SCT and HWT quarterfinals and UCT first round picks

The rain dance is famous among Native Americans hoping for sustenance for their crops, my only wish is I knew a little jig to keep the rain away this weekend.

Here my picks for this weekend’s slate:


SOMERSET COUNTY TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS


9-RUTGERS PREP at 1-HILLSBOROUGH
Hillsborough’s run of success in this tournament during this decade is well-documented, with six straight trips to the final and three championships. Rutgers Prep has never made a semifinal, and I don’t expect that to change this year. Sure, I give the Argonautrs a shot here, they have enough talent that if everything goes right they could pull off an upset, but with Hillsborough’s experience and with coach Cheryl Iaione as good as anyone in motivating a team and making sure they don’t get complacent, look for a fairly comfortable Raiders victory.
MY PICK: Hillsborough 4-0


7-BOUND BROOK at 2-BRIDGEWATER-RARITAN
Congratulations to Bound Brook for its inspire effort in getting here and the Crusaders’ clutch upset over Bernards last week. But there will be no emptying of Gatorade buckets here for Bound Brook. The Crusaders might have won eight in a row, but they haven’t faced a team like the Panthers during that run.
MY PICK: Bridgewater-Raritan 11-0


6-SOMERVILLE at 3-MONTGOMERY
Montgomery has struggled at time this year, while Somerville is having a nice little season at 12-2 (through Thursday). Much like Rutgers Prep against Hillsborough – to borrow a phrase from my colleague, Jerry Carino – I give the Pioners a puncher’s chance against the Cougars, meaning if everything goes right for Somerville it could advance, but I don’t see it happening.
MY PICK: Montgomery 7-2


5-WATCHUNG HILLS at 4-IMMACULATA
This one is a true toss-up, folks. The Warriors already beat the defending champion Spartans once this year (6-4 on April 22), while Immaculata has the experience on its side after last year’s run. While Immaculata’s Kaitlyn Piazzolla is probably the more dominant of the two pitchers, Watchung Hills’ Lydia deMartino has probably been more consistent this season and has pitched far into this tournament in each of her three seasons as the Warriors’ ace.
I plan to cover this one Saturday, so be kind Immaculata fans; Boo me all you like, but please don’t throw anything sharp at me.
MY PICK: Watchung Hills 5-4




HUNTERDON/WARREN TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS


9-PHILLIPSBURG at 1-HUNTERDON CENTRAL (Monday at 3:45 p.m.)
Merely a formality.
MY PICK: Hunterdon Central 8-0


7-DELAWARE VALLEY at 2-NORTH HUNTERDON
Another game with only one logical outcome.
MY PICK: North Hunterdon 12-0


6-WARREN HILLS at 3-BELVIDERE
Here’s where things get interesting: Belvidere, after starting the season 10-0, has dropped three straight to teams one would figure the County Seaters would handle. Warren Hills, meanwhile, despite losing a bunch of talent to graduation, was still a finalist last season, so the Blue Streaks know what it takes to pull off an upset. That said, I see Belvidere bouncing back and winning a close one.
MY PICK: Belvidere 6-5


5-VOORHEES at 4-HACKETTSTOWN
Every loss Voorhees has suffered this season has been to a quality team, and while Hackettstown is solid, the Tigers are not exactly world-beaters. The Vikings almost shocked Bridgewater-Raritan on Thursday, as the Panthers needed 10 innings to claim a 1-0 victory, so look for Voorhees to carry that momentum into Saturday.
MY PICK: Voorhees 6-2



UNION COUNTY TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND


1-Cranford over Union Catholic
9-Roselle Catholic over 8-Mother Seton
5-A.L. Johnson over 12-New Providence
4-Linden over 13-Brearley
3-Union over 14-Summit
11-Rahway over 6-Scotch Plains-Fanwood
7-Governor Livingston over 10-Roselle Park
2-Westfield over 18-Dayton or 15-Elizabeth*
*preliminary game to be played Friday



PROGRAMMING NOTES
The fifth episode of the Bats and Balls podcast was recorded Thursday night, complete with a more in-depth looks at this weekend’s county games. We hope it will be up on the new Courier News-Home News Tribune Web site at http://www.mycentraljersey.com/ sometime Friday. We’re still getting used to the new site and trying to locate everything, so check back here Friday afternoon and I will try and provide a direct link to the podcast.

Look for my picks for Wednesday’s night’s SCT semifinals, hopefully, Monday, and get ready for some double-barrel coverage of those games, featuring yours truly, as well as Jerry Carino, as we will cover both games that evening.

Look for a big preview of next Saturday’s Somerset County softball final in next Saturday’s (May 10) VARSITY section of the Courier News

I will do my best to post scores as games go final on Saturday, right here on the Inner Circle.