Game #12 South Plainfield 4 Piscataway 2

By The Star Ledger
on April 24, 2017 8:52 PM

Mike Stanczak had two hits with three RBI and Connor Adams added three singles with two runs scored to lead South Plainfield to a 4-2 victory over Piscataway in South Plainfield.

Chris Shine had an RBI-double and Jean Sapini pitched a seven-hitter with no earned runs, three walks and seven strikeouts to get the win for South Plainfield.

Chris Lowry had an RBI-single and James Ingram and Parris Washington each had a run scored for Piscataway.

http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/-6113600378892405451/piscataway-2-at-south-plainfield-4-baseball/

Greg Tufaro ,
@GregTufaro
Published 7:55 p.m. ET April 24, 2017

South Plainfield 4, Piscataway 2

After the Chiefs forged a 2-2 tie in the top of the fifth inning, the Tigers scored twice in the bottom half of the inning to produce the final margin.

Connor Adams went 3-for-4 for South Plainfield (9-3). Teammates Billy Keane, Mike Stanczak (2-for-3) and Chris Shine each doubled. Stanczak finished with three RBI.

Winning pitcher Jean Sapini fanned seven, walked four and scattered seven hits over seven innings.

Seven Chiefs had one hit apiece. James Ingram and Parris Washington each scored for Piscataway (7-5).

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/sports/high-school/baseball/2017/04/24/april-24-gmc-baseball-roundup/100858956/

GMC baseball Top 10 rankings for April 23

 
Greg Tufaro ,
@GregTufaro 
Published 11:43 a.m. ET April 23, 2017

1. Woodbridge (11-0): Senior lefthander Harry Rutkowski tied the career school record for victories, recording his 21st win on the mound against Colonia. He also clubbed his state-leading sixth homer of the season and raised his batting average to .600 (15-for-23) last week. Rutkowski and senior third baseman Justin Silva, who is hitting .448 (13-for-29), continue to inflict serious damage from the heart of the order, combining for 31 RBI. The vast improvement of Trevor Cykowski, the team’s talented shortstop and emotional leader, at the plate is integral to Woodbridge’s ascent. Cykowski is batting .389 (15-for-39) with nine RBI. Woodbridge is receiving contributions throughout the entire lineup with catcher Josepher Gutierrez clubbing his first homer and freshman second baseman Ismael Reynoso getting his first hit and RBI last week.

2. East Brunswick (7-3): Earlier this season, East Brunswick head coach Chris Kenney said he expected Ryan Flynn to hit even better than the senior centerfielder did a year ago, when Flynn batted .353. Flynn has more than lived up to that billing, batting a remarkable .553 (21-for-38) with a team-leading 16 RBI. Flynn, Mike Falco (.370) and Tyler Burnham (.333) are the only regulars batting above .300 on a team that is hitting 40 points lower than it did a year ago while capturing GMC tournament and Red Division titles. Pitching, however, continues to keep the Bears atop the division standings, where they remain deadlocked with South Brunswick in first place. East Brunswick boasts a 2.54 team ERA. The Bears only losses are to Jackson Memorial (7-5) and in extra innings to St. Joseph (9-5) and undefeated Woodbridge (3-1).

3. South Brunswick (9-3): The Vikings' three losses are by a total of four runs. They fell 7-6 to previously undefeated Montgomery, which recently endured its first loss, endured a 1-0 upset at the hands of Edison, and lost 2-0 to Allentown ace Jordan Winston. One of the country’s top hurlers, Winston, who is committed to Oklahoma State, is the son of the late Darrin Winston, who starred at Bishop Ahr and Rutgers University, before pitching in the Major Leagues with the Philadelphia Phillies. South Brunswick prepped for a huge series against border rival Monroe with an 11-1 victory over Ewing on Saturday, the team’s third mercy-rule win of the season and the fourth time the Vikings have scored 10 or more runs in a game. Chris James (17), Ryan Moran (14), Kevin Reyes (13), Marco DiIusto (12) and Adam Britton (12) lead the Vikings, who are batting .320 as a team, in hits. South Brunswick is also pitching to the tune of a 2.39 team ERA.

