last week No. 1: The Falcons looked sharp by sweeping Perth Amby by a combined 27-4. Donovan Zsak made his much-anticipated return after missing last season following arm surgery with 3 2/3 shutout innings and 10 Ks.

2. Old Bridge (4-2) – last week No. 4: After a week of parity, there’s no clear-cut No. 2 with a handful of teams able to make cases. The Knights beat then-No. 3 Edison and split with then-No. 8 East Brunswick and No. 9 Monroe.

3. Middlesex (3-1) – last week No. 5: The Blue Jays logically move up two spots after only suffering a nonconference loss to Madison. Middlesex swept J.F. Kennedy and beat Piscataway.

4. Spotswood (4-0) – last week No. 6: The Chargers are doing just fine in the White Division with a sweep of Colonia. Casey Cumiskey is off to a 7-for-10 start.

5. East Brunswick (4-1) – last week No. 8: After dropping the opener, the Bears have won four-straight by splitting with OId Bridge, sweeping J.P. Stevens and besting Perth Amboy. Mike Marchese and Dustin McGuinness are pitching like front-line starters.

6. Monroe (4-1) – last week No. 9: What rebuild? The Falcons faced questions after graduating 13 seniors, but talented players have stepped up. Monroe has split with Old Bridge, swept South Plainfield and beat J.P. Stevens. Sophomore Harrison Lollin had 12 strikeouts in the win over OB.

7. Woodbridge (5-0) – last week not ranked: Oops! Perhaps the Barrons should have been ranked in the Preseason Top 10. Woodbridge has simply performed on the field with sweeps over then-No. 7 North Brunswick and Piscataway and a win over Colonia.

8. South Plainfield (2-2) – last week No. 10: The Tigers also have questions after graduating a bundle of talented seniors from a 20-5-1 team. Well, after an opening series loss to Monroe by scores of 4-3 and 17-5, South Plainfield rebounded with an impressive sweep over Edison. Jack Massett and Ashton Donovan provided quality starts.

9. South Brunswick (1-2) – last week No. 2: The Red Division is tough with good pitching and pesky hitters throughout the nine teams. After an opening win against J.P. Stevens, the Vikings lost twice by one run to the Hawks and Perth Amboy. They can easily climb back up in the rankings.

10. Edison (0-3) – last week No. 3: The Eagles will be just fine. Simply, they started with a tough schedule and had a pair of one-run losses to ranked teams, falling 5-4 to South Plainfield and 4-3 to Old Bridge. They also lost 9-2 to South Plainfield. Edison drops to No. 10 partly because it has to be behind South Plainfield this week.

Baseball: GMC Top 10, games to watch and highlights from last week (mycentraljersey.com)