CBA, RBC Take Their Baseball Rivalry to Sectional Finals

NJSIAA South Jersey Non-Public A Sectional Championship

Friday, June 6, 2025

 

No. 2 Red Bank Catholic (20-7) at No. 1 Christian Brothers Academy (21-4), 3 p.m.

 

Red Bank Catholic at Glance

Head Coach: Buddy Hausmann
Last Sectional Title: 2023
Last Sectional Final Appearance: 2023
Road to the Final: Defeated No. 10 Donovan Catholic, 11-1; No. 3 St. Augustine, 9-8

 

Projected Lineup

Dylan Passo, Sr., 1B (.414, 29 H, 8 2B, 1 3B, 33 R, 15 RBI, 9 SB)

Max Dantoni, Sr., SS (.262, 17 H, 1 2B, 1 HR, 24 R, 18 RBI, 25 SB)

Charlie Stumberger, Jr., RF (.291, 25 H, 5 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 23 R, 32 RBI, 11 SB)

Aiden Funk, Jr., C (.412, 21 H, 6 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 10 R, 24 RBI, 3 SB)

Jake Frankel, Jr., LF (.276, 24 H, 1 2B, 3 3B, 4 HR, 17 R, 29 RBI, 4 SB)

Luke Lonczak, So., DH (.286, 14 H, 2 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 16 R, 12 RBI, 9 SB)

A.J. Sciametta, Sr., 2B (.371, 26 H, 2 3B, 2 HR, 18 R, 10 RBI, 6 SB)

Drew Cannon, Jr., 3B (.194, 14 H, 2 2B, 14 R, 16 RBI, 1 SB)

Luke Scaturro, So., CF (.244, 10 H, 1 2B, 20 R, 11 RBI, 10 SB)

 

Probable Starting Pitcher

Sam French, Fr., RHP (3-0, 1.40 ERA, 20 IP, 12 H, 13 BB, 16 SO)

 

Available Relief Pitchers

Glen Popes, Jr., RHP (4-2, 3.32 ERA, 31.2 IP, 20 H, 18 BB, 31 SO)

Joe Mauro, Jr., RHP (3-0, 3.50 ERA, 10 IP, 7 H, 5 BB, 10 SO)

Anthony Scaglione, So., RHP (2-1, 3.13 ERA, 15.2 IP, 14 H, 9 BB, 17 SO)

 

Ineligible Pitchers

Ryan Prior, Sr., RHP

Luke Meyers, Sr., RHP

 

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CBA at a Glance

 

Head Coach: Marty Kenney Jr.
Last Sectional Title: 2015
Last Sectional Final Appearance: 2022
Road to the Final: Defeated No. 8 Paul VI, 2-0; No. 4 St. Joseph Metuchen, 6-3

Projected Lineup

Will Fahey, Sr., CF (.417, 20 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 18 R, 8 RBI, 13 SB)

Dylan Reynholds, So., 2B (.292, 7 H, 3 2B, 1 HR, 6 R, 5 RBI)

Danny Tsimbinos, Sr., C (.507, 35 H, 14 2B, 1 HR, 5 R, 31 RBI, 1 SB)

Dylan Iwanyk, Jr., P (.214, 3 H, 1 R, 4 RBI)

Dan Russo, Sr., 3B (.333, 26 H, 2 2B, 17 R, 21 RBI)

Ryan Wetmore, So., RF (.311, 23 H, 6 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 17 R, 17 RBI)

Jayden Matejicka, Jr., LF (.246, 16 H, 3 2B, 24 R, 10 RBI, 18 SB)

Jared Matejicka, Jr., 1B (.344, 22 H, 7 2B, 1 3B, 25 R, 21 RBI, 15 SB)

Colin Hoverter, Jr., SS (.269, 14 H, 2 2B, 17 R, 11 RBI, 6 SB)

 

Probable Starting Pitcher

Dylan Iwanyk, Jr., RHP (3-0, 0.55 ERA, 25.1 IP, 8 H, 17 BB, 31 SO)

 