4. St. Joseph (6-6): After outscoring a rebuilding Edison club 21-1 in a series sweep, the Falcons endured consecutive losses to Bergen Catholic and Pope John. Three of St. Joseph’s losses were by a total of four runs including a 2-1 setback to Bergen Catholic, one of four teams ranked among the Top 20 in the state at the time when they defeated the Falcons. The other teams to defeat St. Joseph that are not state ranked – Paramus Catholic and Pope John – own a combined 16-7 record against formidable competition. St. Joseph’s demanding regular-season schedule will prepare the team well for the conference and state tournaments.  The Falcons are batting .333, more than 40 points higher than they did a year ago, and boast a 1.66 team ERA. Mike Farr (.470), Ross Maertz (.400) and Jon Sot (.385) have combined for 41 hits. Nineteen Falcons have recorded at least one hit or one RBI this season, a reflection of St. Joseph’s offensive depth.

5. South Plainfield (8-3): The Tigers extended their winning streak to nine games with Saturday’s impressive 3-1 victory over Millburn, a team that entered the contest with an eight-game winning streak and ranked ninth in the state. South Plainfield’s only losses are by one run to Colonia and North Brunswick and by mercy rule to once-beaten Montgomery. Sophomore right-hander Chris Shine was brilliant against Millburn, hurling six and two-thirds innings before having to be lifted due to the NJSIAA’s pitch-count regulations. Mike Stanczak’s RBI single in the first knotted the score at 1-1 against Millburn, while teammates TJ Massaro (fourth inning) and Jared Marks (fifth inning) plated the go-ahead and insurance runs.

6. Spotswood (11-2): The Chargers swept a doubleheader on Saturday at the Carteret Conquers Cancer Invitational, extending their winning streak to nine games. The victories came less than 24 hours after Spotswood head coach Glenn Fredricks recorded his 200th career win with a 4-2 comeback against Carteret. Spotswood has been on an offensive tear of late, scoring 68 runs in its last six games, compared to 29 runs over its first seven outings. The Chargers only losses are by a single run to Union and South Plainfield. Coastal Carolina commit JT Vento continues to rip the cover off the ball, batting .457 (16-for-35) with 11 RBI. Chris Auciello (1-0, 0.68 ERA) is perfect out of the bullpen with four saves. Ace Matt Ciaccio owns a 4-1 record with a 1.36 ERA.

7. Middlesex (12-1): The Blue Jays remain one of the conference’s best hitting teams and now that Matt Carovillano's power has returned – he’s homered three times in the last two games – Middlesex’s lineup is even more daunting. Carovillano (.425) was already hitting for average, joining Mike Salerno (.465), Nick DiMaggio (.366) and Michael Schweyher (.347) as the club’s offensive leaders. Middlesex is batting .330 as a team and has a 3.01 team ERA with seven hurlers recording at least one win apiece. Tyler Dymond and Kyle Nepton each have three victories on the mound. Middlesex’s victories have come against foes with a combined 27-51 record (.301 winning percentage). The Blue Jays, however, always play a challenging schedule. They head out of division for the remainder of their slate, excluding a paramount series against Spotswood that will determine the Blue Division title on May 1 and May 2, to face Sayreville, Watchung Hills, South Plainfield, South Brunswick, Piscataway, Union and J.F. Kennedy in the upcoming weeks. Those games present Middlesex with an opportunity to climb the conference rankings.

8. Monroe (5-4): The Falcons have lost three games by one run to perennial state power Steinert, Spotswood and Old Bridge. Monroe snapped a two-game skid with a 7-0 win over Old Bridge. Monroe begins the week with a huge series against Red Division frontrunner South Brunswick.

9. Old Bridge (4-6): The Knights have played a challenging schedule including losses to St. Joseph of Montvale, Seton Hall Prep, Hamilton West, South Brunswick and Monroe. They’ve faced stellar pitching along the way including Rutgers University signee Eric Heatter, who blanked Old Bridge last week. Old Bridge has dropped three games by a total of four runs. Pitching (2.82 team ERA) continues to keep the Knights in games while they struggle (.170 BA) at the plate.

