St. Mary Rutherford 2, South Plainfield 0 Greg Tufaro, @GregTufaro 9:42 p.m. EDT May 9, 2016 The Tigers (8-12) were outhit 5-3 and allowed single runs in the first and third innings.
Nick Polizzano went 3-for-4 with two doubles, three RBI and a run in South Plainfield's 7-6 victory over Iselin Kennedy in South Plainfield. South Plainfield scored the game-winning run in the seventh inning. Jack Gillis had an RBI and scored two runs for South Plainfield. Chris Shine allowed six hits, four earned runs and two walks in 3.2 innings on the mound for South Plainfield. Iselin Kennedy's Matthew Godlewski went 2-for-3 with a run, while Jeremy Torres doubled and scored a run. Jordy Mara finished 2-for-5 with a home run, two RBI and a run.
South Plainfield 7, J.F. Kennedy 6 Greg Tufaro, @GregTufaro 11 p.m. EDT May 5, 2016 Mike Stanszak, who led off with a walk, took second on an errant pickoff attempt with the catcher throwing behind the runner, and advanced to third on a single, scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh as the Tigers (8-10) completed a season sweep of the Mustangs (3-13).
Shortstop Nick Polizzano went 3-for-4 with three RBI and two doubles for South Plainifeld. Teammate Jack Gillis had an RBI single and scored twice. Dylan O'Connor was the winning pitcher.
Josh Buchholz and Ariel Torres each doubled. The Mustangs knotted the contest at 6-6 on a two-run triple in the sixth inning.
Jordy Mora went 2-for-5 with a homer and an RBI single for J.F. Kennedy.
Dylan O'Connor had two singles with an RBI and Nick Polizzano added an RBI single to lead South Plainfield to a 2-0 victory over Iselin Kennedy in Iselin.
Jared Marks had two singles and Jake Alba pitched a five-hitter with two walks and five strikeouts to get the win for South Plainfield.
Michael Matusz gave up seven hits over six innings with an earned run, two walks, and seven strikeouts to take the loss for Iselin Kennedy.
Greg Tufaro, @GregTufaro 10:12 p.m. EDT May 2, 2016 Winning pitcher Jake Alba, a Stony Brook signee who was sidelined with pneumonia earlier this season, returned to form, firing a complete-game five-hit shutout to help the Tigers (7-10) snap a six-game losing streak.
South Plainfield scored single runs in the first and fifth innings off losing pitcher Michael Matusz, who fanned seven, allowed seven hits, walked two and allowed one earned run. Nick Polizzano and Dylan O’Connor (2-for-3) each had an RBI for the Tigers. Teammates Jack Gillis (two runs) and Jared Marks had two hits apiece.
Matthew Godlewski and Josh Buchholz went 2-for-3 for the Mustangs (3-13), who dropped their ninth straight.
Monroe 10, South Plainfield 0 Greg Tufaro, @GregTufaro 10:13 p.m. EDT April 27, 2016 Senior right-handed Robbie Peto, a University of North Carolina signee, hurled the second no-hitter of his career, striking out 12 in a game shortened to six innings via the mercy rule.
With three no-hit innings in his last outing against Seton Hall Prep on Saturday, Peto extended his string of innings without allowing a hit to nine.
Monroe (9-2), which has not lost a conference game, outscored its last four division opponents 43-2. Peto, who had two no-hit bids spoiled in the seventh inning of games last season, complemented a fastball that topped out in the low 90 mph range with a devastating changeup.
He skillfully positioned his feet on different parts of the pitching rubber for specific offerings to vary the angles of his deliveries to hitters.
Throughout his career, Peto has gotten stronger and more effective as the season progresses, a pattern that appears to be repeating itself.
“Once he settles into the spring, his velocity start to pick up, his location starts to (improve) and I think his offspeed stuff really shows up in late April and early May,” Monroe head coach Pat Geroni said.
Geroni credited Peto and batteryamte Anthony Tagliaferro with calling a good game. Tagliaferro contributed two hits and four RBI to the victory.
Rico Viani’s two-run single with the bases loaded (a third runner scored via an error on the play) in the second inning spotted Peto an early lead.
Chris Perdoni, who has been on a tear of late, collecting eight hits in his last 10 at-bats, went 2-for-3 against the Tigers.
He also made a couple of nice defensive plays, including one on a groundball up the middle on which he flashed great range, to keep Peto’s gem intact.
Piscataway 7, South Plainfield 3 Greg Tufaro, @GregTufaro 10:16 p.m. EDT April 28, 2016 Chris Corvil went 3-for-3 with a double for the Chiefs (4-12), who have won two of their last three. Corvil doubled in the sixth and singled in the fifth and seventh innings.
