BERKELEY HEIGHTS — A regular season game scheduled to be played at Scotch Plains–Fanwood High School on Tuesday, April 7, did not include a trophy that was at stake.
For the red-hot Governor Livingston High School baseball team, however, it had special meaning.
Governor Livingston entered the Union County Conference–Watchung Division contest on Tuesday, April 7, at Scotch Plains–Fanwood seeking to break the start record for the longest winning streak.
The Highlanders tied the mark of 38, which was established by Don Bosco Preparatory High School in 2009, by beating visiting Lyndhurst High School, 16-1, Saturday, April 4.
Governor Livingston, which outscored its first four opponents, 44-4, improved to 4-0 with a seventh straight win against its Bergen County foe, going back to 2018.
Governor Livingston’s last loss was at Scotch Plains–Fanwood by the eight-inning score of 6-5 on March 21, 2024.
Here’s an account of Governor Livingston’s win 12-1 Union County Conference–Watchung Division win at Oratory Preparatory School on Tuesday, March 31, that, at the time out, Governor Livingston’s record was at 3-0:
For the Governor Livingston coaching staff, the mantra remains the same: one game at a time.
Governor Livingston baseball has now won 37 straight – the Highlanders were victorious at Oratory Prep, 12-1, on Tuesday afternoon, March 31, in Union County Conference–Watchung Division play at Cavalero Memorial Field – and is one triumph shy of tying the state record of 38 in a row established by Don Bosco Prep in 2009.
“We don’t think about that,” Governor Livingston head coach Chris Roof said. “We really worry about our next opponent.”
Governor Livingston is 6-0 vs. Lyndhurst, the last three wins have come by shutout, since 2018. The teams did not face each other in 2020 – no season at all because of the COVID-19 pandemic – and 2021.
The Highlanders are next scheduled to play at Scotch Plains–Fanwood on Tuesday, April 7, at 4 p.m., after press time, in what would be their first attempt to break the 17-year-old mark. The last time Governor Livingston lost was at Scotch Plains–Fanwood by the score of 6-5 on May 21, 2024. Scotch Plains–Fanwood tied the game at 5-5 with four runs in the bottom of the sixth and then won the game in extra innings by scoring a single run in the bottom of the eighth.
That enabled Scotch Plains–Fanwood to win the UCC’s Watchung Division crown against Governor Livingston by one game two years ago. Governor Livingston won the Watchung Division perfect at 11-0 last year.
Oratory Prep was not as successful against Governor Livingston on Tuesday, March 31. However, the host Rams put forth an effort that enabled the game to go the seven-inning distance.
Governor Livingston, which blanked Oratory Prep, 10-0, in six innings Monday, March 30, at home in this new UCC format of playing division opponents back-to-back in the same week, scored six runs in the top of the second on Tuesday, March 31, and then added two more in the third, sixth and seventh innings.
Standout Governor Livingston senior catcher Michael Basile, who will play in college at Lehigh University, was a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate with four RBI. Basile, who also threw out a runner attempting to steal second in the first inning and then picked off an Oratory Prep base-runner at second base in the third, banged out four singles and one double.
Basile singled to center in the first, reached on an infield single in the second when he beat the throw from the shortstop to drive in a run, drilled an opposite field two-run double off the right field fence in the third, led off the sixth with another infield single to short and then drove in his fourth run with a single to center field in the seventh.
Addison Adornato was 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI, designated hitter Keith Mann was 2-for-3 with one run and two RBI and Zach Geertsma had one hit in four at-bats, scoring three runs and driving in one.
Three Governor Livingston pitchers limited the Rams to just one run – Oratory Prep sophomore catcher Gus Grove blasted a solo home run over the center field fence with one out in the bottom of the third – with starter Reid Bazydlo, a senior right-hander, going the first four. Bazydlo, the winning pitcher, allowed one earned run on five hits while striking out four and walking one. Jaiden Fernandez pitched two scoreless innings and Mateo Liloia one.
For the first time, Governor Livingston got three games in before April 1.
“And we’re 3-0 before April 1,” Roof said. “We’re playing aggressive and having competitive at-bats.”
Governor Livingston is also not at 100 percent, with seniors Michael Novotny and Ryan Pappas sidelined at the moment.
