Chatham Baseball Lockdowns No-Hit Win Over Orange in First Round of North Jersey, Group 3, Section 2 Playoff Matchup

by jdelpriore1, posted in baseball, New Jersey High School Sports, SPORTS

It was a game in which everything clicked just right for No 1. Chatham High School baseball (N.J.) against 16th-seeded Orange.

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The Cougars (19-6) put up a ten spot in the bottom of the first inning, and never looked back, as it cruised to a 16-0 victory over the Tornadoes (11-11-0) in the first round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 playoffs Wednesday evening at home.

After a successful regular season, Chatham earned its way to a top seed. Head coach Todd Leathers was happy with the way the Cougars played, showing that they deserved the top sectional ranking after a weeklong layoff, he noted. And now, Chatham gets to move on after its ace, senior Justin Zingon, delivered, while its bats unloaded its heavy firepower.

“It’s game that we get to play, being the number one seed. We came out to play. Ziggy had pretty good stuff there. It’s just a good job getting back on the field. It’s been a while since we’ve been on the field. We’ll get back on the field and have another game on Friday.”

Zingon, who surrender just a walk in his winning outing, got things going with two scoreless frames before juniors Jack Hadzima, Andrew Censullo, and Andrew Censullo came in relief and preserved the no-no with smooth, perfect performances.

Junior left fielder/pitcher Drew Speace takes lead off of second base in big win over Orange High School in North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 opener.

On the offensive side, sophomore Ben Holberton led the way for the Cougars with a 3-3, two RBI effort, while senior Dalton Loftin went 2-2 with a triple and three RBI. Junior John Jacobs enjoyed a 2-2 game with two RBI and three runs scored, and junior Drew Speace contributed with a big day of his own with two hits, two runs scored, and two RBI.

The Cougars hosts No 9. Middletown North in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 Quarterfinal Friday at 2:00 p.m.

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