Baseball Game Preview: South Plainfield Tigers vs. Red Bank Catholic Caseys

The South Plainfield Tigers will venture away from home to challenge the Red Bank Catholic Caseys at 11:00 a.m. on Friday. South Plainfield is coming into the match hot, having won their last five games.

South Plainfield barely beat South Brunswick the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Tigers were the clear victors by an 8-2 margin over the Vikings on Thursday.

Aiden McCarthy spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on two hits and racked up six Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances.

Ryan Balent

Hits (Career)

04/24/25 @ South Brunswick	3
04/01/25 vs Edison	2
04/10/25 vs Old Bridge	1
04/08/25 @ Old Bridge	1
04/03/25 @ Edison	1

On the hitting side, Ryan Balent was excellent, going 3-for-4 with two runs and one RBI. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Chris Loniewski, who went 1-for-2 with two RBI and one run.

They weren't the only ones making solid contact: South Plainfield kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as South Brunswick only managed three hits.

Meanwhile, Red Bank Catholic has relied on a stalwart pitchers averaging 3.67 runs allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Thursday. They came up short against Christian Brothers Academy, falling 10-0. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Caseys have suffered since June 1, 2024.

South Plainfield pushed their record up to 9-3 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Red Bank Catholic, their loss dropped their record down to 6-3.

South Plainfield suffered a grim 9-0 defeat to Red Bank Catholic in their previous matchup back in May of 2017. Can the Tigers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.