10T. Piscataway (7-4) and Sayreville (4-5): The teams split their regular-season series. Sayreville rebounded from a 0-2 start to win four of its last seven including a pair of one-run defeats to Piscataway and Hudson Catholic, a nonconference foe that has defeated three White Division teams including Colonia and North Brunswick. The Chiefs rebounded from a 0-2 start to win seven of their last nine with the two defeats by a total of 15 runs.


http://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/sports/high-school/baseball/2017/04/23/gmc-baseball-top-10-rankings-april-23/100814062/

Game #11 South Plainfield 3 Milburn 1

Listen to "South Plainfield vs Millburn AAC" on Spreaker.

 By Joe Zedalis | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on April 22, 2017 5:29 PM
 
NORTH BRUNSWICK — South Plainfield head coach Anthony Guida doesn’t start his sophomore pitchers off in the shallow end of the pool. Instead, he throws them into the deep end to see if they can swim at the varsity level.

On Saturday, in the Autism Awareness Challenge, sophomore right-hander Chris Shine got the call against No. 9 Millburn and responded with a veteran effort. Shine scattered a run on five hits with five strikeouts in 62/3 and South Plainfield (8-3) upended Millburn (9-2) at Community Park.

The victory was the fifth in six games for South Plainfield and ended Millburn’s eight-game winning streak.

“Chris has become out Saturday pitcher,” said South Plainfield head coach Anthony Guida. “We like to get outside our league on Saturday and we like to use our sophomores and get them experience. We did that a couple years ago when Jean Sapini was a sophomore and we went on a nice little run.”

 

Shine (1-0) was lifted one out shy of a complete game when he reached the 110-pitch mark.
 “I saw coach come out and I was a little disappointed,” Shine said. “I wanted to finish.”

 “If he wasn’t at 110 pitches, he would have,” Guida said. “I had to no choice but to take him out.”

 Shine kept a good-hitting Millburn line-up off balance by mixing his pitches.
“All my pitches worked pretty well today,” Shine said. “My fastball was pretty good and so were my two-seamer and curveball.”

Shine was relieved by Dylan O’Connor who give up a single before retiring Rich Schiekofer on a fairly deep fly to centerfield.

“I knew it wasn’t going out and I knew if it was in the ballpark, our guys would catch it,” Shine said.

South Plainfield made the most of its limited scoring chances.

The Tigers scored on an RBI single by junior Mike Stanczak in the first inning and tacked on two on RBIs by sophomore TJ Massaro in the fourth innings and senior catcher Jared Marks in the fifth.
 
“We scored our first two runs without a ball leaving the infield,” Guida said.

“This was a big win because it boosted everybody’s confidence,” Shine said. “I think we made a little of a statement that we can play with the best teams in the state.”

http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/-5113579378737405233/baseball-shine-south-plainfield-upended-no-9-millburn/


https://www.spreaker.com/user/8650509/south-plainfield-vs-millburn-aac

https://www.spreaker.com/episode/11695446




Greg Tufaro ,
@GregTufaro
Published 1:51 p.m. ET April 22, 2017

South Plainfield 3, Millburn 1

The Tigers made a huge statement, snapping the winning streak of Millburn, currently ranked No. 9 in the state by The Star Ledger, at eight games with a victory in the Autism Awareness Baseball Challenge.

Winning pitcher Chris Shine allowed seven hits and one earned run over six and two thirds innings. He struck out five and walked three. Shine threw 113 pitches before being lifted under the NJSIAA's new pitch-count regulations. Dylan O'Connor closed the game for a save.

Connor Adams doubled and scored for the Tigers, who improved to 8-3. Jared Marks, Mike Stanczak and TJ Massaro each had an RBI for South Plainfield. Stanczak and Mike Marrero scored the Tigers' other runs.

Millburn outhit South Plainfield 8-4 but committed three errors that led to an unearned run. The Tigers scored in the home first to erase a 1-0 deficit.

South Plainfield scored the go-ahead run in the third and added an insurance tally in the fifth.