Bazydlo, who will next play at Felician College along with teammate Mann, who was the winning pitcher against Oratory Monday, was happy with how he tried to tie up Oratory batters.
“My inside pitches worked best,” Bazydlo said. “I tried to jam them as best as I could.”
While it’s the job of the coaching staff to keep the players grounded and have them think about just the opponent at hand, Governor Livingston players do want to achieve this state-record winning streak. It would be something else to add to all of the success they have attained the past two seasons.
“It means a lot to us, but I think it may mean more to Coach Roof,” Geertsma said. “He’s been like a father figure to all of us.”
The ingredients to putting together a streak such as this: “For us, it’s all about how close we are as a team,” Geertsma said. “We bond and hang out as a group and we do take it one game at a time. This team is full of seniors who have played together since we were little kids.”
“If we do break the record, it would really be special,” Basile said. “This goes back to all the guys who have been a part of it since it started two years ago. All it takes is to run into one good pitcher. We’ve been battle-tested and have been down in games and come back.”
Governor Livingston baseball winning streak entering Tuesday, April 7, game at Scotch Plains–Fanwood was 38, tying Don Bosco Prep for the state’s longest.
2026 = won first four
April 7: at Scotch Plains–Fanwood
April 4: Governor Livingston 16, Lyndhurst 1 – at Governor Livingston
March 31: Governor Livingston 12, Oratory Prep 1 – at Oratory Prep
March 30: Governor Livingston 10, Oratory Prep 0 – at Governor Livingston
March 28: Governor Livingston 6, New Providence 2 – at Governor Livingston
2025 = 28-0
June 16: Governor Livingston 6, West Morris Regional 1 – at Wood-Ridge
June 9: Governor Livingston 8, Haddonfield Memorial 6 – at Governor Livingston
June 5: Governor Livingston 12, Robbinsville 2 – at Governor Livingston
June 3: Governor Livingston 3, Raritan 2 – at Governor Livingston
May 29: Governor Livingston 12, South River 6 – at Governor Livingston
May 27: Governor Livingston 7, Point Pleasant Borough 6 – at Governor Livingston
May 20: Governor Livingston 5, Union Catholic 0 – at Kean University
May 17: Governor Livingston 1, Elizabeth 0 – at Arthur L. Johnson
May 16: Governor Livingston 10, Arthur L. Johnson 0 – at Governor Livingston
May 12: Governor Livingston 5, Union Catholic 0 – at Union Catholic
May 10: Governor Livingston 33, Linden 0 – at Governor Livingston
May 8: Governor Livingston 10, Union 1 – at Governor Livingston
May 7: Governor Livingston 16, Cranford 3 – at Cranford
May 6: Governor Livingston 12, New Providence 1 – at Governor Livingston
May 1: Governor Livingston 7, Summit 0 – at Summit
April 30: Governor Livingston 15, New Providence 3 – at New Providence
April 29: Governor Livingston 12, Westfield 0 – at Westfield
April 26: Governor Livingston 16, Columbia 5 – at Governor Livingston
April 24: Governor Livingston 19, Scotch Plains–Fanwood 0 – at Scotch Plains–Fanwood
April 21: Governor Livingston 8, Westfield 7 – at Governor Livingston
April 19: Governor Livingston 3, Lyndhurst 0 – at Lyndhurst
April 16: Governor Livingston 1, David Brearley 0 – at David Brearley
April 15: Governor Livingston 10, Union Catholic 0 – at Governor Livingston
April 13: Governor Livingston 11, Delbarton 4 – at South Brunswick
April 10: Governor Livingston 11, Cranford 0 – at Governor Livingston
April 8: Governor Livingston 6, Summit 3 – at Governor Livingston
April 3: Governor Livingston 13, Arthur L. Johnson 0 – at Governor Livingston
April 1: Governor Livingston 8, Elizabeth 4 – at Elizabeth
2024 = won last six
June 8: Governor Livingston 3, Pascack Valley 0 – at Hamilton
June 5: Governor Livingston 10, Seneca 2 – at Seneca
June 3: Governor Livingston 9, Delran 3 – at Governor Livingston
May 31: Governor Livingston 2, Bordentown Regional 0 – at Governor Livingston
May 29: Governor Livingston 5, Nottingham 4 – at Governor Livingston
May 23: Governor Livingston 7, Holmdel 6 – at Governor Livingston
Photos by JR Parachini