Brian Jeziorski contributed a singled, an RBI, a walk and two runs to the victory. Piscataway scored single runs in the first, third, sixth and seventh innings. They rallied for three runs in the fifth. Zach Merring highlighted the outburst with a two-run single that scored Corvil and John Swier.
Nick Plate had an RBI single for the Tigers (6-9), who have lost five in a row and six of their last seven. Teammate Nick Polizzano went 2-for-4.
Piscataway pitcher Jacob Vitalico allowed no earned runs, walked one and fanned three over two and two thirds innings. Joe Maisano got the win in relief for Chiefs. Maisano pitched three innings and allowed two runs.
Mike Stanczak was charged with the loss. He lasted two and two thirds innings, walked one, struck out two and allowed five runs.
Eight different Chiefs recorded at least one hit apiece. The Tigers were outhit 10-5.
Monroe (7) at South Plainfield (0) By The Star Ledger on April 25, 2016 9:41 PM
Eric Heatter pitched a two-hit shutout, allowing one walk with 10 strikeouts for Monroe, No. 4 in the NJ.com Top 20, as it defeated South Plainfield, 7-0, in South Plainfield.
Chris Perdoni was 4-for-4 for Monroe, which out-hit South Plainfield, 11-2. Rico Viani was 3-for-4.
Monroe 7, South Plainfield 0 Greg Tufaro, @GregTufaro 9:28 a.m. EDT April 26, 2016 With its 7-0 victory over South Plainfield on Monday, the Monroe High School baseball team clinched its third consecutive Greater Middlesex Conference White Division championship. Monroe owns an 8-2 overall record and a 7-0 division mark. Woodbridge (9-4 overall, 4-3 division) is the lone division member with a chance to mathematically tie the Falcons for first place in the division.
But even if the Barrons win their three remaining division games and Monroe loses its three remaining division games, the Falcons hold the tiebreaker between the schools and would win the title outright because they swept Woodbridge in the regular-season series. According to league rules, the only time a division title is shared is when three or more schools finish with identical records.
Monroe’s only losses this season are out of conference to perennial state powers Toms River North (8-5 defeat) and Seton Hall Prep (3-2 setback in eight innings).
The Falcons have outscored division foes by a combined 51-10 margin of victory. Junior left-hander Eric Heatter, a Rutgers University commit, struck out 10, allowed two hits and walked one.
Chris Perdoni went 4-for-4 and scored once, while teammate Rico Viani went 3-for-4 and scored twice. Matt Sorrento, Shawn Eldridge (two runs), Kenny Sysyn and Heatter had one hit apiece.
Monroe scored once in the first and twice in the second to build a 3-0 lead. The Falcons rallied for four runs in the sixth to produce the final margin.
Losing pitcher Jake Alba, a Stony Brook signee, allowed five earned runs on 10 hits. He fanned four and walked two.
Kevin Czapelski was 2-for-3 with two doubles, two runs and two RBI as Millburn defeated South Plainfield, 14-1, in an Autism Awareness Challenge game in North Brunswick.
Richie Schiekofer, Nick Minter and Peter Serruto each drove in a pair of runs for Millburn, which broke it open with 11 runs in the third inning. Brian Lannino allowed one run on one hit and two walks over five innings, striking out four to pick up the win.
Millburn 14, South Plainfield 1 Greg Tufaro, @GregTufaro 10:15 a.m. EDT April 24, 2016 Dylan O’Connor’s bunt single was the lone hit for the Tigers (6-6), who have dropped three of their last four and been outscored 26-1 in their last two outings.
South Plainfield was outhit 9-1 and allowed 11 runs in the third inning. O’Connor helped stop the bleeding with two innings of solid relief.
O’Connor singled, stole second and score South Plainfield’s lone run on an infield error.
J Mack Rembisz was 3-for-4 with three runs for Westfield as it defeated South Plainfield, 12-0, in South Plainfield.
Devin Anderson was 2-for-4 for Westfield, which scored five of its 12 runs in the sixth inning and out-hit South Plainfield, 13-2. Steve Karmakian was 1-for-3 with two RBI.
Kyle Bythell and Nick Polizzano had one hit each for South Plainfield.
Greg Tufaro, @GregTufaro 10:17 p.m. EDT April 21, 2016 Westfield 12, South Plainfield 0
The Tigers, who had won five of their previous six, were limited to two hits.
Kyle Bythell (sacrifice bunt) and Nick Polizzano each had a single for South Plainfield (6-5), which stranded six runners over the first three innings.