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/sports/high-school/baseball/2017/04/22/april-22-gmc-baseball-roundup/100784922/

Game #10 South Plainfield 7 North Hunterdon 4

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GMC baseball rankings for April 19

By Joe Zedalis
NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on April 19, 2017 7:11 AM

GREATER MIDDLESEX CONFERENCE RANKINGS
(Records Through Monday)

1-Woodbridge (8-0)
2-East Brunswick (6-2)
3-St. Joseph (Met.) (6-2)
4-South Brunswick (7-2)
5-South Plainfield (5-2)
6-Spotswood (6-2)
7-Monroe (4-4)
8-Colonia (5-3)
9-Middlesex (7-0)
10-Old Bridge (4-4)

Joe Zedalis may be reached at jzedalis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @josephzedalis. Like NJ.com HS sports on Facebook.

http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/2255756241489020357/gmc-baseball-rankings-for-april-19/

Game #9 South Plainfield 10 North Brunswick 0

 

 Greg Tufaro ,
@GregTufaro 
Published 6:37 p.m. ET April 18, 2017

South Plainfield 10, North Brunswick 0

The top three hitters in South Plainfield’s batting order went a combined 8-for-12 with four RBI to support Billy Keane’s one-hit shutout as the Tigers avenged Monday’s 7-6 loss.

Christian Petrillo and Sean Breheney had one hit apiece for North Brunswick (3-7), which had a three-game winning streak snapped. The Raiders were outhit 15-2.

Connor Adams (3-for-4) and Dylan O’Connor (3-for-4) paced South Plainfield, while teammates Rob Gonzalez, Mike Stanczak and Jared Marks had two hits apiece. The quintet combined to score seven runs.

South Plainfield scored four runs in the first and added two apiece more in the third, fourth and fifth frames to invoke the mercy rule.

Kean fanned four, walked one and threw an economical 68 pitches.

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/sports/high-school/baseball/2017/04/18/april-18-gmc-baseball-roundup/100623052/

Game #8 North Brunswick 7 South Plainfield 6

By The Star Ledger
on April 17, 2017 7:30 PM

Danny Reardon hit a home run to go 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI to help lift North Brunswick to a 7-6 comeback victory over South Plainfield in North Brunswick.

Down 6-4, North Brunswick scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Eric Vasquez pitched a nine-hitter with four walks and three strikeouts, while Andrew Tan went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Ryan Breheney went 2-for-3 with a run and two RBI for North Brunswick.

Jean Sapini allowed eight hits over 6 2/3 innings with no walks and seven strikeouts, while Mike Stanczak hit a home run to go 2-for-4 with a run and three RBI. Billy Keane went 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Connor Adams went 3-for-4 with two runs for South Plainfield.

http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/5403715132930558494/south-plainfield-6-at-north-brunswick-7-baseball/

 

 

 Greg Tufaro ,

@GregTufaro 

Published 5:51 p.m. ET April 17, 2017

 



North Brunswick 7, South Plainfield 6

The Raiders extended their winning streak to three games with an impressive victory over the Tigers and ace Jean Sapini, who entered the contest without having yielded an earned run all year.

Danny Reardon went 2-for-3 with a homer and scored twice for North Brunswick, which erased a 6-4 deficit with a three-run rally in the bottom of the seventh. The Raiders trailed 5-0 earlier in the game.

Ryan Breheney led off the seventh with a double. Christian Petrillo followed with a single. Justin Garcia legged out a bunt single on which a throwing error allowed Breheny and Petrillo to score and Garcia to advance all the way to third. Tan plated the winning run with an RBI single to left-center.
Winning pitcher Eric Vasquez scattered nine hits, walked four and fanned three. Tan (2-for-4) provided offensive support.

Ryan Breheney (2-for-3 with a triple) scored and delivered two RBI for North Brunswick.

Sapini, who entered the contest having not allowed an earned run, yielded eight hits and fanned seven without issuing a walk over six and two thirds innings. Only three of the runs against him were earned.

Mike Stanczak went 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBI for South Plainfield, while teammates Billy Keane (2-for-3) and Connor Adams (3-for-4) combined for two run and an RBI.

