Group 1: Pompton Lakes (25-4) @ Point Pleasant Beach (25-4)

The Group 1 Final will kick off the slate of games on Saturday in a matchup of two 24-4 teams. Neither school has brought home a state title, making our lead-off game as intense as it gets. 

Pompton Lakes, propelled by the outstanding performance of starting pitcher Vinne Stigliano, emerged victorious over Dayton in the Semifinal with a score of 5-3. Justin Bolt led the offensive attack by going 2-for-4 with two RBIs, a double, and a triple. 

Stigliano and Harrison Curran are the team leaders for the Cardinals’ offense. Stigliano leads the way with a .460 batting average and a team-leading 31 RBIs on the year, while Curran’s average sits at .435, driving in 19 runs with 40 hits.

Point Pleasent Beach, with a dominant 12-2 road win over Gloucester, is poised to claim their first-ever state title. The Garnet Gulls, led by Junior Noah Banick (.500 BA / 41 RBIs) and Sophomore backstop Danny Lubach (.506 BA / 41 RBIs), boast an offense that has scored double-digit runs 18 times this season.

Probable Starters:

The Cardinals will send Tyler Benway to toe the slab and shut down a powerful Point Pleasent offense. Benway enters 7-2 with a 1.25 ERA on the year, striking out 82 and walking just 11 in his 56 innings pitched. 

Ryan Doyle will take the ball for the Garnet Gulls tomorrow. The senior will be throwing in his last game in high school and is 6-1 in the year with a 0.95 ERA. Doyle has set down 64 batters this year but has allowed 31 walks.

Final Thoughts

Talk about opening the day up with a bang! These teams match up perfectly, as both can put up runs and have stellar pitching staffs. Perhaps the early start affects the game slightly, but if both starters bring their best stuff, there is no reason why this shouldn’t be a tight, lower-scoring game. Remember, good pitching always beats good hitting.

The NJSIAA State Finals start…..NOW!