Losing pitcher Ryan Stankan lasted two and two thirds innings
Jean Sapini threw a one-hitter with 10 strikeouts and one walk for South Plainfield in its 10-0 victory over Woodbridge in South Plainfield.
Jared Marks and Jack Gillis added two hits and one RBI each for South Plainfield, which scored six runs in the fifth inning to break a scoreless tie and added four runs in the sixth inning. Kyle Bythell chipped in with a two-run single in the victory.
Greg Tufaro, @GregTufaro 9:58 p.m. EDT April 19, 2016
The Tigers (6-4), who have won five of their last six, rallied for 10 runs over the fifth and sixth innings on the way to a mercy-rule victory.
Winning pitcher Jean Sapini struck out 10 and allowed just one hit, a disputed triple in the second inning on which center fielder Jack Gillis laid out and appeared to make a spectacular diving catch. The base umpire, however, ruled the ball off the bat of Kyle Mortensen a hit.
Jared Marks snapped a scoreless deadlock in the home fifth with an RBI single that ignited a six-run rally. Gillis followed with an RBI single.
Sapini capped a four-run rally that invoked the mercy rule in the sixth with a two-run walk-off single. Making his second start on the mound this season, Sapini walked just one batter. Marks went 2-for-3 and Gillis finished 2-for-4. Woodbridge (7-4) had a three-game winning streak snapped.
Greg Tufaro, @GregTufaro 9:43 p.m. EDT April 18, 2016
Following are the Home News Tribune’s Top 10 Greater Middlesex Conference baseball rankings for games played through April 17. 1. Monroe 5-1: The Falcons had their five-game winning streak snapped in an 8-5 loss against Toms River North at Diamond Nation on Sunday night. Monroe previously defeated three consecutive opponents in close games, edging Spotswood 4-3 and Woodbridge 2-1 after defeating the Barrons 5-2 in 10 innings. Monroe’s victories – including a series sweep of Colonia – have come by a total of 11 runs or 2.2 per game. Toms River North, the defending Shore Conference Class A champions, opened the year No. 5 in the Asbury Park Press Top 10, but has since dropped out of the rankings.
2. East Brunswick 7-0-1: The Bears went 3-0 last week with a sweep of St. Joseph and a 6-5 win over Perth Amboy. After defeating the Falcons 3-2 in the opener, East Brunswick beat its Red Division rival 7-2. Three of the Bears’ last four victories have come in their final at-bat.
3. South Brunswick 7-2: The Vikings have their three-game winning streak snapped with a 4-3 loss to Piscataway last Tuesday. The game was the first of six over a span of five days for South Brunswick, which won four in a row before falling 6-1 to Rutgers Prep on Saturday after it had defeated Ewing 7-5 earlier in the day. The Vikings swept a series from Edison – winning 3-2 and 5-0 – and also posted their second mercy-rule defeat of J.P. Stevens with a 17-0 thumping.
4. Old Bridge 6-2: After dropping a 1-0 decision to Sayreville last Tuesday, the Knights rebounded to win three in a row before falling 2-1 on Saturday to Seton Hall Prep, widely regarded as a Top 10 team in the state. Old Bridge’s staff – with Jake Kodros, Luis Cruz, Carlos Lopez and Joe Papeo complementing ace Zach Attianese – has been phenomenal. Excluding last week’s 5-4 win over J.P. Stevens, the Knights have allowed just seven runs in their other seven games. Old Bridge played six games in six days last week, splitting with Sayreville (including a 7-1 win), sweeping J.P. Stevens (winning the opener 11-1) and defeating Perth Amboy (10-2).
5. St. Joseph 4-2: The Falcons sandwiched a 3-1 victory over perennial state power Cranford and a 1-0 win over Paramus Catholic around a pair of losses to East Brunswick. St. Joseph lost 3-2 and 7-2 to the Bears. With the exception of the loss to the Bears, pitching has been outstanding for St. Joseph, with the staff allowing a total of eight runs in its five other games combined.
6. Woodbridge 6-3: The Barrons posted a 3-2 record last week, defeating Perth Amboy 5-3, Plainfield 14-4 and defending Blue Division champion Bishop Ahr 6-2. Woodbridge dropped a season series to Monroe, falling 5-2 in 10 innings and 2-1. The Barrons’ only other loss is to Marlboro, which the Asbury Park Press ranks No. 3 in the Shore Conference.
