Since that 1-4 start, Ridge has been one of the hottest teams in New Jersey, winning its seventh game in a row -- and third in three days -- with an 11-1 victory over Somerville at the Torpey Complex on Thursday afternoon.
Catcher Nick Rossi and first baseman Zach Kucerka drove in four runs apiece for Ridge (8-4), and pitchers Andrew Reynolds and Brady Wilson extended the pitching staff's scoreless streak to 18 innings before Somerville scored a run with two out in the fifth inning. But even that play ended up well for Ridge, as right fielder Andrew Dresner -- after an RBI single -- threw out a Somerville runner at the plate to preserve the Red Devils' 10-run lead after five innings, thus ending the game via the mercy rule.
That was the second time in the game that a Ridge right fielder pegged a runner at the plate. Starting RF Ezra Sadowsky ended the third inning with a 9-2 double play after a flyout with a runner on third base. That was one of two double plays by Ridge in the game. Sophomore shortstop Kieran Callanan went deep in the hole to nab a sharply hit grounder headed for left field in the second to start a 6-4-3 DP.
Callanan, who wasn't on the varsity roster on opening day but is the starting shortstop now, made an even more spectacular play to end the fourth inning against Somerville (3-7), ranging behind second base to field a grounder up the middle and making the difficult throw to Kucerka at first for the out.
"Our defense has done a 180 since the beginning of the season," said Rossi, a three-year varsity player who hit a two-run double in the first inning, an RBI single in the third and finished 2-for-2 with a sac fly and four RBI. "We've gotten much better in the field and on the bases."
On the bases, Ridge stole 11 bases in 12 attempts against Somerville -- three by Josh LaTourette and two each by Ben Larner and Kucerka, who was also 2-for-3 with four RBI, including a two-run single in the third inning, when the Red Devils scored four times to open a 6-0 lead.
"This team is starting to play like last year, when we didn't always get a ton of hits, but we got timely hits and a lot of two-out RBIs," Rossi said. "And the pitching's been awesome. Even with our ace (Aiden Stieglitz) currently hurt, other guys have stepped up on the mound, thrown a lot of strikes and put the ball in play. Reynolds is an excellent pitcher, and today he mixed his pitches and mixed his speeds well and got a lot of weak contact."
Reynolds, a senior right-hander, pitched three shutout innings, walked none and struck out two on Thursday. Brady Wilson followed with a scoreless inning, and Connor McLachlan struck out two batters in the fifth before Somerville got its only run of the game -- and the only run Ridge has allowed this week.
On Tuesday, the Red Devils shut out Skyland Conference rival North Hunterdon, 2-0, with Larner going 6 2/3 innings and Sadowsky getting the final out. Then, on Wednesday, Ridge went up to Randolph and blanked the state-ranked Rams, 6-0, on a combined five-hitter by Charlie Paul (3 1/3 IP, 4 hits, 4 K) and Matt Faltas (3 1/3 IP, 1 hit, 2 K).
"Our pitching staff includes a lot of guys who have done a great job, and as we're starting to play more games, we're seeing their roles emerge, with every guy going out there and taking care of business," said Ridge coach Tom Blackwell, who is still hoping to have senior right-handed ace Stieglitz back soon, albeit the team isn's sure when.
"We're playing with confidence now and we're playing loose," Blackwell said of the improvement after the rough start to 2024. "This is such a great group of guys here, and when the season started, they may have been just trying too hard. When you play with confidence, you play better, and they're having a lot of fun now."
Reynolds, in addition to his three shutout innings, reached base three times, on two singles and a walk.
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