CEDAR GROVE – Tim Riche was a role player when Pompton Lakes captured its only state title in 2024.

Just a sophomore during that memorable Group 1 championship run, Riche looked ahead to the day he could be a central figure on a contending Cardinals team.

Two years later, the senior will get his final chance.

Riche delivered a dominant all-around performance on June 8, tossing a four-hit, complete game with eight strikeouts to lead Pompton Lakes to a 3-2 win over Cedar Grove in a Group 1 state semifinal at Linfante Field in Essex County.

He also starred at the plate, going 3-for-4 and driving in the decisive run. With the score tied 2-2 in the top of the seventh inning, Riche delivered a clutch two-out RBI to give the Cardinals the lead for good.

Pompton Lakes (22-7) advances to the Group 1 state final on June 10 at Rutgers University where it will meet Point Pleasant Beach at 4 p.m.

The Garnet Gulls (19-6) earned their spot in the championship game with a 15-6 win over Woodstown earlier in the day in Ocean County.

“We envisioned this since we were all eight years old. Back then we went all the way to the regionals in Little League. This is our team,” Riche said. “I felt great coming into this game. I was trying to keep the hitters off balance all game. At the plate I kept it simple. The other pitcher was throwing strikes and I just had to put the ball in play.”

Pompton Lakes banged out nine hits with leadoff batter Jonah Carbon collecting two of them.

The Cardinals broke through first in the fourth inning when sophomore Luke Porcelli’s RBI single scored Ryan Miceli from third. Miceli led off the inning and reached base on an infield error.

Riche coasted through the first four innings, striking out five while retiring the sides in the first and third innings.

“We have some tough kids. Some of them have been here before and that pays off in the end,” Pompton Lakes coach Mike Riordan said. “Tim is a beast. He’s only 140 pounds soaking wet, but he’s one of the toughest guys you’ll run into. We have some gamers and they were ready for the last inning.”

Cedar Grove (20-10) rallied in the sixth inning when it scored two runs to take the lead. The Panthers tied it with one out when Ron Ricca grounded into a fielder’s choice to first base with the bases loaded to plate Chris Halbert.

Cedar Grove took the lead when John Reer singled on a fly ball to score Xavier Andujar from third.

Riche managed to weave in and out of trouble, striking out the last two batters with runners on second and third.

“We have no quit on this team. Same thing happened against Wallkill Valley (in the sectional semifinals),” Riche said. “They tied it up, we came back and walked it off. Same thing here. Coach asked me if I wanted to come out, but I told him this is my game. I wanted to finish it.”

The Cardinals retook the lead for good in the seventh when Jon Popovich hit a deep sacrifice fly to left field to score Sean Daly. Riche sealed the comeback when he smacked a hard ground ball to the right of the shortstop and into left field to plate Chad McConnell from second base.

Sophomore Dylan Hazen started the rally with a leadoff walk after falling behind in the count 0-2. He won the battle, drawing four straight balls. McConnell singled with one out on a line drive rope to right field and Miceli followed with a base hit.

Riche closed out the Panthers in order in the seventh, inducing three straight fly outs.

“I just asked him [Riche] if he wanted to come out. It wasn’t just the answer I wanted to hear. I wanted to see the look. When I said you got this last inning, there was no doubt,” Riordan said. “If I tried to take him out, he wouldn’t have let me. He only had 15 pitches left to play with. There was no way I could take him out of this game. This was his game. He got the big hit. I’d go to war with him any day.”

The two teams first met on April 4 in Essex County in the second game of the regular season, when Cedar Grove shut out the Cardinals, 6–0. The loss served as both a head-scratcher and a gut check for Riordan and his staff, who believed their team was capable of a much stronger performance.

“We knew they [Cedar Grove] were a good team. We weren’t the same team then. We were trying to figure ourselves out,” said Riordan, whose team has won six straight games. “A lot of balls dropped in front of us. Our strategy for this game was to challenge them to hit it over our heads. They’re a very well-coached team.”