Rain Thursday night and Friday morning has caused wet fields and postponed Saturday's scheduled slates in the Somerset and Union county tournaments.
All games have been rescheduled for Monday afternoon at the higher-seeded teams.
SOMERSET COUNTY TOURNAMENT SECOND ROUND
12-Pingry at 5-Mount St. Mary, winner at 4-Hillsborough
11-Bound Brook at 6-Watchung Hills, winner at 3-Bridgewater-Raritan
10-Rutgers Prep at 7-Somerville, winner at 2-Immaculata
9-Ridge at 8-Bernards, winner at 1-Montgomery
Quarterfinals scheduled for Saturday, May 5
UNION COUNTY TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND
17-Oak Knoll at 1-Governor Livingston
9-Union Catholic at 8-Cranford
12-Roselle Catholic at New Providence
13-Brearley at 4-Elizabeth
18-Plainfield at 2-Westfield
10-Roselle Park at 7-Union
11-A.L. Johnson at 6-Linden
19-Rahway at 3-Scotch Plains-Fanwood
Quarterfinals are scheduled for Saturday, May 5
HUNTERDON/WARREN TOURNAMENT PRELIMINARY ROUND RESULTS:
The Hunterdon/Warren Tournament preliminary games were played Saturday with one upset as 10th-seeded Phillipsburg toppled seventh-seeded Voorhees 3-1 and will face second-seeded Hunterdon Central in the quarterfinals next Saturday.
As expected, eighth-seeded North Warren handled South Hunterdon 14-6 and will face top-seeded North Hunterdon in next Saturday’s quarterfinals
The other quarterfinal games feature No. 5 Hackettstown at No. 4 Warren Hills, and No. 6 Belvidere at No. 3 Delaware Valley.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Hunterdon/Warren Tourney set
The Hunterdon/Warren Tournament seeds were released Wednesday, and, as expected, defending champion North Hunterdon received the top spot.
The Lions ended Hunterdon Central's run of seven straight bi-county titles last season, and coach Jeff Steele and crew are looking to make it two straight.
Here are the seeds:
1-North Hunterdon
2-Hunterdon Central
3-Delaware Valley
4-Warren Hills
5-Hackettstown
6-Belvidere
7-Voorhees
8-North Warren
9-South Hunterdon
10-Phillipsburg
The first round (play-in games) are slated for Saturday, with the quarterfinals on tap for May 5 and the semifinals scheduled for May 12, all at the higher seed.
The final, which is slated for 11 a.m. May 19, will be held at Healthquest Field in Felmington, the first time in over a decade the championship game was set for somewhere other than Pickel Park in Readington.
Here are the matchups
10-Phillipsburg at 7-Voorhees, winner at 1-North Hunterdon; 9-South Hunterdon at 8-North Warren, winner at 2-Hunterdon Central; 6-Belvidere at 3-Delaware Valley; 5-Hackettstown at 4-Warren Hills.
***
While North Hunterdon is the overwhelming favorite, there are a few interesting matchups on tap.
Here are my predictions for the tournament:
FIRST-ROUND PLAY-IN GAMES
Saturday, April 28
10-Phillipsburg at 7-Voorhees
The Vikings showed they are no pushovers with a 3-2 victory over Watchung Hills on April 19. Voorhees also beat Phillipsburg 3-2 earlier this year. That final score is a little curious in that it was only by a single run, but expect the Vikings to win this one convincingly.
Prediction: Voorhees 5-1
9-South Hunterdon at 8-North Warren
The Eagles were trounced 10-3 by North Warren earlier this season, and I don't expect much to change Saturday.
Prediction: North Warren 6-0
QUARTERFINALS
Saturday, May 5
8-North Warren at 1-North Hunterdon
I hope the Patriots make the most of their first-round game, because this one is as much of a lock as there can be in high school softball.
Prediction: North Hunterdon 14-0
7-Voorhees at 2-Hunterdon Central
If the Red Devils hadn't blasted Voorhees 11-0 last week, I might have given the Vikings a legit chance here. Even so, a Voorhees victory, though shocking, isn't out of the realm of possibility even if it is a longshot.
Prediction: Hunterdon Central 6-3
6-Belvidere at 3-Delaware Valley
The County Seaters went to the Group I final last season, and after a slow start to 2007, Belvidere looks like its taken control of the Delaware Conference Valley Division. Still, Delaware Valley looks like the real deal with right-hander Michelle Jensen in the zone. Fresh off their victory over Hillsborough on Wednesday, expect the Terriers to cruise here.
Prediction: Delaware Valley 6-2
5-Hackettstown at 4-Warren Hills
Hackettstown is right in the thick of things in the Raritan Division, and if I had been writing this three days ago I might have picked the Tigers here. But Warren Hills showed Tuesday that it is a team to be reckoned with when it beat Hunterdon Central, and I gotta believe the Blue Streaks will handle their Warren County neighbors here.
Prediction: Warren Hills 4-3
SEMIFINALS
Saturday, May 12
4-Warren Hills at 1-North Hunterdon
Like North Warren before them, I hope Warren Hills enjoyed its time in the tournament. Say goodnight, Gracie.
Prediction: North Hunterdon 7-1
3-Delaware Valley at 2-Hunterdon Central
This should be the best game of the tournament. Hunterdon Central has struggled, and, through Tuesday, is 6-6. The Terriers lost an early-season game to Hackettstown and another to Mount St. Mary, but have seemed to thrive since, playing Bridgewater-Raritan tough in a 2-1 loss last week before toppling Hillsborough on Wednesday. I'm going to have to go with the hot hand here.
Prediction: Delaware Valley 3-1
FINAL
Saturday, May 19 at HealthQuest Field, 11 a.m.
3-Delaware Valley vs. 1-North Hunterdon
The Terriers should give the Lions a game, but how do you compete with the likes of Sam Pellechio, Becca Schaefer and the Leah Freedman/Jenna Gonzalez duo in the circle?
Prediction: North Hunterdon 6-2
The Lions ended Hunterdon Central's run of seven straight bi-county titles last season, and coach Jeff Steele and crew are looking to make it two straight.
Here are the seeds:
1-North Hunterdon
2-Hunterdon Central
3-Delaware Valley
4-Warren Hills
5-Hackettstown
6-Belvidere
7-Voorhees
8-North Warren
9-South Hunterdon
10-Phillipsburg
The first round (play-in games) are slated for Saturday, with the quarterfinals on tap for May 5 and the semifinals scheduled for May 12, all at the higher seed.
The final, which is slated for 11 a.m. May 19, will be held at Healthquest Field in Felmington, the first time in over a decade the championship game was set for somewhere other than Pickel Park in Readington.
Here are the matchups
10-Phillipsburg at 7-Voorhees, winner at 1-North Hunterdon; 9-South Hunterdon at 8-North Warren, winner at 2-Hunterdon Central; 6-Belvidere at 3-Delaware Valley; 5-Hackettstown at 4-Warren Hills.
***
While North Hunterdon is the overwhelming favorite, there are a few interesting matchups on tap.
Here are my predictions for the tournament:
FIRST-ROUND PLAY-IN GAMES
Saturday, April 28
10-Phillipsburg at 7-Voorhees
The Vikings showed they are no pushovers with a 3-2 victory over Watchung Hills on April 19. Voorhees also beat Phillipsburg 3-2 earlier this year. That final score is a little curious in that it was only by a single run, but expect the Vikings to win this one convincingly.
Prediction: Voorhees 5-1
9-South Hunterdon at 8-North Warren
The Eagles were trounced 10-3 by North Warren earlier this season, and I don't expect much to change Saturday.
