2023-24 Rewind: Baseball NJSIAA State Tournament 1st Round, North Jersey, S1, G3: Northern Highlands vs Mount Olive

The Mt. Olive Marauders played host Northern Highlands to kick things off in the North Jersey Section 1 Group 3 opening round on a beautiful Wednesday afternoon. Little did both teams know that this would be a game that will be talked about for years to come.

Evan Radancic dug into the batter’s box for the Highlanders as southpaw Robert Hubbard peered in for the sign, and we were underway in Flanders. Hubbard and Northern Highlands starter Pathen Mather looked sharp out of the gate. 

Through three complete innings, each pitcher had allowed only one hit and had escaped scoring threats, entering the 4th inning, all tied at zero. Jake Wagner laced his 6th double of the year to lead off the inning to put the Highlanders in business. Hubbard retired the next three hitters, working out of trouble and keeping the game scoreless.

The Mauraders broke through in the bottom of the 4th when Hubbard laced a single followed by Jon Moore working a five-pitch walk. With two on and no outs, Peter Zoccolillo dug into the right side of the plate. The Junior had already batted lefty in his first plate appearance but now gave Mather a different look, puzzling many.

It took just one pitch to see the genius behind the approach of Zoccolillo and the Mt. Olive coaches. Just as Pathen delivered the first pitch of the at-bat, Hubbard and Moore took off on the double steal. Highlanders catcher Drew Devitt, now having to avoid Zoccolillo in the righty batter box, hesitated and missed throwing out Hubbard by mere centimeters.

Zoccolillo immediately switched over to the left side of the plate and drove in both runners on an RBI double, giving the Marauders a 2-0 lead. Jake Asbury later drove in the Junior, making it a 3-0 game with Mt. Olive nine outs away from advancing.

Northern Highlands put runners at the corners in the 6th but could not push a run across, keeping it a 3-0 game and heading into the top of the 7th.

After retiring the leadoff batter, Hubbard was lifted from the game after Mateo Figundio roped a one-out single. The Marauders called on Freshman Brayden Longo to close things out and send them into the second round.

Longo walked the first batter he faced but quickly retired the following hitter, putting his team one out away from advancing. That brought up Senior Beckham Stern, the number nine hitter in the Highlanders’ lineup. Stern cranked a 1-1 pitch over the wall in right-center, delivering a legendary clutch moment to tie the game at three.

As Stern entered the dugout, commotion amongst the Marauder bench and the home plate umpire ensued. Evan Radancic dug in, looking to keep the rally going, but Longo immediately stepped off the mound and floated an appeal to his catcher, Liam Shelton. Shelton received the ball and tapped the plate as the umpire raised his fist and signaled out. The lead runner had apparently not touched home plate and had been ruled out, ending the game at 3-0 and giving Mount Olive the win.

Chaos ensued, but the call was made, ending one of the most controversial high school baseball games ever seen. Fans in attendance and watching at home still can’t believe it. It’s always tough to see a game end that way, but the call stood, and the Marauders advanced.