7. South Plainfield 5-3: After playing without aces Jake Alba (pneumonia) and Jean Sapini (working his way back after surgery to repair a torn meniscus), the Tigers bounced back from getting swept by North Brunswick in a doubleheader by winning four in a row. After sweeping a season series from Colonia by outscoring the Patriots 16-2, South Plainfield used a dramatic three-run rally in the seventh for a 14-13 comeback win over Notre Dame. Billy Keane then earned the win on the mound in a 6-0 blanking of Paramus.
8. Edison (3-5): The Eagles, who will benefit from the return of third baseman John Zanfordino, who missed the start of the season while recovering from an injury, remain a scrappy bunch with four of their losses coming by a total of eight runs. After splitting with J.P. Stevens (rebounding from a 2-1 loss with a 5-4 win), Edison got swept by South Brunswick, falling 5-0 and 2-3. The club’s other losses are to St. Joseph by a combined 9-4 margin.
9. South River 7-2: After helping veteran head coach Mike Lepore Jr. earn his 200th career victory, the Rams endured a 16-4 loss to undefeated Delaware Valley, ranked No. 10 in the Courier News, which covers all of Somerset County as well as parts of Hunterdon, Union and Middlesex counties. The loss snapped a five game-winning streak for the Rams, who had outscored their four previous opponents 47-1, allowing just two hits during that stretch. South River’s wins last week included a season sweep of New Brunswick and a victory over Academy Charter.
10. J.P. Stevens (5-5): A four-game losing streak – during which the Hawks were mercy-ruled by South Brunswick and Old Bridge – nearly knocked them out of the Top 10, but the defending Red Division co-champions will get another week to redeem themselves. J.P. Stevens sandwiched 5-4 losses to Edison and Old Bridge around the aforementioned lopsided defeats. The Hawks opened the year winning five of their first six including a 4-2 victory over Eastern, which one statewide publication ranked No. 10 in New Jersey at the time.
By The Star Ledger on April 18, 2016 7:13 PM Kyle Mortensen hit a walk-off single into left field to score Trevor Cykowski for Woodbridge as it defeated South Plainfield, 4-3, in Woodbridge.
Nick Bradshaw was 1-for-3 with two RBI for Woodbridge, which jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Justin Silva, Zach Joe and Pablo Suriel chipped in one hit each. Harry Rutkowski was 2-for-2.
Jack Gillis was 3-for-4 with one RBI for South Plainfield. Jake Alba pitched a six-hitter, allowing three runs and four walks with six strikeouts.
Woodbridge 4, South Plainfield 3 Greg Tufaro, @GregTufaro 8:49 p.m. EDT April 18, 2016
Some defensive heroics in the top of the seventh positioned the Barrons for a walk-off win in the bottom of the inning.
Kyle Mortensen’s two-out single to left scored Trevor Cykowski, who walked and took second on a sacrifice bunt to snap a 3-3 deadlock. The Tigers intentionally walked Harry Rutkowski to pitch to Mortensen.
Junior third baseman Justin Silva made a diving stop to save a run in the top of the seventh after which Rutkowski fanned the next batter with runners on second and third to keep the score 3-3.
Rutkowski (3-1), a Rutgers commit, went the distance. He fanned four, walked one and allowed two earned runs on six hits.
Nick Bradshaw went 1-for-3 with two RBI for the Barrons (7-3), who have won three straight after getting swept by White Division leader Monroe last week. Silva and Pablo Suriel each scored a run for Woodbridge.
South Plainfield scored in the top of the third to cut a 2-0 deficit in half. After Woodbridge rebuilt its lead to 3-1 in the fifth, the Tigers scored twice in the sixth to knot the game. Outfielder Jack Gillis went 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI for South Plainfield, while teammate Nick Polzzano went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Jake Hoffman also scored for the Tigers.
Jake Alba, a Stony Brook signee, pitched six innings for a no-decision. He struck out six, walked four and allowed three earned runs on six hits. Dave Tavarez took the loss in relief.
Lauren Knego, @laurenknego 4:03 p.m. EDT April 17, 2016
Michael Stanczak hit a two-out, two-RBI bases loaded single to right center in the third to give South Plainfield (5-3) a 3-0 lead. Dylan O'Connor, Nick Plate and Jared Marks each had base hits. Billy Keane improved to 2-0 after he allowed three hits and struck out four in five innings of work
Jack Gillis went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI to help lift South Plainfield to a 14-13 victory over Notre Dame in South Plainfield.
Notre Dame outscored South Plainfield 8-0 in the first inning. After scoring a run in the bottom of the second inning, South Plainfield outscored Notre Dame 5-2 in the fourth inning, and 5-1 in the sixth to tie the game, 11-11. Notre Dame added two more runs in the top of the seventh inning before South Plainfield scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to edge its opponents.