Prediction: North Warren 6-0
QUARTERFINALS
Saturday, May 5
8-North Warren at 1-North Hunterdon
I hope the Patriots make the most of their first-round game, because this one is as much of a lock as there can be in high school softball.
Prediction: North Hunterdon 14-0
7-Voorhees at 2-Hunterdon Central
If the Red Devils hadn't blasted Voorhees 11-0 last week, I might have given the Vikings a legit chance here. Even so, a Voorhees victory, though shocking, isn't out of the realm of possibility even if it is a longshot.
Prediction: Hunterdon Central 6-3
6-Belvidere at 3-Delaware Valley
The County Seaters went to the Group I final last season, and after a slow start to 2007, Belvidere looks like its taken control of the Delaware Conference Valley Division. Still, Delaware Valley looks like the real deal with right-hander Michelle Jensen in the zone. Fresh off their victory over Hillsborough on Wednesday, expect the Terriers to cruise here.
Prediction: Delaware Valley 6-2
5-Hackettstown at 4-Warren Hills
Hackettstown is right in the thick of things in the Raritan Division, and if I had been writing this three days ago I might have picked the Tigers here. But Warren Hills showed Tuesday that it is a team to be reckoned with when it beat Hunterdon Central, and I gotta believe the Blue Streaks will handle their Warren County neighbors here.
Prediction: Warren Hills 4-3
SEMIFINALS
Saturday, May 12
4-Warren Hills at 1-North Hunterdon
Like North Warren before them, I hope Warren Hills enjoyed its time in the tournament. Say goodnight, Gracie.
Prediction: North Hunterdon 7-1
3-Delaware Valley at 2-Hunterdon Central
This should be the best game of the tournament. Hunterdon Central has struggled, and, through Tuesday, is 6-6. The Terriers lost an early-season game to Hackettstown and another to Mount St. Mary, but have seemed to thrive since, playing Bridgewater-Raritan tough in a 2-1 loss last week before toppling Hillsborough on Wednesday. I'm going to have to go with the hot hand here.
Prediction: Delaware Valley 3-1
FINAL
Saturday, May 19 at HealthQuest Field, 11 a.m.
3-Delaware Valley vs. 1-North Hunterdon
The Terriers should give the Lions a game, but how do you compete with the likes of Sam Pellechio, Becca Schaefer and the Leah Freedman/Jenna Gonzalez duo in the circle?
Prediction: North Hunterdon 6-2
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Devil of a Top 10
I am officially concerned about Hunterdon Central.
There has been one constant since I began covering softball in 1999 -- Hunterdon Central has always been among the class in the area.
The Red Devils won a state Group IV title that season and every year since was right up there, winning in the neighborhood of 20 games.
Wednesday, for the first time in over a decade, Hunterdon Central will not appear in the Courier News Softball Top 10.
The Red Devils are 6-6. And thought the first five of those losses were to powerhouses like Sparta, Notre Dame, Immaculata, Montgomery and J.F.K, Central fell 8-4 to Warren Hills on Tuesday, and coach Pete Fick cannot even remember the last time that happened.
What is going on?
Jenna Carmon and Jamie Ericson may not be superstars, but they're solid pitchers. And thought the Red Devils did graduate several key hitters, Hunterdon Central has reloaded year after year in the past. Why is this year different?
It just doesn't feel right not having the Red Devils in the Top 10.
Speaking of teams dropping out of the Top 10, South Plainfield has lost three straight and four of its last six, causing the Tigers to fall out of the Top 10 as well, something I'm not used to doing to Don Panzarella's team.
In South Plainfield's defense, however, the GMC White is stacked this year with Monroe, JFK, Sayreville, etc. Some might even say the division is tougher than the Red Division, which is made up of Group IV schools.
The Tigers' problems right now stem from shoddy defense, as they committed three errors in a loss to Monroe on Saturday, and three more Tuesday in falling to JFK after right-hander Jen Little pitched five innings of shutout softball.
I think it's just a matter of time before South Plainfield gets it together and resumes its winning ways, but I honestly cannot say the same about Hunterdon Central.
I, for one, though I am supposed to be a neutral and objective journalist, am rooting for Central. It might be weird not to have the Red Devils in the Top 10, but right now they're in danger of not even qualifying for the state tournament, and that would just be insanity.
COURIER NEWS SOFTBALL TOP 10 as of Wednesday 4/25)
(last week's rank in parenthesis)
1. Governor Livingston, 7-0 (2)
2. Montgomery, 11-1 (4)
3. Bridgewater-Raritan, 9-2 (7)
4. North Hunterdon, 10-1 (1)
5. Immaculata, 4-1 (3)
6. Mount St. Mary, 8-0 (9)
7. Westfield, 8-1 (10)
8. Watchung Hills, 2-4 (NR)
9. Hillsborough, 5-4 (8)
10. New Providence, 7-0 (NR)
Dropped out: Hunterdon Central (5), South Plainfield (6)
Don't forget to check out the latest notebook in Wednesday's Courier News. It can also be accessed online at www.c-n.com.
Also, the Week 3 podcast is up. Check that out at http://www.c-n.com/specialsections/multimedia/index.htm
There has been one constant since I began covering softball in 1999 -- Hunterdon Central has always been among the class in the area.
The Red Devils won a state Group IV title that season and every year since was right up there, winning in the neighborhood of 20 games.
Wednesday, for the first time in over a decade, Hunterdon Central will not appear in the Courier News Softball Top 10.
The Red Devils are 6-6. And thought the first five of those losses were to powerhouses like Sparta, Notre Dame, Immaculata, Montgomery and J.F.K, Central fell 8-4 to Warren Hills on Tuesday, and coach Pete Fick cannot even remember the last time that happened.
What is going on?
Jenna Carmon and Jamie Ericson may not be superstars, but they're solid pitchers. And thought the Red Devils did graduate several key hitters, Hunterdon Central has reloaded year after year in the past. Why is this year different?
It just doesn't feel right not having the Red Devils in the Top 10.
Speaking of teams dropping out of the Top 10, South Plainfield has lost three straight and four of its last six, causing the Tigers to fall out of the Top 10 as well, something I'm not used to doing to Don Panzarella's team.
In South Plainfield's defense, however, the GMC White is stacked this year with Monroe, JFK, Sayreville, etc. Some might even say the division is tougher than the Red Division, which is made up of Group IV schools.
The Tigers' problems right now stem from shoddy defense, as they committed three errors in a loss to Monroe on Saturday, and three more Tuesday in falling to JFK after right-hander Jen Little pitched five innings of shutout softball.
I think it's just a matter of time before South Plainfield gets it together and resumes its winning ways, but I honestly cannot say the same about Hunterdon Central.
I, for one, though I am supposed to be a neutral and objective journalist, am rooting for Central. It might be weird not to have the Red Devils in the Top 10, but right now they're in danger of not even qualifying for the state tournament, and that would just be insanity.
COURIER NEWS SOFTBALL TOP 10 as of Wednesday 4/25)
(last week's rank in parenthesis)
1. Governor Livingston, 7-0 (2)
2. Montgomery, 11-1 (4)
3. Bridgewater-Raritan, 9-2 (7)
4. North Hunterdon, 10-1 (1)
5. Immaculata, 4-1 (3)
6. Mount St. Mary, 8-0 (9)
7. Westfield, 8-1 (10)
8. Watchung Hills, 2-4 (NR)
9. Hillsborough, 5-4 (8)
10. New Providence, 7-0 (NR)
Dropped out: Hunterdon Central (5), South Plainfield (6)
Don't forget to check out the latest notebook in Wednesday's Courier News. It can also be accessed online at www.c-n.com.
