BY JAMIE HAZEL
The 9-8 baseball team shut down Seton Hall Prep, a top three team in the State. The win stands as highlight in an inconsistent season in which the team has had to adjust after losing many top contributors to graduation.
On April 19, in front of Major League Baseball Scouts, the boys faced Seton Hall Prep, a talented team with a draft prospect pitcher. Unintimated, the boys secured a 9-3 win. “It’s proven to the entire team that despite our struggles, we have the talent to be one of the top teams in the State,” said junior Adrian Lutomski. “We have to play every game for the rest of the season how we did against Seton Hall Prep.”
The Knights jumped ahead by scoring three runs in the first inning. “We were able to score three runs on one of the top pitchers in the country,” said senior Justin Hascup, who stole home for the third run after walking to get on base.
Sophomore pitcher Brady Meyers set the tone by surrendering just one run on two hits over five innings. “It felt amazing to pitch against one of the best teams in the State and come out with a team win,” said Meyer, who struck out five batters in the game.
Meyer’s pitching and the team’s strong defense held the lead for the first five innings. “My personal highlight was throwing out a runner trying to steal second to gain momentum back on our side and get the energy up,” said Lutomski.
After Seton Hall tied the game at three in the fifth inning, the Knights blew the game open with six runs in the bottom of the inning. Junior Christopher Crosta hit a two-RBI single. “I was in a big slump, and it brought back a lot of confidence, and, since then, I’ve been hitting the ball very well,” said Crosta.
Prior to this game, the boys had played inconsistently. On April 1, they opened the season against East Brunswick with a 12-2 win. Senior John Smith had two singles and a double. The two teams met again on April 3, and Old Bridge lost 3-1. Sophomore Jared Volpe had a single and a double.
In between, on April 2, the boys beat Spotswood 7-3. Smith struck out eight players in five innings. “I’ve been pitching great and look to continue doing that,” said Smith, who has acquired a 0.92 ERA over 30.1 innings this year after pitching just one inning all of last year.
Every time the boys lost, they continued to improve and looked to win the next game. Next, the boys played against Edison on April 5 and 9. First, they lost 10-6, but they improved and won 6-2.
Staying on trend, the boys lost to St. Joseph 6-3 on April 13, followed with a 9-0 win against them on April 17. Senior Akhil Penkala had three hits and two RBIs. “We put the pieces together and did what needed to be done,” said Meyers, who contributed with two hits. “It feels rewarding. I love being able to compete at this level.”
With a 7-7 record in the GMC Red Division, the team hopes to go on a run in the upcoming post season by matching their performances in those big wins and avoiding the mistakes that led to the losses.
Whatever happens the rest of the season, they will remember the legendary win over Seton Hall Prep. “They are a top 5 team in the state, and we showed that we could handle a team like that,” said Hascup.
Posted on 5/7/25
Photos by Katelyn Buchalter
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