Playoffs bring many rematches

Sterling-Collingswood, Cherry Hill West-Eastern, Shawnee-Seneca, Salem-Pennsville and Burlington-Riverside.

Those are just some of the NJSIAA first-round baseball playoff games that are reruns of regular-season matchups . . . and there are others, including Haddonfield-Haddon Township, Triton-Timber Creek, Vineland-Mainland and St. Joseph-Sacred Heart.

South Jersey playoff teams bypassed the option to start tournament play over the weekend, so many tourney games will be played today, highlighted by some intriguing rematches.

Today's Haddonfield-Haddon Township rematch looks like a Group 2 mismatch. Since rallying past Audubon and denying coach Rich Horan his 300th win, Haddonfield has lost six straight. The Bulldogs lost by 9-3 and 15-5 regular-season scores to Haddon Township, their first-round opponent.

Still, Haddon Township coach Dave Dale, whose team is 14-7 and seeded sixth, is leery of the 11th-seeded Bulldogs (10-11).

"Anytime Haddon Township and Haddonfield get together, you can throw out the record books," Dale said yesterday. "The kids know each other, and there's a built-in rivalry."

Sophomore lefthander Tyler Smith (7-1), whose ERA is in the 2.00 neighborhood, will pitch for host Haddon Township today and is expected to be opposed by Haddonfield's ace, Luke Peyton.

"We're quietly confident," said Dale, whose team's offense has been led by senior catcher Kyle Rowland (.480), "but it's baseball, so anything can happen."

Friday's matchup between fifth-seeded Shawnee and fourth-seeded Seneca brings together two strong Group 3 contenders. Seneca will be trying to avenge a stunning 12-2 regular-season loss.

Cherry Hill West, seeded 10th, will also be aiming for revenge when it plays at seventh-seeded Eastern today in Group 4. The Lions have been one of South Jersey's best teams since they dropped a 7-0 decision to Eastern on April 30. Since then, West has won 10 of 11, including eight straight.

Eastern, on the other hand, has dropped six of its last seven.

The Burlington-Riverside Group 1 matchup, scheduled for Friday, will be the teams' third meeting this year. Riverside lost the first game, 13-1, but scored a 9-4 win in the rematch about three weeks later. The Rams have been sizzling during the last month, winning 10 straight games to wipe out a 3-6 start.

Overbrook regroups. Group 2 teams should be glad Overbrook did not have a .500 record by the cutoff date and failed to qualify for the NJSIAA playoffs.

The Rams have been on a roll. Led by junior shortstop/pitcher Joe Merlino, Overbrook has won seven of its last nine games to improve to 10-10.

Eustace's mixed news. Bishop Eustace ace righthander Chris Monaco, sidelined most of the season with shoulder problems, has been cleared to pitch in the NJSIAA tournament. For the Crusaders, that's the good news.

The bad news: Hard-hitting outfielder Mike Plakis has missed the last two games with a wrist injury, and Scott Carcaise, a talented freshman pitcher, is battling an injury. Both are day-to-day.

Extra bases. South Jersey's public-school finals will be held June 1, while the non-public sectional finals are slated for June 5. All of the state finals are scheduled for June 9. . . . Gateway (15-5 overall, 13-4 conference) has won seven straight and has moved within one game of first-place West Deptford (14-3 conference) in the Colonial Conference. . . . Millville had its seven-game winning streak snapped by Cumberland on Saturday; the 13th-seeded Thunderbolts have a difficult Group 4 opener at fourth-seeded Toms River South today. . . . After starting the season 0-3, Cumberland has gone 11-3. The sixth-seeded Colts play at third-seeded Delsea on Friday in a Group 3 opener. Delsea, which has struggled lately, scored two wins over Cumberland during the regular season. . . . Sacred Heart has eight shutouts.