Hopewell Valley’s Jayden Shin slides safely into third base against Pennington during a non-league baseball game on Saturday afternoon in Pennington. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)
PENNINGTON — One day after winning the New Jersey Independent Schools Athletics Association Prep B state title, the Pennington School baseball team had its joy spoiled by Hopewell Valley High as the seventh-seeded Bulldogs upset the second-seeded Red Hawks, 9-7, Friday in a Mercer County Tournament Championship Bracket quarterfinal at Heritage Field.
Jeffrey Blake went 3-for-4 with a double and a home run, plus knocked in four to help Hopewell (12-7) advance to Tuesday’s 3:30 p.m. semifinal at Bob DeMeo Field in Hamilton’s Veterans Park with sixth-seeded Allentown (12-7), which upset second-seeded Lawrence, 3-2, yesterday.
Bryce Meccage was 2-for-3 for Pennington with a triple, a homer and four runs batted in.
HopewellVal(12-7) 030 500 1 — 9 10 2
Pennington (16-2) 302 000 2 — 7 8 3
2B: Blake, Vlasac (HV), Bercaw (P); 3B: Meccage (P); HR: Blake (HV), Meccage (P); RBIs: JdShin, Hoppe, Blake 4, Tulli (HV), Meccage 4, Leeds 2, Hibbert (P).
WP — Echternacht (4-1); LP — RHeaton (3-1).
NOTTINGHAM 5, TRENTON 1
HAMILTON — Tyler Weniger and Matt Juliano combined on a three-hitter, while Joe Lemly drove in two runs to help the ninth-seeded Northstars defeat the 16th-seeded Tornadoes in an MCT Invitational quarterfinal.
Trenton (4-10) 000 001 0 — 1 3 1
Nottingham(11-8) 120 002 x — 5 10 2
2B: Given, Lipman (N); 3B: Juliano (N); RBIs: n/a (T), Juliano, Raba, Lipman, Lemly 2 (N).
WP — Weniger (4-2); LP — Felix (1-2); S — Juliuano (1).
EWING 6, PRINCETON 0
PRINCETON JCT. — The 12th-seeded Blue Devils shut out the 13th-seeded Tigers in an MCT Invitational Bracket quarterfinal to advance to play Nottingham Tuesday.
Princeton (5-14) 000 000 0 — 0
Ewing (7-10) 102 201 x — 6
HAMILTON WEST 3, WW-P NORTH 1
HAMILTON — Bryce Bolognini went 3-for-3 and scored a run as the 11th-seeded Hornets held off the 14th-seeded Northern Knights in an MCT Invitational Bracket quarterfinal.
Jahan Kulkarni was 2-for-3 for West Windsor-Plainsboro North.
WW-P North (5-11) 000 010 0 — 1 5 2
HamiltonWest(6-14) 200 001 x — 3 8 1
2B: Maddalena (HW); RBIs: Rossi (WWN), Bonilla, Lanausse (HW).
WP — Gutierrez (1-0); LP — Kulkarni (1-4); S — Maddalena (1).
REGULAR SEASON
MERCERSBURG 7-9, PEDDIE 5-5
MERCERSBURG, Pa. — The Blue Storm swept a doubleheader from the Falcons in Mid-Atlantic Prep League action.
Alexey Stout was 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs for Peddie in the first game. Falcons’ senior Luke Treese had two hits with a home run, three runs scored and two RBIs in the second game.
Peddie (6-6) 000 014 0 — 5 5 1
Mercersburg(11-7) 101 122 x — 7 10 3
2B: Bennett (MA); 3B: Williams (MA); HR: Archibald (MA); RBIs: Stout 2, Sarlo, Piepszak (P), Newcomer, Bennett 2, Williams, Archibald 2 (MA).
WP — Blanco; LP — Buchner (3-2).
Mercersburg(12-7) 102 006 0 — 9 9 1
Peddie (6-7) 002 201 0 — 5 5 6
3B: Newcomer (MA); HR: Treese (P); RBIs: Adusci-Poku, MacInnis, Menendez (MA), Treese 2, Sarlo, EFernandez (P).
WP — Menendez; LP — Treese (0-1).
DELRAN 14, NEW EGYPT 3
NEW EGYPT — Nolan Arnold had two hits and an RBI, but the Warriors could not hold off the Bears.
Delran (10-6-1) 102 512 3 — 14 14 4
NewEgypt(6-8) 000 030 0 — 3 6 3
2B: Taffler, Brooks, Merunka (D), Burgos (NE); 3B: Tadffler (D); RBIs: Merunka, Friddell, Papi 2, Taffler 4, Madison 2, Hoffman (D), Jenkins 2, Arnold (NE).
WP — Hoffman; LP — Arnold (0-2).
BORDENTOWN 6, COLLINGSWOOD 4
BORDENTOWN — Luke Guire went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a run and four RBIs to help the Scotties get past the Panthers.
Collingswood(10-9) 101 001 1 — 4 7 0
Bordentown (9-11) 011 400 x — 6 10 1
2B: Search (C), Bassett, Carlini, Guire 2, Runner (B); RBIs: Search 2, Talley (C), Guire 4, Runner, Bassett (B).
WP — Rossell (1-2); LP — Schell; S — Forster (1).