Dave Tavarez allowed three hits over three innings with one walk and three strikeouts, also going 2-for-2 with a run, while Nick Plate allowed four hits over 3 1/3 innings with one walk and three strikeouts. Billy Keane went 2-for-3 with a run and three RBI, while Dave Tavarez went 2-for-2 with a run. Jake Hoffman went 1-for-4 with an RBI, while Nick Polizzano had two RBI for South Plainfield.
Chris Michael drove in Mike Wilson, who tripled in his at bat, but Colonia fell short to South Plainfield, 7-1, in Colonia.
Kyle Rajcevic started and gave up six earned runs on nine hits and four walked over six innings for Colonia. Rajcevic struck out four. South Plainfield improves to 3-3 this season.
Greg Tufaro, @GregTufaro 9:35 p.m. EDT April 12, 2016 With one of its aces sidelined and the other making his first start of this season on Monday, the Tigers flexed their pitching depth to complete a series sweep of the Patriots.
Winning pitcher Ryan Stankan hurled five scoreless innings. He struck out five and benefited from a five-run rally in the top of the fourth. Outfielder Jack Gillis (2-for-4) highlighted the outburst with an RBI single.
Jake Hoffman went 3-for-3 with three RBI for the Tigers (3-3), while sophomore Michael Stanczak went 2-for-4 with a stolen base.
Chris Michael had the lone RBI for Colonia (1-4), which was outhit 10-2. Stony Brook signee Mike Wilson, a senior shortstop, and losing pitcher Kyle Rajcevic had the Patriots’ only hits. Rajcevic allowed seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and four walks over six innings. He struck out four before yielding to reliever A.J. Scherb, who pitched a scoreless seventh.
South Plainfield senior right-hander Jake Alba, a Stony Brook signee, has not pitched since opening day after coming down with pneumonia. He is expected to receive some work on the mound in the next few days.
The Tigers’ other ace, Jean Sapini, made his debut on Monday against Colonia, pitching South Plainfield to a 9-1 win. Sapini was eased back into the rotation after undergoing surgery on his meniscus in late February.
Jean Sapini pitched six innings, allowing two hits, one run and no walks with seven strikeouts for South Plainfield as it defeated Colonia, 9-1, in South Plainfield.
Kyle Bythell went 2-for-3 for South Plainfield, which scored six of its nine runs in the fifth inning after being tied, 1-1. Billy Keane was 1-for-4 with three RBI.
Greg Tufaro, @GregTufaro 11:15 p.m. EDT April 11, 2016 Jean Sapini, making his first appearance on the mound, allowed just two hits and struck out seven over six innings. He did not walk a batter and the run he allowed was unearned.
The Tigers (2-3) parlayed six hits and seven errors into a victory that snapped a two-game skid. Billy Keane’s three-run double highlighted a six-run outburst in the fifth inning that put the game out of reach. No. 9 batter Kyle Bythell, who finished 2-for-3 with a run scored, ignited that rally with a leadoff double.
Rocco Ferrentino and Kyle Rajcevic each had a hit for Colonia (1-3). Losing pitcher Mike Parry walked four, allowed four hits, fanned two and allowed two earned runs over four and a third innings.
By The Star Ledger on April 06, 2016 10:12 PM Roger Gomez went 2-for-3, highlighted by a three-run home run in the third inning, with five RBI to lead North Brunswick to a 9-1 victory over South Plainfield in North Brunswick. Felix Diaz had a two-run single and Jesse Scher and Justin Garcia each had two hits with an RBI apiece for North Brunswick. Eric Vasquez pitched a six-hitter, allowing an earned run, one walk, and three strikeouts to get the win for North Brunswick.
North Brunswick 6, South Plainfield 3 (GAME 2): The Raiders sealed a double-header sweep of the Tigers with a two-run rally in the seventh. Roger Gomez highlighted the outburst with an RBI single that scored Tyler Petrillo.
Christian “Chich” Petrillo reached base twice for North Brunswick including a fifth-inning single.
Winning pitcher Eric Reardon allowed three runs on seven hits over six innings. He fanned four and walked four.
South Plainfield took a 1-0 lead in the first when Jack Gillis scored on Mike Stanczak’s single. Jan Sapini scored in the second inning to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead.
North Brunswick took a 3-2 lead in the fifth on Reardon’s clutch two-out RBI double. The Raiders built their lead to 4-2 in the top of the sixth before South Plainfield responded with Sapini’s RBi single, which closed the deficit to 4-3.
Dylan Martin pitched a perfect seventh innings in relief of Reardon for the save.