Bergen Catholic 3 Ramsey 3

It wasn’t the finish that either team wanted, but it was the level of play that everyone expected. The Crusaders and Rams showed out in one of the state’s marquis early-season showdowns – albeit ending in a 3-3 tie due to darkness.

Ramsey (1-0-1) wheeled out star lefty Will Kirk for the big showdown and he didn’t disappoint, throwing eight strikeouts across four scoreless innings of work. A two-run single from Sean Sailer in the bottom of the third gave the Rams an early lead to work with.

Bergen Catholic (0-1-1) rallied late in the game when Jamie Zee and Chris Kim blasted back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Ramsey would ultimately draw even after an RBI single from Luke Monico before the umpires called the game at 6:56 p.m.

JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights and postgame reaction from a great game in Bergen County: