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Sports

In Home-Opener Pitching Duel, SPF Baseball Blinks First

The Raiders lost to Gov. Livingston on Thursday, 1-0.

The Records: The baseball team entered its home-opener Thursday against Gov. Livingston 1-1 overall and 0-1 in the Union County Conference’s Watchung Division. Gov. Livingston came to the game 1-0 overall and 0-0 in the Watchung Division. 

The final score: Gov. Livingston, 1-0. Gov. Livingston Freshman Ryan Jennings, in his first varsity start, hit a ball off the center-field wall for a double that scored courtesy runner Kevin Sforza with the game’s only run. Batting ninth in the order and playing left field, Jennings produced the game-winning hit with two outs in the top of the fifth.

Both pitchers excel: The run held up after an outstanding pitching duel between Gov. Livingston junior right-hander Joey Graziano (1-0) and Scotch Plains senior lefty Sean Reilly (1-1).

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Graziano – making his second start – tossed a three-hit shutout. Reilly – making his first start – hurled a five-hitter. 

The Hero: Jennings, who made the most of his first varsity start by producing the game-winning hit.

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The Quotes: “I felt good for my first start,” Reilly said. “Hopefully I can expand on it. I felt that I had command of the strike zone and just let my fielders do the work behind me.”

Scotch Plains head coach Tom Baylock said of Reilly, “He battles and today he threw the ball real well. He throws just hard enough to keep you off balance.” Baylock added, “We know GL can hit. Sean made only one bad pitch all day.”

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