Available Relief Pitchers

Shane Langan, Sr., RHP (1-0, 2 saves, 0.86 ERA, 16.1 IP, 5 H, 7 BB, 36 SO)

Jack Dufficy, Sr., RHP (4-1, 2.96 ERA, 23.2 IP, 23 H, 8 BB, 31 SO)

Dan Pardini, Jr., LHP (1-1, 2 saves, 3.23 ERA, 13 IP, 10 H, 11 BB, 21 SO)

Sean Loggie, Jr., LHP (5-1, 2.39 ERA, 29.1 IP, 17 H, 20 BB, 48 SO)

 

Ineligible Pitchers

Danny DiTullio, Jr., LHP

 

 

The Year of the Rivalry in the NJSIAA sectional finals did not end on Thursday night in Toms River. On Friday, Red Bank Catholic and CBA will meet for the fourth time this season, which will mark the most head-to-head meetings in a single season between the two Monmouth County non-public rivals.

Postseason tournament clashes between RBC and CBA are nothing new, but Friday at Christian Brothers Academy will mark the first time the two Shore Conference powerhouses will play in a South Jersey Non-Public A championship game and just the second time in the last 15 years that they will meet at any point in the state tournament. The only time the two teams have played during the state tournament in the last decade-and-a-half, CBA beat RBC at County Basie Park in the 2022 sectional quarterfinals on the way to reaching the South Jersey championship game, which the Colts lost to St. Augustine.

The Shore Conference has not had a Non-Public A champion since St. John Vianney and CBA won titles in consecutive years in 2014 and 2015, so both teams are playing to end a 10-year drought for the Shore.

Team of Destiny?

When Max Dantoni hit the final ground ball of the game Wednesday against St. Augustine and Brady Jackson threw the ball away to score A.J. Sciametta and Jordan Mosenthine with the tying and winning runs, it marked the first time in a decade of the South Jersey state playoffs that a team did to St. Augustine what the Hermits had done to so many other teams.

The two finalists on Friday have both had it done to them. Playing at home, St. Augustine was down to its last out in 2021 against RBC in the South Non-Public A final and a throwing error at second base on what could have been the final out extended the game. Three stolen bases later – including a straight steal of home – and the game was headed to extra innings, with the Hermits dealing the Caseys their most bitter defeat in program history on a walk-off hit in the eighth inning.

“That one will bother me forever,” RBC coach Buddy Hausmann said of the loss in 2021. “But to do what we did (on Wednesday) does feel a little bit like justice. Not that (St. Augustine) deserved to lose that way, just that it felt like if we kept getting here, things would eventually go our way against them and that’s how this group has been. They keep playing until the last out.”

Two years after spoiling RBC’s 2021 run, St. Augustine rallied for four runs in the final three innings to erase a 4-1 deficit vs. CBA in the sectional quarterfinals, again winning in walk-off fashion on an error to advance to the semifinals, where RBC would finally end the Hermits run of six straight championships.

The way Red Bank Catholic won its 9-8 sectional semifinal game over St. Augustine is the kind of finish that gets a team believing that winning a championship is its destiny. The Caseys entered the bottom of the seventh trailing the defending Non-Public A champion, 8-2, and scored seven runs in their final at-bat to pull a win out of the fire against the Hermits.

Beating any team by scoring seven runs in its final at-bat would have been an all-time win for RBC, but doing it against St. Augustine sent shockwaves through South Jersey, as well as the Shore. The Hermits have owned the South Jersey section since 2016, when they began a streak of six consecutive titles and seven in eight seasons.

“Momentum always plays a huge part in the game, especially in a tournament game,” Dantoni said. “The momentum was going against them and when errors come, they come in bunches. You start to think, ‘I don’t want to be the guy to make that last error,’ and that’s tough for a fielder to make a play when that’s what he is thinking.”

With its win on Wednesday, RBC has now eliminated St. Augustine twice in the last three seasons – the only team to beat St. Augustine before the state final since CBA beat the Hermits on the way to their 2015 state championship.

“Knowing that we can come back from a six-run deficit against one of the best programs in the state, it feels great,” Dantoni said. “We know we can beat anyone.”

