The semifinal round of the Group 3 NJSIAA State Tournament wrapped up with plenty of excitement across all brackets. Each bracket featured two games, narrowing the field down to just two teams remaining in each. The semifinal round delivered its fair share of upsets, as lower-seeded teams rose to the occasion and knocked off favorites. There were also standout performances from both teams and individual players, setting the tone for what promises to be an intense and competitive tournament. The action picks back up later today with the Sectional finals, as the remaining teams look to finish off a sucessful season. Today, we will be taking a look at the results from the group 3 semifinal games.

NORTH 1 BRACKET

+ In the North 1 bracket, Ramapo edged Wayne hills 5-4 thanks to a walk-off walk by Ty Barber with two outs in the bottom if the seventh. In the bottom of the bracket, sixth seeded Morris Knolls advances to the championship after defeating second seeded Old Tappan 5-3 thanks to a sold day at the plate by Gavin Toland. (3-for-4, R, 2 RBI, 2B). Top seeded Ramapo will take on Morris Knolls tomorrow for the Sectional Championship.

NORTH 2 BRACKET

+ Top seeded Colonia took the win against North Hunterdon 1-0 in a 10 inning game. Monmouth commit Cory Pascarella tossed 7.2 innings allowing just one hit and struck out 12. On the other side, South Plainfield took down second seeded Millburn 8-1, advancing to the Sectional Finals thanks to a solid offensive showing throughout the whole lineup. 

CENTRAL BRACKET

+ In he Central bracket, both winners had quality offensive performances, both scoring eight runs en route to a win. Northern Burlington beat Lawrence 8-2, Rowan commit Luca Mannino had two XBH (2B, HR) and 2 RBIs, Rutgers commit Cole Marchetti had three hits, a double, and two RBIs. Brick Memorial took down No. 6 seed Middletown South 8-6, Brody Moore and Jimi Popp each had three RBIs for Brick Memorial. 

SOUTH BRACKET

+ The Group 3 South bracket will feature a mathup between two Toms River programs as Toms RIver South beat Ocean City 4-3 and Toms River East took down Shawnee 2-0. TRE pitcher Mason Pentz tossed six shutout innings, striking out six, recieving the win in the semifinal matchup.

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