Also, the Week 3 podcast is up. Check that out at http://www.c-n.com/specialsections/multimedia/index.htm
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Monday, April 23, 2007
UCT seeds and other goodies
The Union County Tournament seeds were released tonight and, as expected, Governor Livingston is #1.
The undefeated Highlanders have been to the final the last two seasons, falling 1-0 each time. Defending champ Cranford, which GL has already beaten this year, is seeded eighth. Westfield, which is also enjoying a nice season at 7-1, is the No. 2 seed, with Scotch Plains-Fanwood (6-2) is third.
The fourth seed is Elizabeth. And that's a bit of a head-scratcher.
The Minutemen are 5-1, losing to Westfield on Tuesday -- by 11 runs. But who has Elizabeth beaten?
East Side? Irvington? Shabazz? Not exactly bastions of competitiveness on the softball landscape.
New Providence (6-0) got the fourth seed; Union Catholic (5-4) is ninth; Plainfield (2-5) is 18th.
Here are the seeds, followed by the matchups:
1 Governor Livingston
2. Westfield
3. Scotch Plains-Fanwood
4. Elizabeth
5. New Providence
6. Linden
7. Union
8. Cranford.
9. Union Catholic
10. Roselle Park
11. A.L. Johnson
12. Roselle Catholic
13. Brearley
14. Mother Seton
15. Dayton
16. Kent Place
17. Oak Knoll
18. Plainfield
19. Rahway
Preliminary round games must be completed by Wednesday, with the first full round of action scheduled for Saturday at 11 a.m. at the higher seeded school.
Preliminary and first-round matchups are:
17-Oak Knoll at 16-Kent Place, winner at 1-Governor Livingston
18-Plainfield at 15-Dayton, winner at 2-Westfield
19-Rahway at 14-Mother Seton, winner at 3-Scotch Plains-Fanwood
13-Brearley at 4-Elizabeth
12-Roselle Catholic at 5-New Providence
11-A.L. Johnson at 6-Linden
10-Roselle Park at 7-Union
9-Union Catholic at 8-Cranford
Quarterfinals are scheduled for May 5 at the higher seeded team, with the semifinals at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Friday, May 11 and the final at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 12. The final two rounds will be held at Memorial Field in Linden.
With right-hander Capri Catalano and an improved offense, Governor Livingston is the overwhelming favorites. A Westfield vs. Scotch Plains-Fanwood semifinal is a near-guarantee, especially with the only other formidable team, Cranford, on the other side of the bracket.
New Providence should beat Elizabeth in the quarterfinals, but look for the Pioneers to go down convincingly to GL in the semis.
***
Couple of other notes:
* The Hunterdon-Warren Tournament seeds should be announced Thursday, with the first full round of action taking place Saturday. Look for a preview of that tournament here, later in the week.
Expect defending champ North Hunterdon to get the top seed, but it will be interesting to see where Hunterdon Central is seeded. The Red Devils, which failed to win its annual tournament Saturday for just the second time in its existence, fell again Monday, 4-3 to Montgomery. The Red Devils are now 6-5.
I would expect Delaware Valley (8-2) to get the No. 2 seed
** I will take a look at Bridgewater-Raritan's run at a Delaware East title in Wednesday's notebook, available in the online and print editions of the Courier News.
The Panthers are on a roll, having followed up its win earlier this season over Hillsborough by beating North Hunterdon on Friday. B-R then swept Hackettstown and Union on Saturday to win the Union Tournament.
Right-hander Lauren Fitzsimmons is on fire for the Panthers, as she's followed up her perfect game against Ridge on Thursday.
The junior is definitely in the running for Player of the Year, while the job Sandy Baranowski is doing with that squad definitely has her as a front-runner for top coaching honors.
If you are craving some great softball action Tuesday, check out Bridgewater-Raritan vs. Montgomery at 3:45 p.m. at North Bridge Street Park in a prime Skyland Conference matchup. This is the next major test for Bridgewater-Raritan, which will face Immaculata on Saturday.
***Also in the notebook Wednesday, find out which player is in this week's softball varsity spotlight, as well as see how the new Top 10 will look once the dust settles on what has been a wacky week on the local softball scene with multiple losses by two of our top three squads (North Hunterdon and South Plainfield).
**** The third installment of the weekly baseball/softball podcast, "Bats and Balls," is scheduled to be recorded Tuesday afternoon. Note I wrote "scheduled to be recorded." Last week's podcast was delayed a couple of days because of Courier News staffing shortages caused by our coverage of the flooding. Hopefully Harry Frezza, Jerry Carino and I will be get it done Tuesday and have it up on the Courier News Web site by Wednesday morning.
For those of you who have listened to our previous transmissions, you know we've gotten into the curious habit of singing a few bars of a song with prominent lyrics to start each podcast (John Foggerty's "Centerfield" Week 1, and Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Who'll Stop the Rain" last week. I am soliciting requests and suggestions for songs with which we should open this, as well as future podcasts.
Chime in with yours by leaving a comment here.
This, as well as the previous two podcasts, can be accessed at http://www.c-n.com/specialsections/multimedia/index.htm
The undefeated Highlanders have been to the final the last two seasons, falling 1-0 each time. Defending champ Cranford, which GL has already beaten this year, is seeded eighth. Westfield, which is also enjoying a nice season at 7-1, is the No. 2 seed, with Scotch Plains-Fanwood (6-2) is third.
The fourth seed is Elizabeth. And that's a bit of a head-scratcher.
The Minutemen are 5-1, losing to Westfield on Tuesday -- by 11 runs. But who has Elizabeth beaten?
East Side? Irvington? Shabazz? Not exactly bastions of competitiveness on the softball landscape.
New Providence (6-0) got the fourth seed; Union Catholic (5-4) is ninth; Plainfield (2-5) is 18th.
Here are the seeds, followed by the matchups:
1 Governor Livingston
2. Westfield
3. Scotch Plains-Fanwood
4. Elizabeth
5. New Providence
6. Linden
7. Union
8. Cranford.
9. Union Catholic
10. Roselle Park
11. A.L. Johnson
12. Roselle Catholic
13. Brearley
14. Mother Seton
15. Dayton
16. Kent Place
17. Oak Knoll
18. Plainfield
19. Rahway
Preliminary round games must be completed by Wednesday, with the first full round of action scheduled for Saturday at 11 a.m. at the higher seeded school.
Preliminary and first-round matchups are:
17-Oak Knoll at 16-Kent Place, winner at 1-Governor Livingston
18-Plainfield at 15-Dayton, winner at 2-Westfield
19-Rahway at 14-Mother Seton, winner at 3-Scotch Plains-Fanwood
13-Brearley at 4-Elizabeth
12-Roselle Catholic at 5-New Providence
11-A.L. Johnson at 6-Linden
10-Roselle Park at 7-Union
9-Union Catholic at 8-Cranford
Quarterfinals are scheduled for May 5 at the higher seeded team, with the semifinals at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Friday, May 11 and the final at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 12. The final two rounds will be held at Memorial Field in Linden.
With right-hander Capri Catalano and an improved offense, Governor Livingston is the overwhelming favorites. A Westfield vs. Scotch Plains-Fanwood semifinal is a near-guarantee, especially with the only other formidable team, Cranford, on the other side of the bracket.
New Providence should beat Elizabeth in the quarterfinals, but look for the Pioneers to go down convincingly to GL in the semis.