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/sports/high-school/baseball/2017/04/17/apirl-17-gmc-baseball-roundup/100580302/

Game #7 South Plainfield 7 Paramus 4

 

SOUTH PLAINFIELD 7, PARAMUS 4

2B: (Par) Garrett Nathan 1; (SoPl) Marks 1, Soper 1; 3B: (Par) Jack Roma 1; RBI: (Par) Christopher Gass 1, Robby Weiss 1, Danny Santana 2(SoPl) Marks 2, Stanczak 1, Sapini 1, Pellegrino 1
WP: O’Conner, LP: Mike Pallotto 

http://www.northjersey.com/story/sports/high-school/varsity-aces/2017/04/15/hs-results-saturday-april-15/100516260/

 

 

Greg Tufaro ,

@GregTufaro

Published 2:44 p.m. ET April 15, 2017

 

South Plainfield 7, Paramus 4

The Tigers scored three runs in the top of the ninth to break a 4-4 deadlock. South Plainfield scored twice in the top of the seventh to erase a 4-2 deficit.

Jared Marks went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI for South Plainfield, which outhit Paramus 9-7. Ricky Pellegrino went 2-for-5 with two RBI for the Tigers. Jean Sapini had an RBI.

Chris Shine (six innings) and Dylan O'Connor (three innings) combined to limit Paramus to four runs. Shine fanned five and walked three while scattering five hits. O'Connor yielded two hits and one walk.

Conor Adams, Rob Gonzalez, Mike Marrero, TJ Massaro, Kevin Soper and O'Connor each scored for the Tigers.


http://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/sports/high-school/baseball/2017/04/15/april-15-gmc-baseball-roundup/100502830/

Game #6 South Plainfield 7 Sayreville 3

By The Star Ledger
on April 13, 2017 9:40 PM

Rob Gonzalez pitched five innings, allowing five hits, with nine strikeouts and two walks as South Plainfield defeated Sayreville, 7-3, in South Plainfield.

Connor Adams went 2-for-3 with one double, one RBI and two runs while Ricky Pellegrino went 2-for-3 with one RBI and one run for South Plainfield, which had a total of 12 hits and scored four runs in the fourth inning. Dave Tavarez went 1-for-1 with two RBI and Dylan O'Connor went 2-for-3 with one run.

Jayson DeMild went 3-for-4 with one RBI and one run while Kyle Richards went 1-for-4 with one double and one run for Sayreville. Brian Cuadra went 1-for-2 with one RBI and Ryan Casano scored one run.

http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/4403714132920558400/sayreville-3-at-south-plainfield-7-baseball/

Greg Tufaro ,
@GregTufaro
Published 12:04 a.m. ET April 14, 2017

South Plainfield 7, Sayreville 3: Rob Gonzalez allowed one run on five hits and struck out nine in five innings for the Tigers (4-2).

Connor Adams went 2-for-3 with a double, one RBI and two runs scored. Ricky Pellegrino went 2-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored.

The win over Sayreville was the second game South Plainfield played on Thursday.

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/sports/high-school/baseball/2017/04/14/april-13-gmc-baseball-roundup/100452500/

Game #5 Montgomery 20 South Plainfield 2

By The Star Ledger
on April 13, 2017 6:26 PM

Tommy Denlinger hit a grand slam and finished with six RBI to lead Montgomery past South Plainfield, 20-2, in Skillman.

Vikram Avancha also hit a home run and finished with three hits and five RBI for Montgomery. Michael Patrizio and Nick Pascale finished with three runs apiece. Avancha pitched five innings and allowed six hits with two earned runs while striking out three and walking none.

Dylan O'Connor had two hits and two RBI for South Plainfield.

http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/4403712132914558414/south-plainfield-2-at-montgomery-20-baseball/

 

 

 

 

Lauren Knego and Simeon Pincus ,

Courier News and Home Tribune

Published 5:09 p.m. ET April 13, 2017



Montgomery 20, South Plainfield 2 (5 innings): Tommy Denlinger went 2-for-2 with a grand slam, six RBI and one run scored for Montgomery (7-0). Vikram Avancha went 3-for-4 with a home run, five RBI and one run scored.

Avancha also improved to 2-0 after he allowed two runs on six hits and struck out three. Michael Patrizio and Nick Pascale each had one RBI and scored three runs.

Ryan McKenna finished with a double and two RBI.

For South Plainfield (3-2), Dylan O'Connor went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI. Rob Gonzalez and Mike Stanczak each scored a run.

