Upsets galore for 8th seeds in baseball
It was Upset Friday in the NJSIAA South Jersey baseball playoffs as three No. 8 seeds, Riverside, Woodstown and Cherokee, knocked off top-seeded teams in the sectional quarterfinals.
It was Upset Friday in the NJSIAA South Jersey baseball playoffs as three No. 8 seeds, Riverside, Woodstown and Cherokee, knocked off top-seeded teams in the sectional quarterfinals.
Chris Mannion slapped a two-run single in the top of the sixth inning for the deciding runs as visiting Riverside jolted top-seeded Point Pleasant Beach, 3-2, in Group 1.
The eighth-seeded Rams (11-11) tied the game on Dominic Perillo's run-scoring single. Mannion's hit provided a 3-1 advantage over Beach (15-5-1). Dillon O'Neal (6-4) got the pitching win with 22/3 innings in relief of Matt Leith, while Tim Borek extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a single and a double.
In another Group 1 surprise, seventh-seeded Gloucester avenged two regular-season losses to No. 2 seed Penns Grove by ousting the host Red Devils, 9-6, in eight innings after trailing by 6-0.
In a six-run seventh inning, Dan Viveiros hit a three-run homer and Brandon Blackiston tied the game with an RBI single. With two outs in the eighth, winning pitcher Paul Walters hit a 3-2 pitch for a two-run homer and Dalton Dunn followed with a run-scoring double.
South Jersey Group 4. Cherokee (13-7) ended top-seeded Millville's title hopes as the visiting Chiefs prevailed, 6-3.
Erik Danser struck out five and allowed one run in five innings to get the win, and also belted a three-run homer over the left-field fence for a 4-0 lead.
Clearview, seeded 15th in a 16-team field, eliminated No. 7 seed Egg Harbor Township, 5-3. The visiting Pioneers got nine strikeouts from Shane Taylor, while Evan Emerich scored twice, drove in two runs and stole two bases.
Nick Favatella's single, double, two-run homer and three RBIs punctuated Washington Township's 12-2 win at Absegami.
South Jersey Group 2. Woodstown (13-11) scored six runs in the last two innings to pin a 10-6 loss on top-seeded Haddonfield (14-7). Seth Dorety went 3 for 4 with two RBIs.
Audubon erupted for seven first-inning runs with two outs en route to a 10-3 quarterfinal triumph over visiting West Deptford. In the first, Joe Furlong's two-run double and John Flacco's two-run single fueled the outburst.
Haddon Township pitcher Ryan Easterday (7-1) threw a five-inning four-hitter, and Dustin Smith went 3 for 3 with three RBIs as the Hawks beat visiting Haddon Heights, 10-0.
South Jersey Group 3. Moorestown outhit host Central Regional by 10-4 but bowed out of the tournament with a 2-1 loss. The Quakers' John Taglienti and Andrew Lisa had three hits apiece.
Highland avoided the top-seed jinx, getting a run on a passed ball in the seventh inning to edge visiting Seneca, 7-6.
Olympic. Shawnee clinched the Patriot Division championship with a 6-3 win at Triton. Joe Corbi and Ed Royds each had two hits and scored two runs.
Girls' Lacrosse
Fourth-seeded Bishop Eustace trailed by just a goal at intermission before falling at top-seeded Pingry, 15-8, in the semifinals of the NJSIAA South Jersey Group 1 tournament. Sophomore Nicole Lankford led the Crusaders with a career-high six goals.
Softball
Florence earned the right to meet Keansburg in the Central Jersey Group 1 sectional semifinals with a 3-0 11-inning upset at Robbinsville.
Central Jersey Group 4. Rancocas Valley cruised into the Central semifinals, brushing off 15th-seeded Freehold, 9-0, at home behind pitcher Alissa Martin's six-hitter.
Olympic. Eastern finished tied with Cherokee for the American Division title with a 10-0 victory over host Cherry Hill East. Samantha Lemm pitched a two-hit shutout.