***
Couple of other notes:
* The Hunterdon-Warren Tournament seeds should be announced Thursday, with the first full round of action taking place Saturday. Look for a preview of that tournament here, later in the week.
Expect defending champ North Hunterdon to get the top seed, but it will be interesting to see where Hunterdon Central is seeded. The Red Devils, which failed to win its annual tournament Saturday for just the second time in its existence, fell again Monday, 4-3 to Montgomery. The Red Devils are now 6-5.
I would expect Delaware Valley (8-2) to get the No. 2 seed
** I will take a look at Bridgewater-Raritan's run at a Delaware East title in Wednesday's notebook, available in the online and print editions of the Courier News.
The Panthers are on a roll, having followed up its win earlier this season over Hillsborough by beating North Hunterdon on Friday. B-R then swept Hackettstown and Union on Saturday to win the Union Tournament.
Right-hander Lauren Fitzsimmons is on fire for the Panthers, as she's followed up her perfect game against Ridge on Thursday.
The junior is definitely in the running for Player of the Year, while the job Sandy Baranowski is doing with that squad definitely has her as a front-runner for top coaching honors.
If you are craving some great softball action Tuesday, check out Bridgewater-Raritan vs. Montgomery at 3:45 p.m. at North Bridge Street Park in a prime Skyland Conference matchup. This is the next major test for Bridgewater-Raritan, which will face Immaculata on Saturday.
***Also in the notebook Wednesday, find out which player is in this week's softball varsity spotlight, as well as see how the new Top 10 will look once the dust settles on what has been a wacky week on the local softball scene with multiple losses by two of our top three squads (North Hunterdon and South Plainfield).
**** The third installment of the weekly baseball/softball podcast, "Bats and Balls," is scheduled to be recorded Tuesday afternoon. Note I wrote "scheduled to be recorded." Last week's podcast was delayed a couple of days because of Courier News staffing shortages caused by our coverage of the flooding. Hopefully Harry Frezza, Jerry Carino and I will be get it done Tuesday and have it up on the Courier News Web site by Wednesday morning.
For those of you who have listened to our previous transmissions, you know we've gotten into the curious habit of singing a few bars of a song with prominent lyrics to start each podcast (John Foggerty's "Centerfield" Week 1, and Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Who'll Stop the Rain" last week. I am soliciting requests and suggestions for songs with which we should open this, as well as future podcasts.
Chime in with yours by leaving a comment here.
This, as well as the previous two podcasts, can be accessed at http://www.c-n.com/specialsections/multimedia/index.htm
Friday, April 20, 2007
Looking back at: Thursday, April 19
Couple of quick notes before we get into yesterday's action:
- After a one-day delay, the latest podcast is finally up. Check it out at http://www.c-n.com/specialsections/podcasts/frezza/baseball041907.htm
- I will be heading to South Plainfield on Saturday to watch the Tigers take on Monroe at 11 a.m.
South Plainfield barely got passed Colonia yesterday, after losing to Carteret last Friday. This will be a big test for the Tigers as they battle Monroe for a leg up in GMC White Division.
Here is today's edition of THREE UP, THREE DOWN based on Thursday's results:
THREE UP
BERNARDS: The Mountaineers topped Hackettstown 2-0, as senior second baseman Alex Masterangelo delivered a two-run third-inning triple, and sophomore right-hander Nicole Fresella tossed a three-hit shutout with eight strikeouts. An excellent win for Bernards against one of the Raritan Division's better teams.
LAUREN FITZSIMMONS: The Bridgewater-Raritan junior right-hander pitched a perfect game Thursday against Ridge, striking out 15. Junior first baseman Lindsay Durant helped out her best friend with a fifth-inning sacrifice fly to plate the game's only run. Nice job by Ridge and pitcher Lindsay Gibbons holding the vaunted Panthers offense to just one run.
ERIN BOYLE: The North Hunterdon senior smacked what would have been a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning Thursday to snap a 0-0 tie and lift the Lions past Immaculata. In the midst of the excitement, a couple of runners passed each other on the bases after the ball had cleared the left-field fence, turning the grand slam into a three-run homer. My colleague Jerry Carino was at the game, here's a link to his story http://c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070420/SPORTS03/704200353/1013
THREE DOWN
WATCHUNG HILLS: Sure, the Warriors hadn't played in nine days and this was just their fourth game of the year, but if Watchung Hills wishes to compete in the Delaware East with Montgomery, Immaculata, Hillsborough and Bridgewater-Raritan, it can't be losing to Voorhees. Not that the Vikings are push overs, mind you, but Voorhees was also playing for the first time since April 10 and this was only the Vikings' fourth game, too. A 3-2 Watchung Hills loss is really going to hurt its chances in the conference.
IMMACULATA: The Spartans squandered several scoring opportunities in their 3-0 loss to North Hunterdon. And while Immaculata has already shown its the real deal with wins over Hillsborough and Hunterdon Central, a victory over the defending Group IV champions would have been the ultimate feather in the Spartans' cap.
MY LEFT WRIST: It's been killing me all week and has made it quite difficult to type!
- After a one-day delay, the latest podcast is finally up. Check it out at http://www.c-n.com/specialsections/podcasts/frezza/baseball041907.htm
- I will be heading to South Plainfield on Saturday to watch the Tigers take on Monroe at 11 a.m.
South Plainfield barely got passed Colonia yesterday, after losing to Carteret last Friday. This will be a big test for the Tigers as they battle Monroe for a leg up in GMC White Division.
Here is today's edition of THREE UP, THREE DOWN based on Thursday's results:
THREE UP
BERNARDS: The Mountaineers topped Hackettstown 2-0, as senior second baseman Alex Masterangelo delivered a two-run third-inning triple, and sophomore right-hander Nicole Fresella tossed a three-hit shutout with eight strikeouts. An excellent win for Bernards against one of the Raritan Division's better teams.
LAUREN FITZSIMMONS: The Bridgewater-Raritan junior right-hander pitched a perfect game Thursday against Ridge, striking out 15. Junior first baseman Lindsay Durant helped out her best friend with a fifth-inning sacrifice fly to plate the game's only run. Nice job by Ridge and pitcher Lindsay Gibbons holding the vaunted Panthers offense to just one run.
ERIN BOYLE: The North Hunterdon senior smacked what would have been a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning Thursday to snap a 0-0 tie and lift the Lions past Immaculata. In the midst of the excitement, a couple of runners passed each other on the bases after the ball had cleared the left-field fence, turning the grand slam into a three-run homer. My colleague Jerry Carino was at the game, here's a link to his story http://c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070420/SPORTS03/704200353/1013
THREE DOWN
WATCHUNG HILLS: Sure, the Warriors hadn't played in nine days and this was just their fourth game of the year, but if Watchung Hills wishes to compete in the Delaware East with Montgomery, Immaculata, Hillsborough and Bridgewater-Raritan, it can't be losing to Voorhees. Not that the Vikings are push overs, mind you, but Voorhees was also playing for the first time since April 10 and this was only the Vikings' fourth game, too. A 3-2 Watchung Hills loss is really going to hurt its chances in the conference.
IMMACULATA: The Spartans squandered several scoring opportunities in their 3-0 loss to North Hunterdon. And while Immaculata has already shown its the real deal with wins over Hillsborough and Hunterdon Central, a victory over the defending Group IV champions would have been the ultimate feather in the Spartans' cap.
MY LEFT WRIST: It's been killing me all week and has made it quite difficult to type!
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Somerset County Tournament seeds are in!
It was a busy Wednesday night for yours truly.
