Gomez Throws Fourth Straight No-Hitter as Barnegat Advances to SCT Quarterfinals

BARNEGAT TOWNSHIP — Barnegat’s dominant run continued in the second round of the Shore Conference Tournament on Thursday, as they defeated Raritan 10-0 in a five-inning mercy-rule victory behind the seventh no-hitter of the season — and fourth straight — from junior pitcher Gianna Gomez, backed with an explosive offensive showing as the Bengals advanced to the Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals, where they will face second-seeded Donovan Catholic.

The Bengals combined power at the plate and lockdown pitching to secure the win while Gomez added another milestone to an already historic season, recording the 600th strikeout of her career. The ace was dominant from start to finish, allowing zero hits while striking out 11 batters across five innings of work.

Gomez settled into a rhythm early inside the circle. After a strikeout to open the game, the Barnegat starter struck out two more batters in the first inning.

Barnegat wasted no time getting on the board in the bottom of the first inning.

Senior shortstop Riley Schmidt opened the frame with a single to left field before advancing into scoring position after a bunt and a wild pitch. Two batters later, senior catcher Jadeyn Bodziak brought home the game’s first run with a ground-out to give the Bengals an early 1-0 lead.

The Bengals added to their lead in the bottom of the second inning after consecutive singles put runners aboard. Junior Gianna Skwirut broke the game open, smashing a three-run home run to center field, extending Barnegat’s advantage to 4-0.

Raritan threatened briefly in the third after drawing a walk and advancing a runner into scoring position, but Gomez escaped the inning with another pair of strikeouts to preserve the no-hitter.

Barnegat’s biggest offensive surge came during the bottom of the third inning.

After a leadoff walk, sophomore Brooke Rizzo ripped an RBI double to left field to make it 5-0. Moments later, freshman Makaila Wickham piled on with another RBI double to center, extending the lead to six while also moving a runner to third on the throw. Junior Tristian Zalewski followed with an RBI single to center field before the Bengals continued to pressure the Rockets on the bases.

The exclamation point came later in the inning when Schmidt launched a whistling three-run home run to center field, extending Barnegat’s lead to 10-0 and all but securing the mercy-rule victory with Gomez dominating in the circle.

Barnegat’s defense continued to shine behind its ace throughout the final two innings, highlighted by clean infield play and several routine outs that helped complete the shutout.

The milestone performance only added to the remarkable season Gomez has assembled in the circle. Finishing the game with a microscopic 0.24 ERA and 282 strikeouts this season, she credited her teammates for helping fuel her success.

“I think I came into this season with a clear mindset, and I don’t really focus on strikeouts,” Gomez said. “I’m very big on team bonding and team chemistry, so when we go out onto the field, I know we’re all going to put all of our hard work together and it will work out.”

Despite reaching 600 career strikeouts in just her second season pitching, Gomez quickly credited the players around her for helping make the milestone possible.

“The 600 strikeouts is a great accomplishment because this is only my second season pitching, but without my amazing teammates behind me every step of the way, I don’t think I would have this.”

Barnegat (19-1) now turns its attention toward Saturday’s showdown against second-seeded Donovan Catholic, a matchup head coach Michael Palmieri views as an opportunity to test his team against one of the state’s premier programs.