FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
High
School Varsity Baseball
#6
NJSIAA South Jersey Group I - Quarter-Finals
BARNEGAT—Senior McNeil Wrice hit a two-out single to break a 3-3 tie in the ninth inning and junior Brendon Griffin followed with a two-run home run as #19 ranked Riverside (17-7) defeated Barnegat 6-3 in a South Jersey Group I quarter-final playoff game Friday afternoon. The Rams have won seven straight.
For Riverside, Griffin had three hits, two runs scored and two RBI's. Senior Dennis O'Hanlan added three hits for the Rams and junior Micah Linz added a double.
Barnegat opened the scoring with a two-run third inning, keyed by an error from winning pitcher Mark Cimorelli on a failed pickoff.
Up 3-2 in the seventh with two-out and one runner on base, Riverside's Brendon Griffin hit a two-out shot to centerfield that was caught by Barnegat's Dave Gomez who flipped over the fence after securing the catch approximately 380 feet from home plate. Gomez had three hits on the day for the Bengals.
Barnegat tied the game in the bottom of the seventh on three straight singles and threatened to end the game before catcher Mike Wasco picked the runner off second base for the second out of the inning.
Cimorelli went eight innings, recording five strikeouts to pick up the win, his fifth of the season. Junior Corey Mingin picked up the save, working a scoreless ninth inning.
The Rams host #7 seed Pitman on Tuesday in the semi-finals.
The Panthers upset #2 Burlington
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