After a two-day delay caused by the Nor’easter and the subsequent flooding in the area (or technical staff that does the recording was busy covering the flooding), Harry Frezza, Jerry Carino and I recorded our second podcast of the season. It should be up sometime Thursday afternoon. And now here I am blogging into the wee-hours of the morning.
But first I attended the Somerset County Tournament seeding meeting at Bridgewater-Raritan High School, and while the seeds didn’t play out exactly like I thought they should, I must say, overall, it was a fine job by the county’s coaches in seeding the tournament and I really don’t have a major problem with any of the seeds.
Before I get into analysis, predictions and whatnot, here are the 2007 seeds:
1. Montgomery
2. Immaculata
3. Bridgewater-Raritan
4. Hillsborough
5. Mount St. Mary
6. Watchung Hills
7. Somerville
8. Bernards
9. Ridge
10. Rutgers Prep
11. Bound Brook
12. Pingry
13. Manville
14. Gill St. Bernard’s
15. Franklin
16. North Plainfield
17. Somerset Tech
North Plainfield and Somerset Tech will square off in a play-in game Friday, followed by first-round action at 11 a.m. Saturday. The Top 8 seeds will have a bye, with the Top 4 getting a bye in the second round, too.
Here are the matchups:
North Plainfield/Somerset Tech at Ridge, winner at Bernards
Franklin at Rutgers Prep, winner at Somerville
Gill St. Bernard’s at Bound Brook, winner at Watchung Hills
Manville at Pingry, winner at Mount St. Mary
Quarterfinals:
Montgomery will play host to Bernards/Ridge/North Plainfield/Somerset Tech
Immaculata will play host to Somerville/Rutgers Prep/Franklin
Bridgewater-Raritan will play host to Watchung Hills/Bound Brook/Gill St. Bernard’s
Hillsborough will play host to Mount St. Mary/Pingry/Manville
Alright. Those are the facts. Now here are some opinions.
For those of you who might not know, the tournament is seeded via vote by the coaches.
After each coach talks briefly about his or her teams’ accomplishments to date, the coaches rank every team 1 through 17 and tournament director John Maggio runs it through a computer program that figures out the seeds based on a points system.
After the initial seeds are computed, each coach then has the right to appeal their seed and then everyone votes on the appeal with a simple majority deciding whether the appeal is successful or fails. This is to correct any anomalies caused by some of the newer or less informed coaches making bad mistakes in their rankings that skew the results.
There were three appeals Wednesday night:
Montgomery coach Johnny Rooney, whose team was initially seeded second, appealed the seed and it was successful, as the Cougars leapfrogged Immaculata.
Hillsborough coach Cheryl Iaione also appealed her team’s seed – originally fifth behind Mount St. Mary – and her appeal was also successful.
The one appeal that failed was when North Plainfield coach Jim Miller appealed the Canucks’ seed behind Franklin, and that’s what I found most interesting at the seeding meeting.
Both Miller and Franklin coach Mary Pat Lelinski had valid points in their arguments.
On one hand, Franklin plays in the Delaware East Division, meaning the Warriors not only have to play powerhouses like Bridgewater-Raritan, Hillsborough, Immaculata, Montgomery and Watchung Hills twice a season, but they must also play cross-conference games against the likes of North Hunterdon and Hunterdon Central, both juggernauts in New Jersey softball. Franklin gets no relief against the other teams in the West, either, as Voorhees, Phillipsburg, Warren Hills and even Ridge have the Warriors seriously outclassed.
North Plainfield, while they have to play Mount St. Mary, Somerville, Hackettstown and Belvidere, they also get two games a season against teams like South Hunterdon, North Warren and Manville, all of which they’ve lost to.
On the other hand, while both teams are winless, all but one of Franklin’s losses have come by the 10-run, five inning mercy rule (7-0 to Spotswood, 15-0 to Warren Hills, 28-0 to Bridgewater, and 12-1 to Montgomery), while the Canucks have lost games 7-6 to Manville, 4-0 to South Hunterdon, and 3-0 to North Warren, while getting blow out by Somerville and Bernards.
Tough call. Should a team be ranked higher because they’ve lost close games to terrible teams, or should a team that gets trounced by the best get the nod?
But what I found even more interesting is that Franklin is on a 43 game losing streak, dating back three years, and playing in the Skyland Delaware, that streak doesn’t figure to end anytime soon, at least not in conference. Yet, as she should, Lelinski stuck up for her team’s seed and the advantage of not having to play an extra game, and was successful in keeping the 15th seed,
But what she probably didn’t realize is that had she accepted the 16th seed, it would have set up a play-in game against Somerset Tech, which is a first-year varsity program that is 0-3, managing just two hits, total, so far. Had Franklin played Somerset Tech, chances are, the losing streak would have been snapped Friday.
As it is, the Warriors will face 10th-seeded Rutgers Prep and have to be considered a heavy underdog.
As for the rest of the tournament, I expect North Plainfield to handle Somerset Tech with ease in the play-in game, but that’s probably the end of the Canucks’ run. I don’t expect any upsets in the first round -- all the top seeds should win comfortably.
Still, anything can happen, which is why we play the games.
Here is a long-term look at the tournament, in my humble opinion:
First, I believe any of the top 7 seeds could win the whole thing.
There is so much parity – especially in the Skyland Conference Delaware Division – that this is really going to come down to who gets hot and catches the breaks. All seven teams have quality pitching and solid offenses, and they all have realistic chances to win a title.
In the top half of the bracket, Somerville could be a sleeper, and a quarterfinals victory over Immaculata wouldn’t shock me if the Spartans aren’t on top of their game.
Somerville carries the ultimate wild card in pitcher Lindsey Ciresa, who transferred from Blair Academy. Ciresa, like Immaculata’s Kaitlyn Piazzolla, is a member of the Elite 60 MPH Club, and if she’s as good as that distinction indicates, she could give Somerville the lift it needs to make some serious noise in this tournament. Still, Ciresa isn’t eligible until May 3 (she has to sit out her mandatory 30 days as a transfer), so it’s going to be interesting to see if she can jump right into a varsity game and perform as she becomes eligible just in time for the quarterfinals. Ciresa is also, reportedly, quite a hitter, too.
In the bottom half of the bracket, I think Bound Brook is underrated, though a victory in its second-round meeting with Watchung Hills is a tall order to fill.
Here’s how I predict the tournament will play out:
PLAY IN GAME
North Plainfield over Somerset Tech
FIRST ROUND
Ridge over North Plainfield
Rutgers Prep over Franklin
Bound Brook over Gill St. Bernard’s
Pingry over Manville
SECOND ROUND
Ridge over Bernards
Somerville over Rutgers Prep
Watchung Hills over Bound Brook
Mount. St. Mary over Pingry
QUARTERFINALS (here’s where it gets interesting)
Montgomery over Ridge – I don’t expect the Cougars to have any trouble here
Hillsborough over Mount St. Mary – The Raiders’ experience wins here, but expect a good game from the Mount Lions and righty Dani Accardi. I would be surprised with a MSM win, but not shocked.
Immaculata over Somerville – Ciresa is the X-factor
Bridgewater-Raritan over Watchung Hills – The Warriors’ experience could be key here, too, and I could see this one going either way. But I’ll go with the Panthers and right-hander Lauren Fitzsimmons. I think Bridgewater-Raritan is a team of destiny.
SEMIFINALS – 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., Wednesday, May 9 at North Branch Park
GAME ONE: Bridgewater-Raritan over Immaculata – Immaculata's gotta faulter at some point... don't they?
GAME TWO: Hillsborough over Montgomery – Revenge is sweet, plus Montgomery lost four outstanding players from last season’s championship squad. The Cougars also have yet to be tested this season by the Skyland’s elite.