Built for June

From the start of the season, CBA’s pitching staff stacked up with the best rotations in the state and while there have been some speed bumps along the way, the staff has more-or-less met its lofty expectations. When junior-left-hander and Virginia commit Sean Loggie had trouble finding the strike zone through one-plus innings on Wednesday against St. Joseph of Metuchen, coach Marty Kenney Jr. simply went to his 2024 All-Shore left-hander Danny DiTullio, who continued his surge during the second half of the season with another stellar, six-inning outing.

DiTullio will not be eligible for Friday’s championship, but the Colts still have an army of imposing pitchers ready – which includes Loggie, who pitched a two-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts and no walks vs. RBC during the regular season. RBC got Loggie back in the Monmouth County Tournament final, knocking him out after he allowed five runs in two innings.

The one CBA pitcher Red Bank Catholic has not seen this year is the one it will face to start the game on Friday. Junior Dylan Iwanyk started the season recovering from a hamstring strain and since joining the rotation in late April, he has been one of the hardest pitchers to score on in the entire Shore Conference. The Michigan commit has not pitched since throwing 5 1/3 innings in a win over St. Peter’s Prep on May 24, so if he can avoid showing any rust, Iwanyk should be fresh.

Even with a fully-rest Iwanyk, CBA boasts several options behind its starter. Shane Langan has continued his two-year run of dominance out of the Colts bullpen and has been a steadying force when the game is on the brink of going sideways, like the last two Monmouth County Tournament finals between the two teams have. Kenney would likely prefer to pass the ball directly from Iwanyk to Langan, but he won’t hesitate to use senior right-hander Joe Duffy and senior left-hander Dan Pardini in a key moment.

Fresh Idea

Unlike CBA, Red Bank Catholic has leaned heavily on two pitchers for the biggest innings of the season and unfortunately for the cases, both threw too many pitches in Wednesday’s win over St. Augustine to be eligible for Friday.

With both Prior and Meyers on the pitching ineligible list, RBC will turn to a quartet of pitchers and it is likely to be the youngest of the four getting the start. Freshman Sam French has turned in a promising first season at the varsity level and will likely end his season on the mound making the biggest start of his life on Friday.

Red Bank Catholic coach Buddy Hausmann has not been afraid to insert freshmen into his starting rotation, but has generally been cautious in years past about throwing freshmen onto the mound to start a game of this magnitude. Necessity, however, makes French an appealing choice for Hausmann because of his five-pitch mix and encouraging early track record. French pitched against CBA in the MCT final and while he allowed a run and did not record an out after going to the mound for a second inning in that game, French retired CBA slugging catcher Danny Tsimbinos for a huge inning-ending out and his issues to start his second inning of worked stemmed, in large part, from two errors.

Although RBC’s top two options are not available, French will still have back-up. Junior Glen Popes won a state playoff game as a sophomore last season and has been the No. 3 starter throughout the season. CBA has already seen Popes this season and tagged him for seven runs in 4 1/3 innings in a 10-0 Colts win in which the Caseys were missing senior leadoff hitter and Notre Dame commit Dylan Passo.

Sophomore right-hander Anthony Scaglione and junior right-hander Joe Mauro will also be ready to go. Scaglione pitched five strong innings in a 2-1 win over Rumson-Fair Haven in his last outing, with Mauro firing two scoreless frames to save it.

Prediction

There are no secrets between CBA and RBC, especially not when the two championship-hungry teams have already played one another three times this season. CBA beat the Caseys in both the Shore Conference Tournament and Monmouth County Tournament last season – both games decided by one run – and this year has been RBC’s payback. That payback, however, is not complete until the Caseys can end the Colts’ season, something they have never done in the NJSIAA Tournament.

The pitching availability Friday heavily favors CBA, but that is just one aspect of the game. The Caseys have shown they can put runs on the board against any team and French’s bright future at RBC could become a bright present on Friday. With a chance to play in one of the final six games of the season throughout New Jersey, expect Friday’s clash between the two rivals to be the most intense yet.

The Pick: CBA, 6-5