NJSIAA public high school baseball state semifinals recap

The Cherokee High School baseball team celebrates a home run during its 11-1 win over Eastern in an Olympic Conference American Division showdown at Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees, New Jersey on Thursday, April 24, 2025. Max Milligan/D2 Sports Network

The final stage is set.

Four New Jersey public high school state champions will be crowned at Veterans Park in Hamilton on Saturday.

The non-public state championships are scheduled for Wednesday. Gloucester Catholic and Pope John will play in the Non-Public B state final at 4 pm. Christian Brothers Academy and Don Bosco Prep will battle for the Non-Public A state championship at 7 pm.

Here's a recap of Monday's public high school state semifinals:

Group 1:

Midland Park 4, Brearley 0: The Panthers earned their sixth consecutive win and second straight shutout with a 4-0 decision in the Group 1 state semifinals. Braiden Russell tallied eight strikeouts and allowed only two hits and one walk in six innings pitched. He also notched a hit and scored a run. Ryan Fleming finished with two hits and drove in a pair of runs. Conor Shortway doubled and finished with two hits and a run scored. Ryan Kuhnel and Ryan Natoli each scored a run. Midland Park improved its record to 21-8-1.

Middlesex 4, Schalick 3: Dalton Michael delivered a pinch-hit single with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning to propel the Blue Jays to their first Group 1 state final appearance since 2021. Dom Parenti smashed a home run in the victory. Marcus Lavornia doubled, drew a walk and scored a run. Owen Reynolds finished with a single, a run scored and a stolen base. Chris Kozak pitched 7.1 innings and struck out four. Dominic Long earned the win with two strikeouts in 0.2 innings. Elijah Cummings finished with two hits and scored a run for the Cougars. Middlesex improved its record to 22-5. Schalick concluded its campaign with a 22-3 record.

Group 2:

West Morris 6, Glen Rock 2: The Wolfpack exploded for six runs in the third inning to improve their record to 20-10 and advance to a state championship for the first time since 2019. Cooper North drove in a pair of runs in the victory. Nick Rotundo earned the win on the mound. He allowed 10 hits and two earned runs in 6.2 innings pitched. Evan Lagemann and Sean Spitaleri each tallied two hits and an RBI for the Panthers. Glen Rock finished with a 24-6 record.

Governor Livingston 8, Haddonfield 6: The Highlanders used a five-run fifth inning to improve their record to 27-0 and advance to their second straight Group 2 state championship. Governor Livingston's fifth inning outburst created an 8-3 advantage. Matty Diskin recorded four hits including a triple and drove in four runs for the top-ranked team in New Jersey. Michael Basile doubled, tripled, scored and drove in two runs. Reid Bazydlo and Dominic Labisi each scored a run. Keith Mann struck out nine and allowed two earned runs in 5.1 innings pitched. Addison Adornato, Anthony DeNora, Zach Geertsma and Michael Novotny. each tallied a hit, and a run scored. Haddonfield finished its campaign with a 24-6 record. Owen Ryan drove in three runs in the setback. Griffin Clarke and Jackson Gayer each recorded a pair of hits and scored a run. James Rowe scored two runs.

Group 3:

Morris Knolls 3, South Plainfield 2: The two-time defending Group 3 state champions improved their record to 15-11 and advanced to a third straight Group 3 final with a 3-2 decision on Monday. Colin Iberer drew a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the seventh inning to secure the victory. Dylan Fitzsimmons finished with two hits and a home run. The senior also struck out four in two innings pitched. Dean Kaletcher struck out seven in six innings pitched. Ryan McDonald also homered in the win. Ryan Kuehne drew a walk, recorded a hit and scored a run. Chris Loniewski recorded two hits for the Tigers. South Plainfield finished its season with an 18-11 record.

Northern Burlington 11, Toms River East 0: Luca Mannino struck out 10 batters and tossed a no-hitter as the Greyhounds dominated the Raiders in five innings. Jimmy Musser tallied three hits and two runs scored. Cole Marchetti and Brent Walulak belted three-run home runs. Liam Velit hit a two-run home run and Nick Dromboski finished with three hits. Northern Burlington improved its record to 27-2 and advanced to the Group 3 state championship for the first time since 2015. Toms River East concluded its campaign with a 20-7 record.

Group 4:

Westfield 4, Passaic Tech 1: Grant Como struck out 10 and surrendered only one earned run in a complete game effort to propel the Blue Devils to their first state final appearance since 2018. Westfield improved its record to 20-6. Braedan Trajkovski blasted a two-run home run. Pete Cabrales and Charlie McCormack finished with two hits apiece. McCormack, Jake Alfano and Jordan Walsh each scored a run. Christian Herrera scored the lone run for the Bulldogs. Herrera, Justin Brown and Melvin Genao each recorded a hit. Passaic Tech finished its campaign with a 24-7 record.

Cherokee 11, Hillsborough 0: Henry Radbill struck out eight and allowed only one hit as the Chiefs thumped the Raiders in five innings. He also recorded a pair of singles. Hillsborough ended its season with a 14-11 record. Mason Kelleher hit a pair of home runs, a double and drove in five runs. Alex Odud roped two doubles, drove in two runs and scored twice. Brett Jackson finished with two RBIs. Jason Brown scored a pair of runs. Cooper Burti drove in a run on a single. Burti and Nathan Linden both finished with a hit and a run scored. The Marlton program improved its record to 26-3. Cherokee advanced to its first Group 4 state final since 1985.