FINAL – 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 12 at North Branch Park
MY PICK: Bridgewater-Raritan over Hillsborough --
Fitzsimmons in the circle, Lindsay Durant, Kelly Rafferty and Fitzsimmons in the heart of the order with Taryn Schnell leading off equals a formidable lineup for Bridgewater-Raritan.
Hillsborough and right-hander Megan McInaw have experience in big games, as do pitcher/outfielder Katelyn Derewicki, who leads off, and No. 3 hitter Katie Yard.
Destiny beats experience, 4-2.
***
Like I said, anything can happen, which is why we play the games. The county is full of quality teams – deepest it has been in years – and we should be in for a phenomenal tournament.
I still haven’t decided which first-round game I will cover Saturday. Perhaps some lobbying is in order. Feel free to leave comments as to where you think I should go Saturday, or your thoughts on any of the other topics we’ve addressed.
Finally, make sure to check out the latest podcast (labeled April 19) at http://www.c-n.com/specialsections/multimedia/index.htm.
After a two-day delay caused by the Nor’easter and the subsequent flooding in the area (or technical staff that does the recording was busy covering the flooding), Harry Frezza, Jerry Carino and I recorded our second podcast of the season. It should be up sometime Thursday afternoon. And now here I am blogging into the wee-hours of the morning.
But first I attended the Somerset County Tournament seeding meeting at Bridgewater-Raritan High School, and while the seeds didn’t play out exactly like I thought they should, I must say, overall, it was a fine job by the county’s coaches in seeding the tournament and I really don’t have a major problem with any of the seeds.
Before I get into analysis, predictions and whatnot, here are the 2007 seeds:
1. Montgomery
2. Immaculata
3. Bridgewater-Raritan
4. Hillsborough
5. Mount St. Mary
6. Watchung Hills
7. Somerville
8. Bernards
9. Ridge
10. Rutgers Prep
11. Bound Brook
12. Pingry
13. Manville
14. Gill St. Bernard’s
15. Franklin
16. North Plainfield
17. Somerset Tech
North Plainfield and Somerset Tech will square off in a play-in game Friday, followed by first-round action at 11 a.m. Saturday. The Top 8 seeds will have a bye, with the Top 4 getting a bye in the second round, too.
Here are the matchups:
North Plainfield/Somerset Tech at Ridge, winner at Bernards
Franklin at Rutgers Prep, winner at Somerville
Gill St. Bernard’s at Bound Brook, winner at Watchung Hills
Manville at Pingry, winner at Mount St. Mary
Quarterfinals:
Montgomery will play host to Bernards/Ridge/North Plainfield/Somerset Tech
Immaculata will play host to Somerville/Rutgers Prep/Franklin
Bridgewater-Raritan will play host to Watchung Hills/Bound Brook/Gill St. Bernard’s
Hillsborough will play host to Mount St. Mary/Pingry/Manville
Alright. Those are the facts. Now here are some opinions.
For those of you who might not know, the tournament is seeded via vote by the coaches.
After each coach talks briefly about his or her teams’ accomplishments to date, the coaches rank every team 1 through 17 and tournament director John Maggio runs it through a computer program that figures out the seeds based on a points system.
After the initial seeds are computed, each coach then has the right to appeal their seed and then everyone votes on the appeal with a simple majority deciding whether the appeal is successful or fails. This is to correct any anomalies caused by some of the newer or less informed coaches making bad mistakes in their rankings that skew the results.
There were three appeals Wednesday night:
Montgomery coach Johnny Rooney, whose team was initially seeded second, appealed the seed and it was successful, as the Cougars leapfrogged Immaculata.
Hillsborough coach Cheryl Iaione also appealed her team’s seed – originally fifth behind Mount St. Mary – and her appeal was also successful.
The one appeal that failed was when North Plainfield coach Jim Miller appealed the Canucks’ seed behind Franklin, and that’s what I found most interesting at the seeding meeting.
Both Miller and Franklin coach Mary Pat Lelinski had valid points in their arguments.
On one hand, Franklin plays in the Delaware East Division, meaning the Warriors not only have to play powerhouses like Bridgewater-Raritan, Hillsborough, Immaculata, Montgomery and Watchung Hills twice a season, but they must also play cross-conference games against the likes of North Hunterdon and Hunterdon Central, both juggernauts in New Jersey softball. Franklin gets no relief against the other teams in the West, either, as Voorhees, Phillipsburg, Warren Hills and even Ridge have the Warriors seriously outclassed.
North Plainfield, while they have to play Mount St. Mary, Somerville, Hackettstown and Belvidere, they also get two games a season against teams like South Hunterdon, North Warren and Manville, all of which they’ve lost to.
On the other hand, while both teams are winless, all but one of Franklin’s losses have come by the 10-run, five inning mercy rule (7-0 to Spotswood, 15-0 to Warren Hills, 28-0 to Bridgewater, and 12-1 to Montgomery), while the Canucks have lost games 7-6 to Manville, 4-0 to South Hunterdon, and 3-0 to North Warren, while getting blow out by Somerville and Bernards.
Tough call. Should a team be ranked higher because they’ve lost close games to terrible teams, or should a team that gets trounced by the best get the nod?
But what I found even more interesting is that Franklin is on a 43 game losing streak, dating back three years, and playing in the Skyland Delaware, that streak doesn’t figure to end anytime soon, at least not in conference. Yet, as she should, Lelinski stuck up for her team’s seed and the advantage of not having to play an extra game, and was successful in keeping the 15th seed,
But what she probably didn’t realize is that had she accepted the 16th seed, it would have set up a play-in game against Somerset Tech, which is a first-year varsity program that is 0-3, managing just two hits, total, so far. Had Franklin played Somerset Tech, chances are, the losing streak would have been snapped Friday.
As it is, the Warriors will face 10th-seeded Rutgers Prep and have to be considered a heavy underdog.
As for the rest of the tournament, I expect North Plainfield to handle Somerset Tech with ease in the play-in game, but that’s probably the end of the Canucks’ run. I don’t expect any upsets in the first round -- all the top seeds should win comfortably.
Still, anything can happen, which is why we play the games.
Here is a long-term look at the tournament, in my humble opinion:
First, I believe any of the top 7 seeds could win the whole thing.
There is so much parity – especially in the Skyland Conference Delaware Division – that this is really going to come down to who gets hot and catches the breaks. All seven teams have quality pitching and solid offenses, and they all have realistic chances to win a title.
In the top half of the bracket, Somerville could be a sleeper, and a quarterfinals victory over Immaculata wouldn’t shock me if the Spartans aren’t on top of their game.
Somerville carries the ultimate wild card in pitcher Lindsey Ciresa, who transferred from Blair Academy. Ciresa, like Immaculata’s Kaitlyn Piazzolla, is a member of the Elite 60 MPH Club, and if she’s as good as that distinction indicates, she could give Somerville the lift it needs to make some serious noise in this tournament. Still, Ciresa isn’t eligible until May 3 (she has to sit out her mandatory 30 days as a transfer), so it’s going to be interesting to see if she can jump right into a varsity game and perform as she becomes eligible just in time for the quarterfinals. Ciresa is also, reportedly, quite a hitter, too.
In the bottom half of the bracket, I think Bound Brook is underrated, though a victory in its second-round meeting with Watchung Hills is a tall order to fill.
