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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Jean Sapini pitched a two-hitter with eight strikeouts and two walks as South Plainfield defeated Colonia, 4-0, in South Plainfield.
Sapini also went 1-for-3 with one RBI while Mike Marrero went 1-for-2 with one RBI for South Plainfield, which had a total of nine hits and scored all four runs in the first inning. Dylan O'Connor went 1-for-2 with one double and one run while Niko Vasquez scored one run.
Nick Nielson pitched six innings, allowing seven hits, with one strikeout and one walk for Colonia.
Greg Tufaro , @GregTufaro Published 7:10 p.m. ET April 10, 2017 South Plainfield 4, Colonia 0
Winning pitcher Jean Sapini fanned eight and allowed three hits in a complete-game shutout.
The Tigers scored all their runs in the home first. Sapini and Mike Marrero each had an RBI single. After two runners were forced out at home, South Plainfield scored on a throwing error. The Tigers’ second run crossed on a wild pitch.
Mike Stanczak singled and doubled for South Plainfield (3-0), while teammate Billy Keane went 2-for-3.
Hard-luck loser Nick Nielson went the distance. He allowed seven hits, fanned one and walk none.
The Patriots left seven on base and did not advance a runner past second. Nick Michael, Frank Lehmann and Anthony Palmisano had Colonia’s hits.
Jean Sapini singled and pinch runner TJ Massaro scored on David Tavarez’s pinch-hit single to left with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning to help lift South Plainfield to a 2-1 victory over Spotswood at Jost Field in South Plainfield.
Rob Gonzalez earned the win pitching two innings of relief for the Tigers, giving up only one hit while striking out three.
Six players in total picked up singles for South Plainfield.
For Spotswood, Vincent Guardiola went 2-for-3 and Mat Ciacco recorded the lone RBI.
Greg Tufaro , @GregTufaro Published 2:29 p.m. ET April 8, 2017 South Plainfield 2, Spotswood 1
Pinch runner TJ Massaro scored on David Tavarez’s pinch-hit single to left with two away in the home sixth to snap a 1-1 deadlock as the Tigers (2-0) won a crossover game with the Chargers (2-1).
Running for Jean Sapini, who singled to lead off the sixth, Massaro advanced to second on a sacrifice and took third on a fielder’s choice groundout.
Rob Gonzalez, a transfer from Dickinson, earned the win with two scoreless innings of relief. He fanned three and allowed one hit. Spotswood stranded the tying run at first base in the top of the seventh.
Spotswood starting pitcher Matt Vento scattered five hits over five innings for a no-decision. Matt Ciaccio, a 6-foot-7 lefthander, took the loss.
South Plainfield starter Chris Shine, a sophomore, lasted five innings. He scattered four hits, walked four and fanned four.
Nick Vincelli led off the second inning with a triple and scored Spotswood’s lone run on Ciaccio’s sacrifice fly. Mike Stanczak scored South Plainfield's first run on a wild pitch in the opening frame.
Spotswood was outhit 6-4. Vincent Guardiola went 2-for-3 for the Chargers. Six Tigers had one hit apiece.
“I feel good about it,” South Plainfield head coach Anthony Guida said about his team’s 2-0 start which includes an 8-1 victory over Sayreville.
“We’ve had two well-pitched games. They are playing great defense and we’ve been able to put the ball in play. I feel really good with 1 through 9. I’ve been really impressed with our pitching and defense.”
Jean Sapini pitched five innings, allowing two hits, with 10 strikeouts and three walks as South Plainfield defeated Sayreville, 8-1, in Parlin.
Sapini also went 1-for-4 with one run while Chris Shine went 1-for-3 with one double, three RBI and one run for South Plainfield, which had a total of eight hits and scored five runs in the sixth inning. Jared Marks went 2-for-3 with two doubles, one RBI and one run while Billy Keane went 1-for-4 with one double and one RBI.
Ryan Casano went 2-for-3 with one run while Jayson DeMild went 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI for Sayreville.
Greg Tufaro , @GregTufaro Published 7:07 p.m. ET April 3, 2017 South Plainfield 8, Sayreville 1: Chris Shine’s three-run double highlighted a five-run rally in the sixth inning when the Tigers built a 7-0 lead to put the contest out of reach.
Billy Keane followed Shine’s hit with an RBI double of his own. Sayreville’s Jayson DeMild answered with an RBI double in the top of the seventh to produce the final margin.
Leadoff batter Roberto Gonzalez, a transfer from Dickinson, went 2-for-5 with a two-out RBI single in the early going for the Tigers. Newcomer Connor Adams, who went 2-for-4, was the only other Tiger with a multiple-hit game.
South Plainfield built a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning, scoring one run on an error out of a first-and-third situation and plating another on Mike Stanczak’s sacrifice fly.
Winning pitcher Jean Sapini fanned 10 over five innings and allowed just one hit. Gonzalez and Dylan O’Connor each hurled an inning of relief.
South Plainfield (1) at Cranford (8), NJSIAA Tournament, Quarterfinal Round, North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3
By The Star Ledger on May 26, 2016 9:37 PM
Garrett Forrestal went 2-for-3 with a triple, four RBI and two runs as fourth-seeded Cranford defeated 12th-seeded South Plainfield, 8-1, in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 quarterfinals in Cranford.
Brian Oblachinski was 3-for-4 with two RBI for Cranford, which scored five runs in the bottom of third inning and will host eighth-seeded Nutley in the semifinals on Tuesday. Joseph Norton went 2-for-3 with two runs, Michael Smith went 2-for-4 with a RBI, Ryan Bakie went 2-for-4 and Matthew Perino scored two runs. Gordon Graceffo pitched a three-hitter, striking out three and walking two.
