Summit Baseball Rallies Into Union County Quarterfinals

NEW PROVIDENCE, NJ — Summit High School Hilltoppers erased a late two-run deficit Friday and stunned New Providence High School Pioneers with a three-run fifth inning to secure a 5-4 road victory in the opening round of the Union County Tournament.Trailing 4-2 entering the fifth, Summit delivered its biggest offensive inning of the day to swing momentum for good. Matt McKeever sparked the comeback, finishing 2-for-4 with a double, triple and three RBIs, while Ben Cohen collected three hits and scored twice.Summit (7-11-1) pieced together nine hits overall and tightened up defensively down the stretch to preserve the one-run lead over the final two innings.New Providence (8-10) controlled much of the early action, scoring in the first, third and fourth innings to build a 4-2 advantage. Michael Schmidt led the Pioneers offensively, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a triple. Matthew Santacross reached base three times, stole three bases and scored twice.Cohen also delivered on the mound for Summit, pitching six innings while allowing four runs — three earned — on seven hits with two strikeouts. Javier Bonfante recorded the final three outs in relief.Summit now advances to face top-seeded Governor Livingston Highlanders in the quarterfinals Wednesday.