State Tournament roundup and sectional semifinal preview

It started with 19 teams, and after two rounds, an amazing 12 have survived.

Sectional semifinals are scheduled for Tuesday, while the Non-Public teams will play the quarterfinals.

Here’s a look at what was, and what will be, complete with picks:



GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN:

While all five of our local teams that were in action Friday won, seven teams left the proverbial building in Wednesday and Thursday’s first round:

Westfield, which was seeded third in North 2 Group IV, lost 1-0 to sixth-seeded Bridgewater-Raritan on Wednesday, while eight-seeded Watchung Hills dropped a 4-1 decision to top-seeded North Hunterdon.

Montgomery, which was seeded ninth in Central Jersey Group IV, lost to eighth-seeded Middletown North 3-0 in the first round.

North 2 Group III has seen the demise of two locals, as 14th-seeded Voorhees was no-hit by J.F. Kennedy and Heather Corica 6-0 in the first round, while seventh-seeded Scotch Plains-Fanwood was blasted by 10th-seeded Fort Lee 19-1

Bernards, which was seeded 10th in Central Group II, was edged 9-8 by seventh-seeded Madison in the first round Wednesday.

The biggest shocker of the first two rounds was in Central Jersey Group II where fourth-seeded Somerville was ousted by 13th-seeded Jackson Liberty 5-0. The Pioneers loss raised another eyebrow Friday when Jackson Liberty was beaten by 12th-seeded Governor Livingston 3-2.



WHERE WE STAND

Now that the departed have been remembered, let’s focus on who’s still alive:


CENTRAL GROUP IV
Hillsborough, the No. 6 seed, is rolling. After edging 11th-seeded Manalapan 1-0 in the first round, the Raiders flattened Freehold Township 11-1 Friday to advance to the semis against second-seeded Old Bridge.
This is going to be a tough one for Hillsborough against the team seeded No. 1 in the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament. Megan McInaw has been on fire for Hillsborough, with her bat and her arm, but she’s not going to be able to do it alone. If Hillsborough’s offense can perform like it did Friday, the Raiders will advance, but I think Hillsborough will find that Old Bridge is an entirely different animal than the Raiders saw Friday.
MY PICK: Old Bridge 2-1

On the other side of the bracket, top-seeded Hunterdon Central cruised past Middletown North 6-1 after a first-round bye, and shouldn’t have any trouble with 13th-seeded South Brunswick on Tuesday.
MY PICK: Hunterdon Central 7-1


CENTRAL GROUP II
So far, No. 12 seed Governor Livingston, is the story of this section, as the Highlanders parlayed a 3-0 upset over No. 5 Roselle Park in the first round – the same team that ousted G.L. from the Union County Tournament – into a 3-2 win over 13th-seeded Jackson Liberty in the quarters Friday.
The Highlanders will face top-seeded Bordentown in the semifinals Tuesday, and, well, I don’t see that one ending well for Rick Iacono’s team.
MY PICK: Bordentown 4-0

Third-seeded Carteret, which barely snuck past sixth-seeded Johnson in the quarters, will face second-seeded Shore Regional in the other semifinal, and I’m sticking with my original pick.
MY PICK: Shore Regional 5-2


CENTRAL GROUP I
Metuchen snuck into this tournament at the last minute as the eighth seed, and though top-seeded Dunellen had lost twice to the Bulldogs this season – including a 17-5 shellacking in the first week of the season – the Destroyers got it done Thursday with a 9-8 quarterfinals victory.
Fifth-seeded Bound Brook, meanwhile, edged No. 4 Brearley 2-1, and will face Dunellen on Tuesday.
I’m officially on the Crusaders’ bandwagon, and I ain’t getting down until the wheels come off.
MY PICK: Bound Brook 7-5

Sixth-seeded New Providence took full advantage of a fortunate first-round draw, and pasted third-seeded South Amboy 13-0 in the Friday’s opening-round tilt.
The Pioneers, who suffered an obscene number of losses to graduation, will not be enjoying the same success Tuesday against second-seeded Florence.
MY PICK: Florence 4-1



NORTH 2 GROUP IV
Top-seeded North Hunterdon is angry, and fourth-seeded Linden, which beat Bayonne 7-1 Friday, is going to be the one that suffers because of it. After handling eighth-seeded Watchung Hills in the first round, the Lions dropped a 3-2 heartbreaker to Hunterdon Central in a regular-season game Friday, with the Red Devils scoring their second run on a wild pitch and third run – the game-winner – on another wild pitch plus and two errors, on the same play. The lost cost North a chance at winning a conference title outright, and I have a feeling the Lions won’t be in a very generous mood come Tuesday’s semifinals.
MY PICK: North Hunterdon 6-1

Sixth-seeded Bridgewater-Raritan edged Westfield 1-0 in Wednesday’s opener, and might have caught a break with seventh-seeded JP Stevens upsetting No. 2 Union, which the Panthers lost to earlier this season, on Friday. Problem is that JP Stevens didn’t just beat Union; the Hawks won 10-0.
The fact is, if Bridgewater-Raritan plays its game, if Lauren Fitzsimmons pitches like she’s capable, and the offense gives her support, the Panthers should win. But beware, JPS has proven it’s no pushover.
MY PICK: Bridgewater-Raritan 2-1



NORTH 2 GROUP III
Fourth-seeded South Plainfield is in a similar position as Bridgewater-Raritan after getting through Union Hill and Morristown. Ninth-seeded Colonia, which has 10 losses, shocked top-seeded Cranford, which was undefeated, by an astonishing margin of 5-1. That sets up a meeting between the Patriots and the Tigers, who have already beaten Colonia twice this season -- 10-0 on April 17 and 7-6 on May 6.
I think South Plainfield has learned not to take Colonia lightly after only winning by one run in their last meeting, so I don’t think I have to state the obvious.
MY PICK: South Plainfield 5-2

Third-seeded J.F. Kennedy will meet second-seeded Nutley in the other semifinal, and considering Heather Corica hasn’t allowed a hit through two rounds of this tournament, I don’t think out friends from the north are quite prepared for what’s about to hit them – or, perhaps, no-hit them.
MY PICK: J.F. Kennedy 4-0


NON-PUBLIC A NORTH
This bracket is still in the quarterfinal round, so I’m not going to make a pick, but here’s a rundown on our locals:
Sixth-seeded Mount St. Mary got the jump on the whole state, playing their first-round game with St. Dominic last Monday, and will now have an eight-day wait before it can face third-seeded juggernaut Immaculate Heart in Tuesday quarterfinals after beating St. Dom’s 3-2 on some heroics by Gina Quartorola.
Immaculata, seeded ninth, shrugged off its first attempt at this game, which was called off by rain in the first inning Wednesday with the Spartans holding a 2-0 lead, by handling Pope John XXIII 3-1 on Friday. Apparently, people in Sparta don’t read The Inner Circle, as the Lions pitched to Kaitlyn Piazzolla up 1-0 with one out and runners on second and third in the sixth inning, and the Immaculata senior made them pay with a three-run home run over the left-field fence.
Top-seeded Morris Catholic is up next for Immaculata, and I think the Spartans will still be standing come Thursday’s semifinals.


NON-PUBLIC NORTH B
This tournament hasn’t even started yet, but allow me to reiterate: MKA, MKA, MKA, plus a first-round exit for seventh-seeded Gill St. Bernard's.


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Enjoy your holiday weekend everyone. Things get nasty starting Tuesday!