NUTLEY– The eighth-seeded Nutley High School varsity baseball team scored five runs in the top of the 11th inning and defeated top-seeded Mendham, 10-5, to advance to the semifinals of the state North Jersey Section 2, Group 3 tournament on May 26 in Mendham.
Anthony Condito went 2-for-5 with a double, RBI and two runs; Pete Lopez had two hits and two RBI; and Raul Ortega and Sean Bernardo each had two RBI for the Raiders, who improved to a 20-9 record.
The Raiders scored three runs in the top of the fifth inning to take a 4-1 lead. Mendham scored a run in the bottom of the fifth. Nutley added a run in the sixth to make it 5-2. Mendham rallied with three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to force extra innings. Nutley broke the tie with the five-run rally in the 11th to win it.
Nick Santoriello got the win in relief, pitching 3 2/3 innings of one-hit ball with two strikeouts and one walk.
The Raiders will visit fourth-seeded Cranford in the semifinals on May 31. The other semifinal pits second-seeded Somerville against third-seeded Governor Livingston. The final is June 3.
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