MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Senior Ben Leepson delivered an RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the sixth-seeded Columbia High School baseball team past No. 11 seed Nutley, 5-4, in the first round of the Greater Newark Tournament on Friday, May 2, at Underhill Sports Complex in Maplewood.
Senior Zac Calveric went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI and junior Will Iozzio pitched 6 ⅔ innings, allowing four earned runs on six hits and three walks and striking out eight, for the win.
The Cougars won their third straight game to improve to 9-6 on the season. They were scheduled to visit No. 3 seed West Essex in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, May 7, in North Caldwell after press time. The winner between CHS and West Essex will face the winner between No. 2 seed Livingston and No. 7 seed Montclair Kimberley Academy in the semifinals on Saturday, May 10, at Porcelli Field at the Kelly Athletic Complex in West Orange.
In earlier action, Columbia defeated Union, 13-3, on Wednesday, April 30, at Underhill Sports Complex. Senior Nolan Secor had a home run and four RBI; junior Isaac Buchalter went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and two runs. Evan Straub had a single, two RBI and a run; Calveric went 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs, senior Ben Leepson went 2-for-2 with a walk and an RBI; and senior Zach Barron had a single, an RBI and a run. Sophomore Gavin Lubomski pitched 3 ⅔ innings, allowing three runs, one earned, on five hits and one walk, striking out six
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