Following the thrilling 1st round on Friday, we're in for another exciting day as the Quarterfinals are set to take place on Saturday afternoon. With the Morris County Tournament now narrowed down to just eight teams, let's get a sneak peek at the matchups that promise to be action-packed.
No. 9 Pequannock vs. No. 1 Morris Knolls
Nick Werner had another lights-out performance, allowing just one run and striking out nine over 6.1 innings. Ryan Foley led the offense, going 2-3 while driving in two of the team's three runs, and the Golden Panthers topped Madison 3-1 to advance.
Morris Knolls had a scare against 16-seed Parsippany and was shut down the majority of the game by the Red Hawks pitching staff. After Parsippany jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the 1st, Senior Colin Ferschman tossed three shutout innings and passed the baton to Daniel Calantropio.
The Junior hurler only allowed one hit, leaving it up to the Golden Eagles offense to wake up. Luke Dickerson tied the game with a sac fly, and in the 8th, James Kahm laced a double off the wall to send Morris Knolls to the next round.
Saturday Probables
With Werner hitting his pitch limit at 110, look for the Golden Panthers to send Senior Braedan Kelly to the mound in Saturday’s matchup with Knolls. Kelly has 33 strikeouts on the year to go along with this 2.10 ERA. For Knolls, Joe O’Toole or James Kahn may start, but the entire staff will be available for the Golden Eagles if needed,
No. 12 Chatham vs. No. 4 Mendham
Chatham comes in off a huge upset, shutting out Mount Olive 3-0 Friday. The Cougars went to their ace Wes Maksimow, and boy did he deliver. The Junior tossed a complete game shutout, allowing only three hits to get the win. Charlie Shuhansky drove in two of the team’s runs, capping off a 2-2 day with two stolen bases.
Mendham Senior Dylan Swarts got the nod and continued his electric season on the mound. Swarts allowed three runs and struck out nine en route to the complete game 4-3 win. Tommy Blackwell provided the spark on offense, going 2-3 and driving in one of the Minutemen’s for runs.
Saturday Probables
With Chatham using Maksimow on Friday, the only other arm with more than ten innings pitched is Trent Jenks. The Senior should get the call tomorrow looking to upset yet another high-seeded team. The Minutemen will send Ryan Leckie to the mound, who has struck out 12 on the year so far.
No 6. West Morris vs. No. 3 Randolph
The Wolfpack had themselves a hell of a day at the plate. Heading into the 5th inning, West Morris had already put the game away against Whippany Park, leading 12-1. Evan Rymer just keeps on hitting, going 4-4 with an RBI in the rout. Owen Wormann, Nick Dargel, and Donovan Veletto each drove in three runs to help the Wolfpack cruise to a 16-6 win over Whippany Park.
After snapping their 2-game skid as they topped Livingston Wednesday, the Rams turned to Miami commit James Kleiven in round one. While control has been an issue for the top-ranked Senior, he showed why he is one of the best in the entire state. The Randolph ace tossed five innings of one-run ball, striking out seven and allowing just one hit. Connor Stokoe drove in three runs while Rocco Albano and Mason Wilson added two RBIs a piece, and the Rams cruised to an 11-14 victory.
Saturday Probables
Nick Rotundo is in line to start for the Wolfpack on Saturday. The Junior has a 2.12 ERA with 35 Ks in just 29.2 innings pitched. The Rams will send Senior Tommy Martin to the mound, who has been coach Mark Rizzi’s go-to arm all year. Martin has a 1.56 ERA and 39 strikeouts on the year.
No. 7 Montville vs. No. 2 Delbarton
The Mustangs were facing a 2-0 deficit when they came up to bat in the bottom of the 1st. They responded in the bottom half of the inning, scoring four runs to jump out in front. After Roxbury tied the game, Montville jumped back in from with a two-run 5th and advanced to face the four-time defending tournament champion, Delbarton. Logan Force was 2-2 with two RBIs and a triple to lead the Mustangs.
Delbarton came out and showed Morris County why they have taken home the title four straight years. Nearly every single player that stepped up to the plate drove in a run for the Green Wave. Delbarton rolled to a five-inning 13-0 victory and is all set to host Montville on Saturday afternoon.
Saturday Probables
The Mustangs could go with either Logan Force or Ben Bruchhauser to try and shut down what looks to be an unstoppable Delbarton lineup. Ryan Holman and AJ Saccento threw a combined total of 79 pitches on Friday, so both could be an option for Bruce Shatel tomorrow.
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