Sports
Calamoneri Pitches Shutout, Clutch Two-Out Hits Lift Hillsborough Into County Final
Pitcher allows just two hits, Raiders score all three runs with two outs in fifth inning.
The baseball team defeated Bridgewater-Raritan 3-0 Saturday evening in the Somerset County Tournament semifinals at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater. Matt Calamoneri pitched a two-hit shutout to lift Hillsborough.
The third-seeded Raiders will face eighth-seeded Ridge, which beat Watchung Hills 5-3 in eight innings in the other semifinal, in Tuesday night's championship at TD Bank Ballpark at 7 p.m.
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Final
Bridgewater (8-12)
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Hillsborough (11-7)
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IN SHORT
The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fifth inning when the Raiders scored all of their runs. With two outs, Mackey Price, Tyler Ferretti and Dan Sheldon hit consecutive doubles that all drove in runs. The three runs were all that Calamoneri needed as he set down the final six Bridgewater hitters in order.
RAIDER OF THE GAME
Matt Calamoneri—The senior pitched a complete game, only allowing two hits with five strikeouts and one walk. After a slow start, he retired the final 10 batters he faced.
“When Matt is on the mound, we are in every ballgame. He is just a bulldog and he’s a very special player. He was on another level tonight. He had some nerves in the first few innings but he got better as the game went on.”—Head Coach Norm Hewitt
OTHER KEY PERFORMANCES
Mackey Price went 1-for-2 with an RBI double in the fifth.
Dylan Zebro went 2-for-3 and scored the first run of the game.
COACH’S TAKE
“This game was long overdue. We had a tough start to the season and we lost some very tough games so playing like this really feels good. We got great pitching and we played very good defense and we had some really good clutch hitting which is a recipe for wins. I’m so happy for our kids, our program and our community because they all deserve this opportunity.”—Hewitt
THEY SAID IT
“Everything started to click for me by the third inning. I started locating my pitches and really started bringing my fastball. I’ve always dreamed of playing in the county finals. The only problem is I’m not going to be able to pitch. Paul Mammino is going to get the start and we have a ton of confidence in him to bring home the championship.”—Starting pitcher Matt Calamoneri
UP NEXT—At North Hunterdon Monday at 3:45 p.m.