Here’s how I predict the tournament will play out:
PLAY IN GAME
North Plainfield over Somerset Tech
FIRST ROUND
Ridge over North Plainfield
Rutgers Prep over Franklin
Bound Brook over Gill St. Bernard’s
Pingry over Manville
SECOND ROUND
Ridge over Bernards
Somerville over Rutgers Prep
Watchung Hills over Bound Brook
Mount. St. Mary over Pingry
QUARTERFINALS (here’s where it gets interesting)
Montgomery over Ridge – I don’t expect the Cougars to have any trouble here
Hillsborough over Mount St. Mary – The Raiders’ experience wins here, but expect a good game from the Mount Lions and righty Dani Accardi. I would be surprised with a MSM win, but not shocked.
Immaculata over Somerville – Ciresa is the X-factor
Bridgewater-Raritan over Watchung Hills – The Warriors’ experience could be key here, too, and I could see this one going either way. But I’ll go with the Panthers and right-hander Lauren Fitzsimmons. I think Bridgewater-Raritan is a team of destiny.
SEMIFINALS – 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., Wednesday, May 9 at North Branch Park
GAME ONE: Bridgewater-Raritan over Immaculata – Immaculata's gotta faulter at some point... don't they?
GAME TWO: Hillsborough over Montgomery – Revenge is sweet, plus Montgomery lost four outstanding players from last season’s championship squad. The Cougars also have yet to be tested this season by the Skyland’s elite.
FINAL – 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 12 at North Branch Park
MY PICK: Bridgewater-Raritan over Hillsborough --
Fitzsimmons in the circle, Lindsay Durant, Kelly Rafferty and Fitzsimmons in the heart of the order with Taryn Schnell leading off equals a formidable lineup for Bridgewater-Raritan.
Hillsborough and right-hander Megan McInaw have experience in big games, as do pitcher/outfielder Katelyn Derewicki, who leads off, and No. 3 hitter Katie Yard.
Destiny beats experience, 4-2.
***
Like I said, anything can happen, which is why we play the games. The county is full of quality teams – deepest it has been in years – and we should be in for a phenomenal tournament.
I still haven’t decided which first-round game I will cover Saturday. Perhaps some lobbying is in order. Feel free to leave comments as to where you think I should go Saturday, or your thoughts on any of the other topics we’ve addressed.
Finally, make sure to check out the latest podcast (labeled April 19) at http://www.c-n.com/specialsections/multimedia/index.htm.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Tourny Time!
The Somerset County Tournament seeding meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at
Bridgewater-Raritan High School.
The top four seeds will receives byes into the quarterfinals, while the fifth through eighth-seeded teams receive first-round byes.
With Somerset Tech joining the varsity ranks this year, there will be 17 teams in the tournament for the first time, necessitating a play-in game into Saturday’s first round, tournament director and Bridgewater-Raritan athletic director John Maggio said.
The 17th seed will play at the 16th seed Thursday or Friday, with the winner playing at the ninth seed Saturday.
The second round is scheduled for April 28 and the quarterfinals for May 5, both at the higher seeded schools. The semifinals are scheduled for Wednesday, May 9, and the final slated for 7 p.m. Saturday, May 12 at North Branch Park in Bridgewater.
Here is how I would seed the tournament (records through Monday):
1. Montgomery (4-1) – With everything else being equal, the Cougars should be granted the top seed if, for no other reason, because they are the defending champions. That said, Montgomery is also 4-1, with its only loss coming Saturday to state powerhouse Cherokee at the Rancocas Valley Tournament. The Cougars have been to the final the last two seasons, and, despite graduating four top starters, could be there again come May 12. The only concern is, outside of Watchung Hills, Montgomery hasn’t played any of the county’s top teams so far this season.
2. Immaculata (3-0) – The last time the Spartans went to the county final it was 2000 and co-head coach Erica Bell was pitching Immaculata to its second straight championship. In 2007, with victories over Hunterdon Central and Hillsborough under the Spartans’ belts thanks to the bats of Jen Lapicki and Caitlin Piazzola, as well as Piazzaola’s right arm, Immaculata could be headed to its first final in seven years.
3. Bridgewater-Raritan (4-1) – The Panthers’ 2-0 victory over Hillsborough on April 9 gives them the higher seed here, and if not for a loss to Scotch Plains-Fanwood on April 7, you could make a strong case for Bridgewater-Raritan being awarded the No. 2 seed. The Panthers haven’t played in the final since 2001, and haven’t won a crown since 1998. With junior righty Lauren Fitzsimmons and junior first baseman Lindsay Durant leading the way, this could be the year Bridgewater-Raritan returns to glory.
4. Hillsborough (3-3) – The Raiders have been to the county final five straight seasons, winning three straight from 2003-2005. But Hillsborough is off to a disappointing 3-3 start, including losses to Immaculata and Bridgewater-Raritan, after it lost seven regulars to graduation. Meanwhile, a brutally tough early-season schedule, which included state Group IV champion North Hunterdon, has doomed the Raiders to a .500 start. Should Hillsborough meet Montgomery in the semifinals, it would be a rematch of last season’s championship game and should be another classic.
5. Mount St. Mary (4-0) – The Mount Lions went to the semifinals last season where they saw their county run ended by Montgomery for the second straight year (the teams met in the quarters in 2005). With right-hander Danielle Accardi’s skills in the circle and at the plate making Mount Lions fans almost forget about graduated ace Cassie Searles, who went 15-5 with a 0.79 ERA, we could be looking at another Montgomery-Mount St. Mary battle in the semis. Don’t be surprised to see Mount St. Mary make a serious run at their first-ever trip to the county final.
6. Somerville (5-1) – The Pioneers' only loss has been to Mount St. Mary, while Somerville has handled quality teams in Hackettstown and 2006 Group I finalist Belvidere. While the Pioneers are probably a longshot to make a run at the final four, don’t expect them to be an easy out.
7. Watchung Hills (1-2) – The Warriors, who fell to Hillsborough in last year’s semifinals, returned their entire starting team but, through just a three-game sample, hasn’t shown they belong among the county’s elite. That’s not to say Watchung Hills won’t be a dangerous opponent for whoever it draws in the tournament. Like the rest of the Skyland Delaware East, anyone can beat anyone on any given day, and should the Warriors click over the next four weeks, they could be back in the final for the first time since 2004 when they wrapped up a five-year run in the championship game that included two crowns.
8. Bernards (4-3) – The No. 8 through No. 10 seeds really could go any way, and it promises to be among the biggest points of contention at Wednesday’s meeting, with a first-round bye on the line. I’m going to go with the Mountaineers here. Though Bernards has three losses, they’ve come to three of the four best teams in the lower divisions of the Skyland Conference – Mount St. Mary, Delaware Valley and Somerville. Still, should the seeding go my way, and if the Mountaineers can get past their second-round opponent, a quarterfinals date with the Mount Lions would be a tall order for Bernards, which has not been to the county final since 1981.
9. Pingry (2-1) – I’m seeding the Big Blue here simply because of their winning record. Pingry has played just three games, beating Glen Ridge and Morris Catholic and losing 8-3 to Cedar Grove, the reigning state Group I champion. The Big Blue should defeat anyone it faces in the first round, and could even win a second-round game, but a victory in the quarterfinals is a long shot for Pingry, which has never played for the county crown.
10. Ridge (1-4) – The Red Devils are victims of their schedule. As a Group III school, Ridge has had to endure the perils of the Delaware Division and it’s showed, as the Red Devils have had to deal with North Hunterdon, Watchung Hills, Hunterdon Central and Hillsborough in the early season. Ridge’s only victory was out of conference, over Morristown on opening day. The Red Devils only shot at a trip to the quarterfinals will be drawing someone other than Watchung Hills, unless a 7-0 loss to the Warriors on April 5 was merely a fluke.
