WEST ORANGE, NJ – The four-time defending champion Seton Hall Prep varsity baseball team received the No. 2 seed in the Greater Newark Tournament.
The Pirates will host a first-round game on Saturday, May 6, against either Bloomfield Tech, Shabazz or Cedar Grove. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals on Thursday, May 11. The semifinals are May 13 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. at Belleville on May 13. The final is May 20 at Belleville. Millburn is the No. 1 seed. Livingston is the No. 3 seed and Columbia is the No. 4 seed in the 27-team field.
The Pirates won all four games last week to extend their winning streak to seven and raise their record to 13-2. They are currently in first place in the Super Essex Conference-American Division with a 9-1 record.
On April 24, the Pirates traveled to Newark Academy in Livingston and won 3-0. Kevin Young (3-0) threw four innings and allowed one hit with seven strikeouts and one walk. John Ariza pitched two innings and had two strikeouts and Christian Bascunan threw the final inning and had two strikeouts. SHP scored two runs in the fourth inning on a bases-loaded walk to Eric Raio and a fielder’s choice by Patrick Zadroga. They increased their lead to 3-0 on a double to left field by Nick Maldonado.
On April 26, they traveled to the Park Oval in Nutley and defeated Nutley, 3-0. Maldonado (4-0) pitched a complete game, allowing four hits and had five strikeouts. In the third inning, Ryan Hebert reached on a fielder’s choice, stole second base and scored when Jack Zyska’s ground ball was misplayed for an error. They increased their lead to 3-0, scoring two runs in the sixth inning on pinch-hit double by Raio and a fielder’s choice by Zadroga.
On Friday, April 28, they defeated West Orange High School, 9-2, at WOHS. SHP had its scoreless innings streak stopped at 36 innings when West Orange scored two runs in the second inning on an error and a triple by Vincent Desantis. Bascunan (1-0) pitched four innings, allowing two runs on three hits with three strikeouts and one walk. Steven Sgaramella pitched the final three innings for the save, allowing three hits with one strikeout. Hebert was 2-for-4 with three RBI, including a solo home run to lead off the game. Zyska was 2-for-3 with two RBI, including a solo home run in the seventh inning. Francis Prior was 1-for-2 with an RBI while Robert Sheppard had two RBI on a bases-loaded walk and a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch.
On Saturday, April 29, they traveled to Doc Goeltz Field in Verona and defeated Verona, 3-1. After Verona scored one run in the first inning, SHP tied the score on a bases-loaded walk to Angelo Crincoli. They took a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning when Zadroga laced an RBI single to center field, driving in Zyska, who reach second base on an error. They added an insurance run in the seventh when Kevin Gately was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Jack Mahala (3-0) pitched five innings, allowing one run on two hits with eight strikeouts and two walks. Ariza picked up the save, allowing one hit with five strikeouts and one walk.
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