Scotch Plains to Host Union Catholic in UCT Quarters

In order for the Scotch Plains-Fanwood baseball team to reach Elizabeth's Williams Field for the county semifinals once again, the Raiders will have to get past in-town rival Union Catholic once more.

For the sixth time in head coach Tom Baylock's seven year tenure, his team will battle Union Catholic in a county contest.

The 57th annual Union County Tournament now shifts to four quarterfinal games Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m., with seven of the top eight seeds winning at home Saturday in first round competition.

On the top side of the bracket it's fifth-seeded Governor Livingston at fourth-seeded Johnson and eighth-seeded Elizabeth at top-seeded Westfield.

On the bottom side of the bracket we have sixth-seeded Roselle Catholic at third-seeded Cranford and 10th-seeded Union Catholic at second-seeded Scotch Plains.

Union Catholic was the only road team to win Saturday, posting a 5-3 triumph at seventh-seeded Union.

Scotch Plains easily got past 18th-seeded Plainfield 17-0 in five innings, scoring eight runs in the bottom of the first to extend a 1-0 lead.

Here's a look at who won the previous five county games between Scotch Plains and Union Catholic:

      UCT play the past seven six seasons:

      2009: Scotch Plains defeated Union Catholic

      2008: Scotch Plains defeated Union Catholic

      2007: Scotch Plains defeated Union Catholic

      2006: Union Catholic defeated Scotch Plains

      2005: Teams did not play each other

      2004: Scotch Plains defeated Union Catholic

Scotch Plains has a three-game winning streak over Union Catholic in UCT play, with wins over the Vikings the last three tournaments.

This will be the second straight season that the Raiders will face Union Catholic in the quarterfinals. Last year their quarterfinal was the last one to be played after it was rained out.

It ended up being played on a Thursday night before the semifinals and at Summit's new field turf baseball field at the high school.

Scotch Plains had to come back then to win an 11-8 decision after trailing 6-2 and 7-6 at two points in the game. The Raiders were the top seed and Union Catholic the ninth seed. The Vikings had a big upset win at eighth-seeded GL 4-2 in eight innings in the first round.

For Union Catholic in last year's game, Vinnie LaRocca belted a two-run triple. LaRocca is one of three returning varsity players on this year's Union Catholic roster, including shortstop Dave Schanze and third baseman Rey Lopez. The Vikings scored their first six runs in the top of the second to take their 6-2 lead.

For the Raiders, Gary Binkiewicz pitched the last five innings in relief to earn the mound victory. He allowed two runs on five hits, while striking out eight and walking one. Joe D'Annunzio went 1-for-4, with his hit being a three-run homer.

Scotch Plains is now 13-4 overall and has won six straight games the past two weeks – four last week and two this week.

"We're on a little bit of a roll and everyone is hitting the ball - one through nine - like we usually do and now it's tournament time," said senior shortstop Mike Ridge, who went 3-for-4, with three RBI and two runs against Plainfield. "As long as we keep things going I'm feeling real confident with our team."

Ridge – a four-year varsity player who played third base as a freshman and who has been at shortstop since his sophomore year - also made a fine play in the field in the middle of an 8-6-2 relay in the second inning that became a double play and prevented Plainfield from scoring.

Plainfield's Luis Vasquez connected on a hit to the right-center gap that Scotch Plains center fielder Ricky Shevlin chased down at his left. Shevlin then threw to the cutoff man – Ridge – who then fired a strike on a fly right into the mit of catcher Lou Mazzella, who applied the tag on Plainfield's Emerson Jones who tried to score on the hit.

"That was just something that had to be done," said Ridge, who will continue playing at William Paterson, where Baylock envisions him as a second baseman at the Division 3 school in Wayne. "Relays have to be done. It's a play that has to be made. It felt good."

"We just worked on that in practice Thursday," Baylock said. "We worked on double cuts and in today's game we had to do one. Mike made a nice, strong throw."

Senior right hander Jordan Bayroff allowed no runs on two hits in three innings Saturday, striking out three, walking one and hitting a batter. He is now 4-1.

Junior lefty Sean Reilly pitched two scoreless innings in relief.

Union Catholic improved to 7-9 Saturday with its second straight victory and third in its last four games. The Vikings also won at Hillside 11-0 Friday in Union County Conference-Mountain Division play.

NOTES: Scotch Plains is also still battling for the UCC-Watchung Division crown. The Raiders are 4-1 in the division, with seven conference games to go, including two against Linden and one each vs. Elizabeth, Westfield, Union, Rahway and Plainfield.

The cutoff date for the state tournament is this Friday, May 7. Looking at the records from other top teams in North 2, Group 3, Baylock thinks, at the moment, his team is in line to get the fourth seed.

Scotch Plains – as the second seed – reached the final last year, falling at top-seeded Iselin Kennedy 6-3 in the title contest.

This week, Scotch Plains continues Tuesday at home in conference play against Elizabeth at 4 p.m., hosts Union Catholic Wednesday in UCT action and is then scheduled to play at Westfield Friday at 4 p.m. in conference competition.  

57th ANNUAL BASEBALL

UNION COUNTY TOURNAMENT 

SEEDS:

1-Westfield. 2-Scotch Plains. 3-Cranford. 4-Johnson.

5-Gov. Livingston. 6-Roselle Catholic. 7-Union. 8-Elizabeth.

9-Summit. 10-Union Catholic. 11-Linden. 12-Rahway.

13-New Providence. 14-Dayton. 15-Brearley. 16-Roselle Park.

17-Oratory Prep. 18-Plainfield. 19-St. Patrick. 20-St. Mary's, Elizabeth

21-Hillside. 22-Roselle.

PRELIMINARY ROUND

Thursday, April 29

Linden 22, Roselle 0 (5 inn.)

Rahway 15, Hillside 3 (5 inn.)

New Providence 10, St. Mary's 0 (5 inn.)

Dayton 16, St. Patrick 6 (5 inn.)

Oratory Prep 9, Roselle Park 2

Friday, April 30

Plainfield 9, Brearley 8

FIRST ROUND

Saturday, May 1 

Gov. Livingston 9, Rahway 2

Johnson 11, New Providence 1 (5 inn.)

Elizabeth 13, Summit 1 (5 inn.)

Westfield 6, Oratory Prep 1

Union Catholic 5, Union 3

Scotch Plains 17, Plainfield 0 (5 inn.)

Roselle Catholic 15, Linden 2 (5 inn.)

Cranford 11, Dayton 5

QUARTERFINALS

Wednesday, May 5, 4 p.m.

TOP SIDE OF THE BRACKET:

5-Gov. Livingston at 4-Johnson

8-Elizabeth at 1-Westfield

BOTTOM SIDE OF THE BRACKET:

6-Roselle Catholic at 3-Cranford

10-Union Catholic at 2-Scotch Plains

SEMIFINALS

Saturday, May 8

At Elizabeth's Williams Field

Top side of the bracket semi, noon

Bottom side of the bracket semi, 3 p.m.

FINAL

Saturday, May 15

At Elizabeth's Williams Field, 1 p.m.

coin flip for home and visiting teams     

UCT CHAMPIONS THE PAST DECADE: 

2009 - Scotch Plains - first time since 2004

2008 - Elizabeth - first time since 1991

2007 - Cranford - first time since 2003

2006 - Westfield - first time since 2002

2005 - Roselle Catholic - first time since 1971

2004 - Scotch Plains - first time since 1976

2003 - Cranford - first time since 2001

2002 - Westfield - first time since 1997

2001 - Cranford - first time since 2000

2000 - Cranford - first time since 1999