Senior Captain and SUNY New Paltz commit, Nick Palumbo gets Nutley’s first hit of the game in the first inning, steals second and third, and scores the first run on a wild pitch.
ALLENDALE, NJ — The 10th-seeded Nutley High School baseball team upset No. 7 seed Northern Highlands, 3-2, in nine innings in the first round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 1, Group 3 state tournament on Tuesday, May 27, at Northern Highlands in Allendale.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, with one out, NHS sophomore Dominic Saladino caught a fly ball to center field. The Northern Highlands runner tagged from third base after the catch. Saladino threw the ball to senior catcher Santino Ruiz, who tagged the runner for the out to end the game in dramatic fashion.
The Raiders had five hits. Senior Keith Jiratatprasot had two hits, including the game-winning home run in the ninth inning. Ruiz and seniors Nick Palumbo and Ben McNeil each had one hit.
The Raiders, who improved to 14-12 on the season, will visit No. 2 seed Old Tappan in the quarterfinals on Friday, May 30. If the Raiders win, they will face either No. 6 seed Morris Knolls or No. 14 seed Bergenfield in the semifinals on Tuesday, June 3.
Photos Courtesy of Jose Raboy
Nutley vs. Northern Highlands (North 1, Group 3 sectional first round, May 27)
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