Greater Middlesex Conference rankings, Week 4

 

Andy Mendlowitz
MyCentralJersey.com

Red Division madness: Can there be a four-way for first with all the teams at 7-5 in the division? Yes, and that’s what you call madness. Entering Tuesday, three teams are tied atop the standings at 6-4 in Monroe, North Brunswick and Old Bridge, while St. Joseph is at 5-5. Kudos to the schedule makers for this foresight as Old Bridge and Monroe plays Tuesday and Thursday. North Brunswick meets South Brunswick for two games. St. Joseph, meanwhile, concludes two series with a game apiece against South Plainfield on Tuesday and South Brunswick on Wednesday. So, if Old Bridge and Monroe splits and North Brunswick has a split coupled with a St. Joe’s sweep – each team is 7-5. You’ll need a forensic accountant to decide the tiebreakers.

Top 10

1. Old Bridge (11-5)– last week No. 1 – Any two-game sweep in the Red Division is huge. When it’s one of the teams you’re tied with at the top – titanic. The Knights maintain their No. 1 spot in our rankings fueled by their pair of wins over North Brunswick on April 13 and 15. Old Bridge had another eventful week with a 3-2 win over South Brunswick to complete the split; a split with South Brunswick and a loss to power Millburn (14-2). The Knights definitely don’t shy away from competition. Next up is a series with Monroe with first place on the line.

2. North Brunswick (8-5) –last week No. 2 – And just when you thought the Raiders might be pulling away – not quite. North Brunswick moved into a one-game lead in the Red Division with a 2-1 win over East Brunswick on Thursday and Old Bridge’s loss to South Plainfield a day later. Then … East Brunswick topped the Raiders on a walk-off win Monday. That’s how close these games go. North Brunswick concludes the division slate with a two-game series against South Brunswick.

3. Monroe (6-4)– last week No. 4 – It’s time to jump Monroe up a spot. The Falcons have back-to-back sweeps of South Brunswick and South Plainfield and a win over East Brunswick on April 14 in its current five-game win streak. Monroe started 1-4 (split with St. Joseph, series loss to North Brunswick and a L to East Brunswick). Yes, they’re hot. Pitching ace Harrison Lollin has been joined by Zack Wallace and Lucas White for a pesky front three on the mound. Monroe plays Old Bridge on Tuesday and Thursday.

4. St. Joseph (7-7)– last week No. 3 – The Falcons can still be in the hunt for their fourth-straight Red Division title if they get help and defeat South Plainfield and South Brunswick. Even if that doesn’t happen, the momentum heading into the GMCT would be nice for St. Joseph’s fans.    

5. East Brunswick (6-8)– last week No. 5 – The Bears were in the midst of a four-game slide – two losses to St. Joseph and defeats to North Brunswick and non-conference Ramapo. Then, they scored a memorable walk-off win Monday over North Brunswick on Derick Christie’s single on a 3-2 count. That’s part of the romance of baseball, just when things seem dire, magic can happen on any day. They also have season splits with No. 1 Old Bridge and No. 3 Monroe. The Bears certainly have the pitching for a GMCT run.

6.Sayreville (10-3) – last week No. 8 – This ranking has weighed the Red Division heavily, but it’s time to give the White Division some recognition. There are certainly quality squads in the grouping and Sayreville controls its destiny to win the pennant. The Bombers have won four-straight and sit at 8-2 in the division ahead of Woodbridge (7-3), which they swept. Sayreville’s three losses were to teams with a combined 26-15 record in Edison, J.F. Kennedy and Middlesex. The Bombers conclude division play with two games against J.P. Stevens this week.

7. Spotswood (12-3)– last week No. 7 – It’s really hard to go wire to wire in the Blue Division with so many good teams. The Chargers had their first divisional stumble with a doubleheader split Monday against J.F. Kennedy. Spotswood (9-1 in division) controls its destiny with the two-game series against St. Thomas Aquinas (6-2). Give the Chargers credit for putting themselves in this position with a crucial sweep over South River last week. Casey Cumiskey continues to be one of the best hitter-pitchers in the area.

8. Woodbridge (10-4) – last week No. 9 – The Barrons still have a chance to claim the White Division if they beat Perth Amboy twice this week and Sayreville gets swept against J.P. Stevens. Regardless, Woodbridge is having another strong season and has a key division sweep over Middlesex and a win over South Plainfield.

9. South Plainfield (6-8)– last week No. 10 – Just when it seemed like the Tigers were on the verge of slipping from the rankings, they snapped a five-game slide with two big-time wins. South Plainfield edged No. 1 Old Bridge 3-2 last Friday and had a 3-0 victory over No. 4 St. Joes on Monday. That pitching can be dangerous come tournament time.

10. Edison (11-4)– last week No. 10 – It just feels like Edison could be ranked higher. Sometimes, though, polls wind up a certain way and Edison remains at No. 10 for this week. The Eagles impressively won five in a row before falling to Woodbridge on Monday. The Eagles finished their White Division slate at 8-4 with splits against Sayreville and Middlesex. They can certainly move up depending on how this week shakes out and will be a tough opponent in the GMCT.

NJ baseball: Greater Middlesex Conference Top 10 for Week 4 (mycentraljersey.com)