On Friday the 16th, the Rams took on Union in a divisional matchup. If the Rams won the game, they would be the sole winners of the Mountain Division. If they lost, then there would be a three-way tie between the Oratory, ALJ, and Elizabeth for first place. The Rams were confident going into the game as they had beaten Union in their previous matchup.
On the mound for Oratory was freshman Jacob Minnefor, making his second start of the season. Other notable changes in the lineup are that Logan Costello shifted over to shortstop in the place of the injured Joe Loiacono, Jalen Brogdon played third, Brendan Keown played second, and George Fagan replaced an injured Devon Mulvaney.
The Rams opened the scoring in the top of the second inning with a run scored by Blake Duddy. Oratory tallied on two more runs in the fourth courtesy of a single from Patrick Keown and a dropped third strike, scoring Matt Dion, pinch running for Blake Duddy, and Caden Breault. Union retaliated with a run of their own in the fifth. In the sixth inning, while pinch-running for Jalen, Will Kostka scored Oratory’s 4th and final run of the game courtesy of a Patrick Keown double. Jacob Minnefor threw the complete game with 1 walk, 2 hits, 7 strikeouts, and only 90 pitches. A dominant performance that propelled the Rams to a 4-1 win against Union. Oratory is now the 2025 Union County Mountain Division champions for the first time in school history! The Rams will now be moved up to the Watchung Division next season. Congratulations, Rams, and wishing the best of luck for the rest of the season.