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/sports/high-school/2017/04/13/high-school-roundup-thursday-april-13/100434778/

GMC Baseball White Division Standings

Greg Tufaro ,
@GregTufaro
Published 10:45 p.m. ET April 7, 2017


WHITE DIVISION

1. Woodbridge (5-0)  3-0
2. South Plainfield (3-1)  2-1
3. Sayreville (2-2)  2-1
4. J.F. Kennedy (2-3)  2-2
5, Piscataway (2-2)  2-2
6. Colonia (3-3)  1-1
7. North Brunswick (0-6) 0-5


http://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/sports/high-school/baseball/2017/04/07/gmc-baseball-division-standings/100199898/

Group 2 baseball rankings for April 12

By Joe Zedalis | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on April 12, 2017 7:33 AM

GROUP 2 BASEBALL RANKINGS
(Records through Monday)

GROUP 2
1-Gov. Livingston (3-0)
2-West Deptford (1-0)
3-South Plainfield (3-0)
4-Lakeland (5-0)
5-Pascack Hills (5-0)
6-Lyndhurst (5-0)
7-Robbinsville (4-0)
8-Monmouth (4-0)
9-North Plainfield (4-0)
10-Haddonfield (1-1)

http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/-7431306779238057145/group-2-baseball-rankings-for-april-12/

GMC baseball rankings for April 12

 
By Joe Zedalis | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on April 12, 2017 7:11 AM

GMC BASEBALL RANKINGS
(Records through Monday's Games)

1-Woodbridge (5-0)
2-East Brunswick (3-1)
3-St. Joseph (Met.) (3-2)
4-Monroe (1-2)
5-South Brunswick (4-1)
6-South Plainfield (3-0)
7-MIddlesex (4-0)
8-Old Bridge (2-2)
9-Colonia (2-3)
10-Metuchen (1-1)

http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/-7312835273387337520/gmc-baseball-rankings-for-april-12/

Game # 4 Colonia 3 South Plainfield 2

By The Star Ledger
on April 11, 2017 9:43 PM

Chris Michael pitched a six-hitter with one walk and six strikeouts, also going 1-for-3 with an RBI to help Colonia earn a 3-2 victory over South Plainfield in Colonia.

Colonia outscored South Plainfield 2-1 in the third inning to take a 3-2 lead.

Anthony Palmisano went 3-for-3 with an RBI, while Frank Lehman and Matt Zawacki both went 1-for-3. Jason Hilenski went 1-for-2, while Nick Nielson had an RBI for Colonia. 

http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/3403706132904558405/south-plainfield-2-at-colonia-3-baseball/

 

 

 

Greg Tufaro ,
@GregTufaro
Published 7:58 p.m. ET April 11, 2017

Colonia 3, South Plainfield 2: Winning pitcher Chris Michael went the distance, allowing one earned run on six hits as the Patriots (3-3) salvaged a series split with the previously undefeated Tigers (3-1).

Nick Nielson’s hard hit groundball to shortstop scored catcher Anthony Palmisano with Colonia’s first run in the second inning. Palmisano led off the frame with a triple.

Colonia added two more runs in the third. Frank Lehmann led off with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Michael plated him with a single and Palmisano followed with an RBI double.

Palmisano went 3-for-3 on the day, finishing a home run shy of hitting for the cycle.
Micahel fanned four.

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/sports/high-school/baseball/2017/04/11/april-11-gmc-baseball-roundup/100351610/

GMC baseball Top 10 rankings for April 8

Greg Tufaro ,
@GregTufaro
Published 6:47 p.m. ET April 8, 2017 
Updated 6:51 p.m. ET April 8, 2017

1. East Brunswick (2-1): After splitting a season-opening series with St. Joseph, the Bears scored an impressive 3-1 victory over Hillsborough, which the Star Ledger of Newark ranks No. 20 in the state. The Bears avenged a 9-5 loss in eight innings to St. Joseph with a 19-7 drubbing of the Falcons in their next outing. Senior lefthander Tyler Burnham, a Seton Hall University signee, has allowed just one earned run over his last 10 innings. East Brunswick’s lineup appears to be among the league’s deepest and most balanced.