South Plainfield's Nick Polizzano went 2-for-3 and Jack Gillis added a run and a RBI.
Greg Tufaro, @GregTufaro 9:53 p.m. EDT May 26, 2016 Nick Polizzano went 2-for-3 and Jack Gillis scored the Tigers’ lone run as South Plainfield was eliminated from the North 2 Group III playoffs.
The Tigers were outhit 12-3. Jake Alba and Jean Sapini combined to allow eight runs on 12 hits and seven walks.
South Plainfield (3) at Summit (2), NJSIAA Tournament, First Round, North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3
By The Star Ledger on May 24, 2016 8:11 PM
Twelfth-seeded South Plainfield used two runs in the top of the fifth inning to take the lead for good and defeat fifth-seeded Summit, 3-2, in the first round of the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 tournament in Summit.
Jake Hoffman and Jack Gillis each scored in the inning for South Plainfield, which will play at fourth-seeded Cranford in Thursday's quarterfinals.
Robby Faris and Grant Douglas both went 2-for-4 with a run scored for Summit.
NJSIAA TOURNAMENT North 2 Group 3 first round South Plainfield 3, Summit 2 Daniel LoGiudice, @danny_logiudice 9:11 p.m. EDT May 24, 2016 Dylan O'Connor laid down a suicide squeeze bunt in the fifth inning to give 12th-seeded South Plainfield (11-16) the lead over No. 5 Summit. Jared Marks tied the game 2-2 also on a suicide squeeze. Jack Gillis scored twice and Nick Polizzano had an RBI-single. Jean Sapini pitched two innings of relief for the win. South Plainfield, which had eight stolen bases, will face No. 4 Cranford in the quarterfinals.
No. 12 South Plainfield vs. No. 5 Summit Greg Tufaro, @GregTufaro 10:21 p.m. EDT May 23, 2016 The game was suspended due to rain. It will resume on Tuesday with Summit leading 2-1 and South Plainfield batting with a runner on second and none away and a 1-2 count on the hitter.
During South Planfield's 4-2 win against Cranford in the N2G3 Varsity Baseball Finals at Memorial Field in Cranford, NJ 5/29/15 (Alex Remnick | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
By Richard Greco NJ Advance Media for NJ.com on May 22, 2016 2:20 PM
FAVORITE: Top-seeded Mendham is battle tested heading into states. It has faced Morristown, Delbarton, Hunterdon Central, Montgomery, Roxbury and Seton Hall Prep during the regular season. Jack Donlon and Thomas Koide will handle a bulk of the pitching for the Minutemen, while Jack Chernow and Tyler Hoops lead the offense. Mendham is outscoring opponents 100-49 this season.
South Plainfield SS Nick Polizzano (25) tags out Pat Knight (8) of Cranford during South Planfield's 4-2 win against Cranford in the N2G3 Varsity Baseball Finals at Memorial Field in Cranford, NJ 5/29/15 (Alex Remnick | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
CONTENDERS: Second-seeded Somerville has some tough losses and some good wins much like most of the teams in Skyland Conference this year. Andrew Prescott has pitched well for the Pioneers and Chris DiCostanzo, JoJo Mosca and Preston Scott key the offense.
Third-seeded Gov. Livingston get hot in the Union County Tournament and is hoping to ride that momentum into states. The Highlanders are averaging five runs per game and have proven they can win clutch games. Josh Katz came up with the game-winning hit in extra innings during GL’s Union County Tournament semifinal win over Westfield and Vin Doren pitched a gem in the final.
After advancing to the sectional final last year, fourth-seeded Cranford is looking to get back there this season. The Cougars have wins over Scotch Plains-Fanwood, Westfield, Randolph, Bridgewater-Raritan, Gov. Livingston and St. Mary (Ruth.). Cranford has the pitching to go on run with Chris Librera and Gordon Graceffo leading the group. Sixth-seed Warren Hills will be able to make some noise when Anthony Veneziano takes the hill. The big question will be whether or not Warren Hills uses Venziano against Matawan in the first round of save him for a potential meeting with Gov. Livingston in the second round.
Jake Alba (1) pitches for South Plainfield during South Planfield's 4-2 win against Cranford in the N2G3 Varsity Baseball Finals at Memorial Field in Cranford, NJ 5/29/15 (Alex Remnick | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
DARK HORSE: 12th-seeded South Plainfield, the defending champs, have had a rough season, but are hoping to make some noise in the state tournament. Jake Alba was the winning pitcher in last year’s extra inning triumph over Cranford in the sectional final and will be key in any run for the Tigers. Jack Gillis and Nick Polizzano also were key players in last year’s Group 3 championship team.
South Plainfield SS Nick Polizzano (25) flings the ball to first during South Planfield's 4-2 win against Cranford in the N2G3 Varsity Baseball Finals at Memorial Field in Cranford, NJ 5/29/15 (Alex Remnick | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
South Plainfield C Chris Graves (27) tags out Joe Norton (32) of Cranford during South Planfield's 4-2 win against Cranford in the N2G3 Varsity Baseball Finals at Memorial Field in Cranford, NJ 5/29/15 (Alex Remnick | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
THE PICK: Gov. Livingston over Mendham The Highlanders have proven they can win the big games. Although the road to the sectional final will not be easy, Gov. Livingston has two solid starters in Nick Cocchia and Vin Doren that can bring it to the final. If this sectional final pits these two together a duel between Cocchia and Donlon would be a lot of fun.
During South Planfield's 4-2 win against Cranford in the N2G3 Varsity Baseball Finals at Memorial Field in Cranford, NJ 5/29/15 (Alex Remnick | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
