SP-F Baseball Defeats Rival Westfield

The SP-F Raiders are red-hot going into their Union County Tournament match-up against Cranford, scheduled for 3:00p.m. Saturday at Williams Field in Elizabeth.

In a nine-game winning streak, including a commanding 12-3 victory Friday over conference rival Westfield (13-7), the Raiders are averaging more than 13 runs per game, and has scored at least 10 in all nine wins. The latest win puts SP-F at 16-4 overall and a league-leading 6-1 in the Watchung Division. With five conference games left to play, the Raiders are on the inside track to another conference championship

Friday's win served as a bit of redemption, as the Blue Devils beat the Raiders 4-3 in Scotch Plains on April 16 in conference play. Since the loss, SP-F has gone 10-1.

The victory included 20 hits, with every batter in the lineup getting at least one.

With Friday's loss, Westfield falls to 13-7 overall and 7-3 in the Watchung Division. The Blue Devils have two more conference games remaining.

The Raiders cannot bask in the glory of Friday's rout for long, as the Raiders must now concentrate on Saturday's UCT semifinal. As defending champion, SP-F is attempting to win back-to-back titles for the first time.

The last team to repeat as the champion was its opponent – Cranford.

Senior right-hander Gary Binkiewicz (3-2, 2 wins in a row) will be on the mound Saturday against Cranford, a team SP-F has not faced this year. He knows the agony of defeat - his sophomore year - and the joy of victory - his junior season - in UCT play.

In addition to his pitching talents, Binkiewicz is a contributor at the plate. He went 4-for-5 on Friday, with three singles, one double, three runs and three RBI.

"Pitching has been one of our strongest points this year, so we know that anybody we put on the mound is going to keep us close," Binkiewicz said.

Junior left hander Sean Reilly pitched well in a 4 and 1/3 inning stint vs. Westfield to improve to 3-0. He allowed two runs on four hits, struck out two and walked three in a 67-pitch effort.

With the Raiders holding a strong lead, junior righty Marcus Rivera and freshman right hander James D'Angelo combined to pitch the final 2 and 2/3 innings.

Westfield struck first, taking a 2-0 lead in the third on a bases-loaded-walk and a wild pitch, SP-F scored one in the fourth, and added four in the fifth for the 5-2 advantage. 

They broke it open in the sixth, scoring five more. Ten batters combined for six hits in both the fifth and sixth innings. The Raiders added two more runs in the seventh before Westfield scored the game's final run in the bottom of the seventh.

"Now our bats came alive and we're all just so focused and we're all hitting real well, one through nine," Binkiewicz said. "It feels good. Everybody is comfortable. There's good chemistry we've got going right now."

For the Raiders, left-fielder Joe D'Annunzio went 3-for-4, with two singles, a double, an intentional walk and two runs; senior catcher Lou Mazzella was 3-for-4, with three singles, a walk and three RBI; senior right-fielder Taylor Schon was 2-for-4, with one run and two RBI, while pinch hitter Connor Thompson singled in the seventh; leadoff batter Ricky Shevlin was 2-for-4, with two singles, a run and an RBI; Rivera was 1-for-5, with a single; John Maxwell 2-for-5, with two singles and a run; Mike Ridge 1-for-5, with a double, two runs and two RBI and designated hitter Mike Lauricella 1-for-4 with an RBI-single.

Binkiewicz will move from second base to the mound for Saturday's game against Cranford. He knows his team's offense is in a groove right now, but he's focused to shut down a Cougar offense that can score runs.

Binkiewicz was the winning pitcher in last year's UCT championship game against Westfield, which was the last time he pitched at Elizabeth's Williams Field.

"I love being in that kind of spot," Binkiewicz said. "I want the ball and I want to help my team win. I've got plenty of guys to make plays behind me and I'm just going to do what I do best, let them hit the ball - ground balls and fly balls. Then, obviously, we're going to hit, because I don't think anybody is going to stop us."

Binkiewicz won his first start this year on Opening Day against Plainfield and then lost to Bridgewater-Raritan and Westfield – both one-run decisions that were decided in the seventh inning.

He has bounced back since then with five-inning efforts for victories in conference home wins over Union - 10-0 on April 22 - and over Rahway 12-2 on April 27.

Against Union he allowed no runs on one hit and vs. Rahway he allowed no runs on no hits. Binkiewicz and Reilly combined to no-hit Rahway in a six-inning triumph.

"I feel like everything is a little smoother," Binkiewicz said. "It's a sense of comfort that I don't think I had at the beginning."

UNION COUNTY CONFERENCE-WATCHUNG DIVISION GAME

SCOTCH PLAINS (16-4, 6-1)          0   0   0     1   4   5     2 – 12  20  1

WESTFIELD (13-7, 7-3)                   0   0   2     0   0   0     1 -  3    9   4

PITCHERS OF RECORD:

Scotch Plains – Sean Reilly, junior left hander, (3-0).

Westfield – Brett Ryan, sophomore right hander, (1-1).

DOUBLES: Scotch Plains – Joe D'Annunzio, Mike Ridge, Gary Binkiewicz. Westfield – Brett Johnson, AJ Murray.

TRIPLES: Scotch Plains – None. Westfield – None.

HOME RUNS: Scotch Plains – None. Westfield – None.