11. Bound Brook (2-3) – The Crusaders should win their first-round game, but a victory in the second round will be tough, though not impossible. Bound Brook has a rich Somerset County Tournament tradition, as the Crusaders appeared in 10 straight championship contests from 1990-1999, winning six titles.
12. Rutgers Prep (4-2) – The Argonauts will be favored in their first-round matchup, but figure to be heavy underdogs in round 2. Rutgers Prep has throttled the likes of Wardlaw-Hartridge, Purnell and Saddle River Day, while falling to Pennington 13-2, and to Montgomery 6-3 -- though the Cougars sat most of their regulars.
13. Manville (1-5) – The Mustangs lone victory was by one run over North Plainfield on April 3, after losing to Bound Brook 10-2 on opening day. The Mustangs, which won the Sky Division of the Mountain Valley Conference last season, graduated several top players and have found life in the Skyland a bit more challenging. The right matchup could see Manville sneak out of the first round, but even that’s a longshot.
14. Gill St. Bernard’s (2-1) – Sure, a winning record is all well and good, but when you consider one of those wins came over Lacordaire by just one run, and the other was over Purnell, well, the Saints are going to have their hands full no matter who they draw here. Gill’s 22-2 loss to Wardlaw-Hartridge also makes one raise an eyebrow.
15. North Plainfield (0-5) – The Canucks gave Manville a game on April 3, and played well against South Hunterdon and North Warren. Still, first-year coach Jim Miller has some work to do if North Plainfield is going to regain its competitive form of the late 90’s and early part of this decade.
16. Franklin (0-3) – The Warriors haven’t won a game in three years, as their losing streak is up to 42 games. If, as expected, Franklin draws Somerset Tech in the play-in game, that streak could come to a merciful end.
17. Somerset Tech (0-3) – Not only have the Runnin’ Jags failed to win a game though their first three contests as a varsity program, Somerset Tech has managed only two hits to date. A play-in game against Franklin should be very, very interesting.
There it is, folks. Please, feel free to comment. Agree? Disagree?
Make sure to check back here Wednesday evening as I will be attending the seeding meeting and will post the seeds and matchups here as soon as they’re official.
Rain, rain go away
Though my plans to spend the day building an ark faded away when I realized the Home Depot doesn't carry gopher wood, here's what is in store for this week.
Baseball writer Harry Frezza Jr. and I will be recording our second baseball/softball podcast this afternoon, moderated, as always, by our esteemed colleague Jerry Carino. The podcast should be up at http://www.c-n.com/ by tomorrow morning.
The second softball notebook of the season will run Wednesday in the print and online editions of the Courier News, including a new Top 10, standings and this week's Varsity Spotlight.
Finally, with the Somerset County Tournament slated to be seeded Wednesday evening in a meeting of coaches at Bridgewater-Raritan High School, I will blog about how I would seed the tournament and why. Check back here tomorrow for that post.
That is all for now,
Stay dry!
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Here is a link to Jerry Carino's column on Immaculata's Erica Bell, which ran in Saturday's editions of the Courier News
Baseball writer Harry Frezza Jr. and I will be recording our second baseball/softball podcast this afternoon, moderated, as always, by our esteemed colleague Jerry Carino. The podcast should be up at http://www.c-n.com/ by tomorrow morning.
The second softball notebook of the season will run Wednesday in the print and online editions of the Courier News, including a new Top 10, standings and this week's Varsity Spotlight.
Finally, with the Somerset County Tournament slated to be seeded Wednesday evening in a meeting of coaches at Bridgewater-Raritan High School, I will blog about how I would seed the tournament and why. Check back here tomorrow for that post.
That is all for now,
Stay dry!
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Here is a link to Jerry Carino's column on Immaculata's Erica Bell, which ran in Saturday's editions of the Courier News
Friday, April 13, 2007
Saturday's must-read
Don't miss Jerry Carino's column in Saturday's Courier News.
Jerry talked to Immaculata co-head coach Erica Bell, who was a four-year star and All-State performer in the pitcher's circle for the Spartans from 1997-2000. The column looks at what Bell's been doing since graduating from Immaculata and how she's found her way back to be the Spartans head coach.
You can catch the column in Saturday's print edition of the CN or online at www.c-n.com
Jerry talked to Immaculata co-head coach Erica Bell, who was a four-year star and All-State performer in the pitcher's circle for the Spartans from 1997-2000. The column looks at what Bell's been doing since graduating from Immaculata and how she's found her way back to be the Spartans head coach.
You can catch the column in Saturday's print edition of the CN or online at www.c-n.com
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Inaugural Podcast Up
The first baseball-softball podcast of the season is up and can be found at www.c-n.com.... here is a direct link http://www.c-n.com/specialsections/podcasts/frezza/baseball041207.htm
The podcast, in which myself and baseball writer Harry Frezza discuss the local scene, will be recorded weekly during the spring season.
This first podcast was recorded on Wednesday afternoon, April 11.
Enjoy.
The podcast, in which myself and baseball writer Harry Frezza discuss the local scene, will be recorded weekly during the spring season.
This first podcast was recorded on Wednesday afternoon, April 11.
Enjoy.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Hello, hello
Greetings, and welcome to the Courier News softball blog where we will delve a bit deeper and get a little more opinionated about the local high school softball scene.
We will continue to bring you daily coverage in the print and online editions of the Courier News – as well as in our weekly podcast – but this is a forum where I can not only expand on some of things I write for the paper, but get your opinions and feedback, as well.
I welcome any and all comments, questions, stock tips, etc.
The following is the latest Softball Top 10 (published in the Courier News on Wednesday, April 11). While I will post a full blog soon, in the meantime I would be interested to hear your thoughts on whether you agree with how I’ve got our teams ranked. Who should be higher? Who should be lower ? Which unranked teams deserve a spot?
Chime on in!
Softball Top 10 - as of Wed, April 11 (preseason rank)
1. North Hunterdon 4-0 (1)
2. Governor Livingston 3-0 (3)
3. South Plainfield 2-0 (4)
4. Immaculata 2-0 (9)
5. Montgomery 4-0 (7)
6. Hunterdon Central 2-2 (2)
7. Bridgewater-Raritan 3-1 (6)
8. Hillsborough 2-3 (5)
9. Mount St. Mary 2-0 (NR)
10. Westfield 2-0 (NR)
Falling out: Delaware Valley (10), Watchung Hills (8)
We will continue to bring you daily coverage in the print and online editions of the Courier News – as well as in our weekly podcast – but this is a forum where I can not only expand on some of things I write for the paper, but get your opinions and feedback, as well.
I welcome any and all comments, questions, stock tips, etc.
The following is the latest Softball Top 10 (published in the Courier News on Wednesday, April 11). While I will post a full blog soon, in the meantime I would be interested to hear your thoughts on whether you agree with how I’ve got our teams ranked. Who should be higher? Who should be lower ? Which unranked teams deserve a spot?
Chime on in!
Softball Top 10 - as of Wed, April 11 (preseason rank)
1. North Hunterdon 4-0 (1)
2. Governor Livingston 3-0 (3)
3. South Plainfield 2-0 (4)
4. Immaculata 2-0 (9)
5. Montgomery 4-0 (7)
6. Hunterdon Central 2-2 (2)
7. Bridgewater-Raritan 3-1 (6)
8. Hillsborough 2-3 (5)
9. Mount St. Mary 2-0 (NR)
10. Westfield 2-0 (NR)
Falling out: Delaware Valley (10), Watchung Hills (8)
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