The Columbia High School varsity baseball team hopes to make a strong run in the Greater Newark Tournament.
The fourth-seeded Cougars will host 13th-seeded West Orange in the first round on Saturday, May 6 at 2:30 p.m. at Underhill Field. The winner will face the winner between No. 5 seed Nutley and No. 12 seed West Essex in the quarterfinals on May 11.
Christian Pierre, a junior, went 3-for-4 with a homer, double and five RBI to lead the Cougars to an 11-4 win over Nutley on April 28 in a Super Essex Conference-American Division game. Senior Reid Evans and senior Daniel Cotler each had two hits and two RBI; sophomore Phil Whitney had two RBI and junior Luke Jackson and senior Danny Boehmer each had two hits. Winning pitcher Michael Roseman, a junior, allowed six hits and one walk over six innings, striking out four.
The Cougars fell to Caldwell, 6-2, at Yogi Berra Stadium on the campus of Montclair State University on Saturday, April 29, in a SEC non-division game. Cotler had two hits and Jackson and Whitney each had an RBI for the Cougars, who moved to a 6-6 record.
In earlier action, the Cougars lost to Livingston, 6-5, April 24, in a SEC-American Division game at Underhill Field. Sophomore Eliot Dix went 3-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI; junior Dan Lawall went 3-for-3 with a solo homer and Boehmer went 2-for-3 with a solo homer.