2. St. Joseph (2-2): After rallying for a 9-5 victory in extra innings over East Brunswick, the Falcons endured consecutive lopsided losses to the Bears and St. Joseph of Montvale, which Perfect Game ranks among the Top 50 programs in the country. The Falcons rebounded, however, with an impressive 11-0 mercy-rule win over Marist on Saturday in which Jake Hellwig hurled five shutout innings to record his second win. Ross Maertz has homered in two of his last three games.

3. Monroe (2-1): After holding on for a 6-4 season-opening win over Perth Amboy, the Falcons dropped a 4-3 decision to perennial state power Steinert. Monroe faces St. Joseph in a regular-season series on Monday and Tuesday. Matt Sorrento is batting .500 (4-for-8), while Nick Payero is hitting .429 (3-for-7) with a home run. Most are familiar with aces Eric Heatter, a Rutgers University commit, and Payero, but the Falcons showcased another arm, that of Matt Zurawiecki, who hurled four and a third no-hit innings against Steinert. For perspective, Steinert scored 41 runs, or an average of 13.7 per game, against its three other opponents.

4. Woodbridge (4-0): The Barrons have defeated South Amboy, Edison and Piscataway twice. Over Woodbridge’s last three games, centerfielder Zach Joe is batting .667 (6-for-9), while teammates Jospeher Gutierrez, Harry Rutkowski and Justin Silva have four RBI apiece. Trevor Cykowski, already a stellar defensive shortstop, has vastly improved his hitting from a year ago and is batting .444 (4-for-9) with three RBI over the last three contests.

5. South Brunswick (3-1): After rallying from a four-run sixth-inning deficit for a 6-5 comeback victory over Old Bridge, the Vikings cruised to a 10-0 drubbing of Sayreville. Kevin Reyes got off to a quick start, batting .667 (4-for-6) with five RBI in South Brunswick's first two games. Ryan Moran collected three hits, three RBI and three runs scored in the first two contests. South Brunswick split a doubleheader on Saturday, falling 7-6 to Montgomery and defeating Rutgers Prep 13-11.

6. South Plainfield (2-0): The Tigers have received stellar pitching and defense in a season-opening 8-1 win over Sayreville and an ensuing 2-1 victory over Spotswood. South Plainfield is hitting .270 as a team. The Tigers recently got new indoor (school gymnasium) and outdoor (field) batting cages. Connor Adams (3-for-5) is the team’s leading hitter (.600). Roberto Gonzalez, Jared Marks and Jean Sapini are the only other Tigers with multiple hits. A quartet of hurlers has combined to fan 19 batters and walk just eight.

7. Middlesex (4-0): Middlesex’s pitchers extended their string of scoreless innings to 20 with the team’s second consecutive shutout, an 8-0 blanking of Carteret on Saturday. Middlesex has outscored its opponents 36-3. Senior first baseman Mike Salerno is off to a torrid start, batting .769 (10-for-16). The Blue Jays are batting a league-leading .410 as a team (51-for-123) with 18 walks, seven extra-base hits and 12 stolen bases.

8. Colonia (2-2): The Patriots rebounded from an extra-inning loss to Bridgewater-Raritan in their season opener with consecutive one-run victories over Metuchen and Perth Amboy. Colonia then dropped an 8-7 decision to Hudson Catholic. Through the team’s first three games, Chris Michael, better known for his pinpoint accuracy as a pitcher, has been a force at the plate, batting .636 with seven hits.

9. Metuchen (1-1): The Bulldogs rebounded from a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Colonia, against who they allowed the game’s lone run in the seventh inning, with an impressive 15-1 victory over South River, the defending Blue Division and Central Group I champions. Kyle Harry and Matt Volpe plated four runs apiece in the win.

10. Old Bridge (1-2): The Knights, who are batting under .200 as a team, scored five unearned runs in a 5-1 victory over A.L. Johnson on Saturday to snap a two-game losing skid. Old Bridge opened the year with a disheartening 6-5 walk-off loss to South Brunswick, which erased a 4-0 sixth-inning deficit. With Joe Papeo and Jake Kodros on the mound, Old Bridge will keep itself in games.

 

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/sports/high-school/baseball/2017/04/08/gmc-baseball-top-10-rankings-april-8/100222174/