Perth Amboy (15) at South Plainfield (8), Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament, Preliminary Round
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on May 12, 2016 10:47 PM
Jordanny Nunez drove in three runs and Devin Rodriguez plated two runs to lead Perth Amboy to a 15-8 win over South Plainfield in the preliminary round of the Greater Middlesex County Tournament in South Plainfield.
Sergio Ramos, Darius Diaz, and Jahzeel Espiritusanto each had one RBI and Chris Brito allowed three hits over five innings with six strikeouts and one walk to earn the win.
Nick Plate, Dylan O'Connor, and Dave Tavarez each had two RBI for South Plainfield.
http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/7082555938627387793/perth-amboy-15-at-south-plainfield-8-greater-middlesex-conference-tournament-preliminary-round-baseball/
Brito leads Perth Amboy in GMC Tournament
Greg Tufaro,
@GregTufaro
As the lowest seeded team still alive in the Greater Middlesex Conference Baseball Tournament, don’t expect 22nd-seeded Perth Amboy High School to be intimidated.
The Panthers advanced with an impressive 15-8 preliminary-round victory on Thursday over defending Group III champion South Plainfield as Chris Brito, the lone pitcher out of a combined eight for both teams to take the mound with any sustained success, retired 13 of the final 15 batters.
Brito, better known as an incumbent Home News Tribune first-team All-Area selection and one of the league’s best-hitting infielders, was brilliant in relief as South Plainfield, which squandered an 8-6 third-inning lead, was blanked over the final four frames.
“They believe in me, and I believe in them, so as a captain, I’ve got to come in when they (pitching staff) are having a bad day,” Brito said, noting he wanted to give his team a chance to chip away at the deficit. “I’ve got to step up my game and pitch however I have to pitch to put my team in a winning situation.”
The game quickly became a battle of attrition for South Plainfield, as the pitching-depleted Tigers (8-14) did not have ace Jake Alba (he pitched Monday and only throws one day a week according to South Plainfield head coach Anthony Guida), No. 2 starter Jean Sapini (Guida said Sapini has not thrown a bullpen session since April 28 because of arm soreness), No. 3 starter Ryan Stankan (he pitched six innings on Tuesday) or No. 4 starter Billy Keane (who was injured six days ago) available.
On a day when South Plainfield’s defense obviously needed to rise to the occasion, the Tigers endured a complete meltdown, committing a season-high 11 errors that led to 12 unearned runs. In perhaps a fitting coincidence, Guida said his pen literally ran out of ink midway through the game, so he stopped keeping score of the miscues.
“I really don’t know what to say about our team today,” Guida said. “It was one of the most frustrating and aggravating games I’ve ever been a part of.”
The Panthers weren’t handed a victory. They pounded out a season-high 18 hits and have now scored 32 runs in their last two games including a 14-0 drubbing of Wardlaw-Hartridge in the GMCT play-in round.
Perth Amboy advanced to Monday’s first round, where it will play sixth-seeded Edison for the third time 11 days. The Eagles swept the regular-season series between the schools, winning 6-4 and 5-2.
The Panthers, who have lost 10 games by a total of 17 runs, are clearly better than their deceptive 6-15 record. With just two seniors in the starting lineup, Perth Amboy is built for the future, but it may be ahead of schedule.
“We know we can battle with anybody,” Perth Amboy head coach Alex Perez, a former New York Yankees farmhand said, noting that as a Red Division member the Panthers were well-prepared for the postseason.
“We knew going in (to the tournament) we are not a 22 seed team but we put ourselves in that situation. I told my guys, forget about the seed. It’s been that type of year. We just knew if we give our guys opportunities, positive results are going to happen. We have a good shot at making a nice run here.”
Jordanny Nunez, one of the two aforementioned seniors, snapped an 8-8 deadlock with a two-run single in the top of the fifth. He scored on Jahzeel Espiritusanto’s suicide squeeze as the Panthers built an 11-8 lead they would not relinquish.
“We know he has a good bat and was going to come around,” Perez said of Nunez (3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs), who had been struggling at the plate. “For a senior to have that big hit at that moment is definitely huge for him and for us.”
Every Perth Amboy player recorded at least one hit except Brito, who reached on three errors and scored each time. After leaving the bases loaded in each of his two previous at-bats, cleanup hitter Darius Diaz capped a three-run rally in the sixth with an RBI triple to give the Panthers a 14-8 advantage.
Speedy leadoff batter Sergio Ramos (2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored) excelled at the plate, as did Devin Rodriguez (plated two runs with a suicide squeeze and a single) and Anjeury Peralta (2-for-5 with a run). No. 9 batter Elvis Iglesias singled and scored three times.
“We’ve been struggling (offensively),” Perez said, noting the Panthers scored more than three runs just once in their last five regular-season games. “All we talked about was having better approaches and seeing the ball come out of the pitcher’s hand.”
Freshman right-hander Chris Shine yielded three runs to Perth Amboy in the first inning on a walk, two errors, two stolen bases, an infield single and a fielder’s choice. The Tigers parlayed three walks and three consecutive singles into a three-run rally of their own, knotting the score at 3-3 in the bottom of the frame.
Six South Plainfield batters who either walked or were hit by a pitch came around to score. David Tavarez had a two-run single for the Tigers, while teammates Dylan O’Connor and Nick Plate each had an RBI single. Mike Stanczak and Plate each had a sacrifice fly. O’Connor plated a run with a suicide squeeze.
Undaunted by the state championship banner hanging from the backstop at South Plainfield’s diamond, Perth Amboy made itself right at home. The Panthers played with enthusiasm from the first pitch to the final out and made incessant noise in the dugout during at-bats. They ran the bases as well as they ran their mouths with positive chants emanating from the bench.
“I knew they were good enough to beat us,” Guida said. “I told the kids right off the bat, this team is expecting to win this game. They know they’re good enough to win this game, and they went out and proved it today.”
http://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/sports/high-school/baseball/2016/05/12/baseball-brito-leads-perth-amboy-gmc-tournament/84271484/
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