Fresh Off Semifinal Win Vs. GL
Johnson Eyes UCT Championship

UNION - Johnson won the championship once in 1980.

Union Catholic captured the crown for the only time in 1984.

On Monday night one of those schools will be celebrating a county championship for the first time in over 40 years.

The 72nd annual baseball Union County Tournament championship game will pit fourth-seeded Johnson (17-4) vs. second-seeded Union Catholic (15-9) Monday, May 18, at Kean University's Jim Hynes Class of 1963 Field.
First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.

Johnson advanced by coming back to beat top-seeded and two-time defending champion Gov. Livingston 3-2 in eight innings in Saturday's first semifinal. Union Catholic then eliminated sixth-seeded Westfield 5-2 in the second semifinal.

Johnson is in the championship game for the first time since 2019. Union Catholic is in the final for the second straight season. The Vikings reached the final last year for the first time since the only year they won the event in 1984, falling to defending champion GL 5-0.

Johnson winning pitcher Brody Gulbin also drove in the game-winning run with a two-out, first-pitch, RBI-single to center in the top of the eighth that scored Quel McBride from second. McBride reached on an eight-pitch walk to lead off the extra inning. It was Johnson's only walk of the game.
"I saw a pitch I liked and just hit it," Gulbin said. 

Anthony Minniti produced a fine, sacrifice bunt to move McBride to second and then two batters later Gulbin, one of Johnson's key seniors. connected on the fourth first-pitch hit of the game. The UCT semifinal also included 11 first-pitch outs as both teams were ready to make contact as soon as they stepped into the batter's box.

The 11th and final first-pitch out came on the game's final play. Following a one-out Zach Geertsma triple to left in the bottom of the eighth, GL hit into a shocking double play on the game's final play, sending Johnson to the final for the first time in seven years.

A ball was hit to Johnson third baseman Vincent Cilento, who threw to catcher Justin Zdeb, with Zdeb making the tag on Geertsma for the inning's second out. Then on the same play Zdeb also had the focus to throw the ball to second to get the game's final out.

It was a bang-bang, unexpected, 5-2-6 inning-ending and game-ending double play that prevented GL from reaching the championship game for the fourth straight season. The Highlanders were also trying to become just the third school to win three UCT championships in a row.

GL fell to 21-4 and has now lost its last five games dating back to two years ago all by one run and all in extra innings, including twice to Johnson this year.

When Johnson came back to beat GL 2-1 in nine innings on April 11 in a Union County Conference-crossover clash in Clark it was the host Crusaders snapping GL's state record 40-game winning streak. On Saturday Johnson snapped a 13-game GL winning streak.

GL repeated as the UCC's Watchung Division champion this year with an 11-1 league mark. Johnson captured the Mountain Division crown at 8-2.
Johnson was 0-12 in the Watchung Division just two years ago.

"We have a great group of seniors," Gulbin said. "It's really like a family, the bond we have."

Another Johnson senior that came through in the clutch was designated hitter Nick Donofrio. With two outs and runners on first and second in the top of the fourth, Donofrio blasted a shot one bounce off the left field fence that was good for a two-run double that tied the game at 2-2.

"This is a great win, but the job is not finished," Donofrio said. 

GL senior right-hander Reid Bazydlo then retired the next 10 batters he faced before walking McBride, who made a fine diving catch in right field in the bottom of the seventh.

Bazydlo was perfect in five innings, with Johnson only able to produce baserunners in the third, fourth and eighth innings. Bazydlo tossed a five-hitter that included four strikeouts and just one walk.

Gulbin, who was perfect in four innings, hurled a four-hitter that included six strikeouts, one walk and one hit batsman. Both runs he gave up were unearned as a result of the game's only error.

"Brody was terrific," said Johnson head coach Dave Kennedy, who as a Glen Ridge junior in 1987 shut out Irvington 3-0 in the 1987 Greater Newark Tournament championship game. "It was Brody's best outing of the year. He was at 88 pitches through seven innings, which is incredibly efficient."

Gulbin finished with 95 pitches and improved his mound record to 6-1.
Bazydlo threw 88 pitches and fell to 5-1. It was as good of a performance a pitcher could have in a losing cause.

"Both pitchers were great," Kennedy said.

GL took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second. After scoring the game's first run on an infield error, designated hitter Jackson Crimaldi then produced a bloop, RBI-single to right-center that made it 2-0. Addison Adornato, who led off the inning with a single to left, scored GL's first run.

Johnson's fourth inning saw Raphael DaRocha line a single to center with one out and then two batters later Cilento connected on an opposite field single to right. Donofrio followed with the game's third first-pitch hit, sending home DaRocha and Cilento with his game-tying, two-run double.

Gulbin prevented GL from re-taking the lead when the Highlanders had a runner on second and nobody out in the fifth and runners on second and third with just one out in the sixth.

Johnson has now won seven in a row.

GL outscored its seven previous opponents 98-14, scoring in double digits in all seven of those victories.

In a UCC-crossover at Union Catholic in Scotch Plains back on April 18 it was Johnson coming out on top 3-2 to improve to 9-1. Union Catholic was 8-2 after its first 10 games.

Union Catholic, guided by former Viking standout Anthony Colletti, Jr., went 8-4 in Watchung Division play. The Vikings went 17-9 last year and 16-9 two years ago.

Sophomore Chris Tortorella was the winning pitcher Saturday vs. Westfield, allowing only two runs on four hits in a 6 and 2/3 inning outing. Tortorella struck out seven and walked four.  

BASEBALL UCT SEMIFINAL AT KEAN UNIVERSITY
4-Johnson (17-4) 0       0       0         2       0       0         0    1 - 3       5       1
1-GL (21-4)         0       2       0         0       0       0         0    0 - 2       4       0
WP: Brody Gulbin (6-1). LP: Reid Bazydlo (5-1).

72ND ANNUAL BASEBALL
UNION COUNTY TOURNAMENT

SEEDS: 1-Gov. Livingston. 2-Union Catholic. 3-Scotch Plains-Fanwood. 4-Johnson.
5-Cranford. 6-Westfield 7-Oratory Prep. 8-New Providence.
9-Summit. 10-Brearley. 11-Elizabeth. 12-Roselle Park.
13-Dayton. 14-Union. 15-Plainfield. 16-Linden.
17-Rahway.

PRELIMINARY ROUND:
Thursday, May 7
Linden 10, Rahway 1 - at Linden

FIRST ROUND:
Saturday, May 9
Gov. Livingston 21, Linden 0 - at GL
Summit 5, New Providence 4 - at New Providence
Johnson 10, Dayton 0 - at Johnson
Cranford 13, Roselle Park 0 - at Cranford
Union Catholic 15, Plainfield 2 - at UC
Brearley 8, Oratory Prep 1 - at Oratory Prep
Union 6, Scotch Plains-Fanwood 5 - at SP-F
Westfield 8, Elizabeth 1 - at Westfield
The home team went 5-3.

QUARTERFINALS:
Wednesday, May 13
TOP SIDE OF THE BRACKET
Gov. Livingston 12, Summit 2 - at GL
Johnson 11, Cranford 4 - at Johnson
BOTTOM SIDE OF THE BRACKET
Union Catholic 9, Brearley 3 - at UC
Westfield 9, Union 3 - at Westfield
The home team went 4-0.

SEMIFINALS:
Saturday, May 16
At Kean University
Johnson 3, Gov. Livingston 2 (8 inn.)
Union Catholic 5, Westfield 2

FINAL:
Monday, May 18
At Kean University, 6:30 p.m.
4-Johnson (17-4) vs. 2-Union Catholic (15-9)