2026 - Game # 29 South Plainfield 4, Chatham 2 - NJSIAA Tournament, Semifinal Round, North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3

TAPintoChatham

McCarthy Pitches the Distance, Bena 2-Run Double in 7th Lift South Plainfield to 4-2 Win vs. Chatham in Sectional Semifinal

By Ed Barmakian

CHATHAM, NJ – A good start, a clutch finish and the pitching of senior left-hander Aiden McCarthy carried No. 4-seeded South Plainfield to a 4-2 baseball win vs. top-seeded Chatham in the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 semifinal on Wednesday afternoon at CHS.

South Plainfield (17-11) had three hits in the first inning and two hits in the seventh and nothing in between. But the Tigers had McCarthy for all seven innings as the ace threw 94 pitches in recording his sixth complete game of the season, improving his record to 8-2.

Senior Ryan Bailey had three of the six hits vs. McCarthy and drove in both Chatham runs in the game, including an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth that tied the game at 2-2.

“We always play our best baseball with McCarthy on the mound,” South Plainfield coach Scott Gleichenhaus said. "He's been there all year for us. We just feel with him on the mound, we can beat anybody. Having the bull pitch the semifinal against the No. 1 seed was exactly what we wanted.

 

“Bena came through in the clutch with that ball down the line with runners on first and third. He's only a sophomore. Nerves of steel that kid. Iron in his blood.”

Bena game winning hit - Video

 

South Plainfield got off to a good start with a double, an infield hit and a hit-by-pitch that loaded the bases with no one out. Catcher Chris Loniewski then pulled the ball past the bag at third for a two-run single.

Loniewski opens up game with 2 RBI hit - Video

But senior left-hander Justin Zigon bore down to get out of the inning for Chatham with just the two runs scored and then retired the next eight batters in a row to take the game into the fourth. Junior right-hander Jack Hadzima came on to get the final out of the fourth for the Cougars and pitched scoreless, hitless ball into the seventh.

Chatham made it a 2-1 game in the bottom of the fourth when Dalton Loftin reached on an error and pinch-runner Tommy Sciacchitano stole second before scoring on Bailey's two-out single to right.

“You think about that, it could have changed the complexion of the game,” Todd Leathers, Chatham coach, said. “That's why baseball is great, it's such a metaphor for life. Sometimes those balls are caught and we're talking inches in this game, always. You saw that numerous times today. These guys had such a great season, losing stinks.”

 

The Cougars started at a disadvantage with leadoff batter and center fielder Owen Young out with an illness and left fielder and No. 2 batter Drew Speace (.405 average, 22 RBI) out with an injury sustained in practice earlier in the week.

 

“Unfortunately, Drew had a little injury the other day in practice and then that bug was going around and Owen wasn't there,” Leathers said. “Again, you rotate guys through. If those guys had been here, Bailey might not have had the opportunity he did. The beauty of a season like this, we moved a lot of people around. It's three months, six days a week. We know what they can do in practice. You always want to have the best. It's hard.

 

“We just didn't quite have enough. (McCarthy) is a really, really good pitcher. He was able to keep us off balance and make some pitches. It was a three-pitch mix, fastball, curveball., changeup and he could throw them in any count. We had a lot of weak fly falls and they made plays.”

 

Leathers said it will be to replace the seniors from this 20-win team, but noted that 17 players are returning.

 

“We got a taste of it, what it's like to be able to have a game at home and the crowd was awesome today,” Leathers said. “It was a great environment. Not the way you want to end it, but to have that support was great to see.”

McCarthy Pitches the Distance, Bena 2-Run Double in 7th Lift South Plainfield to 4-2 Win vs. Chatham in Sectional Semifinal | Chatham, NJ News TAPinto | TAPinto

SPTigerBaseball

@BaseballSPHS

Survive and advance !!!!! The Tigers are goin back the finals for the 3rd straight year. Once again Aiden McCarthy shoved. Another complete game & win number 8 for the Bull. His battery mate / fellow dude Chris Loniewski got the Tigers on the board early w/ a 2 run knock in the 1st. But it was Andrew Bena who was Mr. Clutch in the 7th, delivering a 2 run double down the left field line, breaking a 2-2 tie that would give the Tigers the lead/trip to the section finals @ Cranford on Friday at 3pm.

Andy Mendlowitz

MyCentralJersey.com

North 2 Group 3

No. 4 South Plainfield 4, No. 1 Chatham 2: Chris Loniewski had a two-RBI double in the first inning and Andrew Bena later added his own double that scored two runs as South Plainfield pulled the huge upset. The Tigers (17-11) will travel to No. 3-seeded Cranford in the final.

Baseball roundup, latest results for GMC and area Skyland and UCC

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
South Plainfield (17-11)	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	4	5	1
Chatham (20-7)	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	2	6	0

WP: Aiden McCarthy    LP: Jack Hadzima

	AB	R	H	RBI	1B	2B	BB	HBP	FC	AVG	SLG
Dom Massaro #6	4	2	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	.250	.500
Aiden McCarthy #12	4	2	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	.500	.500
Andrew Bena #19	3	0	1	2	0	1	0	1	0	.333	.667
Chris Loniewski #15	4	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	.250	.250
Anthony Cicenia #11	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000
Ed Budzinski #3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000
Joe Stanzione #4	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	0	.000	.000
Alex Pigna #10	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000
Gabriel Garcia #16	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	.000	.000
Totals:	26	4	5	2	3	2	3	2	3	.192	.269

	W	L	PIT	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HB	PO	ERA
Aiden McCarthy #12 (WP)	1	0	94	7	6	2	1	0	5	1	0	1.00
Totals:	1	0	94	7	6	2	1	0	5	1	0	1.00