WEST ORANGE, NJ — The West Orange High School baseball team entered the postseason on a hot streak.
The Mountaineers, under head coach Tim Blumkin, had an eight-game winning streak going into the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4, tournament.
West Orange received the No. 8 seed in the tournament and was scheduled to host No. 9 seed Memorial, of West New York, in the first round on Wednesday, June 1. The winner will face the winner between No. 1 seed Montclair and No. 16 seed Hackensack in the quarterfinals on Saturday, June 4.
The Mountaineers defeated Wayne Hills, 4-2, on May 25, at home in a nonconference game for their eighth straight win to improve to a 13-7 record on the season. Senior Matthew Bove had a single, a double and an RBI; and juniors Michael Cassels and Curtis Battle each had a single and an RBI. Cassels also pitched a complete game, allowing five hits and three walks and striking out five. The winning streak began after the Mountaineers fell to Nutley in the first round of the Greater Newark Tournament on May 10.
Other key players for the Mountaineers offensively this season are seniors Noah Stennett, Chance Garguilo and Jason-Lamont Jackson, and juniors Amir Stewart and Riley Moses.
Other top pitchers for the team are Moses, Stewart, junior Daniel Aguilera and senior Jackson Ward.
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